Spotlight: Lemons

     I have said this before, "When life hands you lemons preserve them into submission".  So again a tip for all you Black Friday shoppers out there: Do yourselves a favor, buy a bag of lemons tomorrow, and preserve them.  I know this sounds a little odd, but trust me it is worth it in the long run.  Bonus: the lemons will probably not be as in high demand as that newest generation electronic or toy of the moment, but after a month of preserving I guarantee these lemons will be more popular and less riddled with guilt.
     I had researched a lot of different sites before I made my preserved lemons.  Many of them used Meyer lemons, but I used what I had available from my local Aldi's, good old-fashioned lemons.  After scrubbing the whole lemons with a vegetable scrubber, I rubbed them with salt, quartered and packed them tightly into a clean Atlas quart jar given to me in a lot of jars from my grandparents stash.  I added additional tablespoons of salt after each lemon was added, cardamon pods along the way, a few bay leaves, and a whole cinnamon stick for good measure.  This was then covered over with additional Real Lemon juice and placed in the refrigerator for a month shaking daily to redistribute the salt.
     What emerged was truly wonderful, quite like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly.  All parts of the lemons after a month were ready to be used in recipes.  Whether the peel, flesh or juice, they were ready to impart a unique brightness, a subtle citrus burst.  I am not kidding, I made a creation tonight using the lemons as a favor profile and it was incredible. So just do it. Buy those lemons and preserve them, in a month your taste-buds will scream THANK YOU!

Preserved Lemons as inspired by the recipe at The Kitchn

• 6-8 lemons
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 6-8 cardamon pods
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Real lemon brand lemon juice

Prepare as directed above placing in clean jar. Cover tightly with lid and place in refrigerator for 1 month shaking daily. We dove into these recently at our household to create a satisfying dish.  Check out  recipes here and here for these tasty gems as an ingredient!