"Hoges in WA" > wrote in message
news
>
> "Dee Randall" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Hoges in WA" > wrote in message
>> ...
> {snipped}>
>>
>> Thanks for all the uses. I have a gallon (it says Italy on the top) jar
>> with a snap-down metal lid with a rubber gasket, that I used on the last
>> go-round, that I must've got at someplace like Cost Plus. As I recall, I
>> didn't have THAT many lemons in ratio to the salt I used to fill up that
>> jar. The lemons were cheap in comparison to the salt I used. Don't you
>> completely fill the jar with salt around the lemons? As I recall I used
>> kosher salt. I have a place that is cool and dark, would that be better
>> than 75F and light during the day? Also, since lemons have so much
>> crappy-oil on them, what did you do to get it off, as well as some of the
>> blue markings that are on the lemons?
>> Lots of problems to work out for me. Thanks for any advice.
>> Dee Dee
>
>
> This is not an exact science, since people have been making these for
> centuries.
>
>
>
> Take several lemons, saving some for the juice you will need. I like to
> use organic, but if you don't have access, any good ripe ones will do. If
> you've got them from your back yard or one of your friends' backyards
> they're probably as close to organic as you're going to get anyway.

No lemons here!
Yes, I used loads of juice from lemons that weren't 'perfect' looking.
>
>
>
> Wash them with detergent & rinse, to remove the agricultural wax if they
> are commercial. You'll know if they need washing.
>
I washed mine.
>
>
> I like to completely quarter mine, but many recipes say to quarter them
> lengthwise but not to cut all the way through the end. Whatever.

As I remember, I completely quartered mine. Perhaps not, as I remember not
being to get enough in the jar.
>
>
>
> Cram them into a clean jar and pour a lot of salt over them, enough to
> cover. Yes, it's a lot of salt. However, if you buy cooking salt,

do you mean the kind that has "ADDITIVES" in it to make it always pour-able?
Mortons, for instance?

it's
> cheap as chips. I don't know about kosher, it's not on my list of
> obligations (or, as an old Australian saying goes, "it's all Hebrew to
> me")


>
> Roll 'em in salt,

I don't think I rolled them.

put some salt at the bottom of the jar, half way up the
> jar, on top of the jar. Just chuck salt in til it looks like there's a
> lot of salt in there.
>
>
>
> Fill the jar with lemon juice from the reserved lemons. This seems to use
> more damn lemons than you've already put in the jar.
>
Yes, I KNOW!
>
>
> Put the lid on and shake well.
>
>
>
> Put in the refrigerator (probably not necessary). For the first several
> days, take the jar out twice a day and shake.

I shook.


The salt will draw moisture
> from the lemons and soon you will have a brine with no undissolved salt.
> At that point you can forget the jar in the back of the fridge for a
> while. The rinds will mellow beautifully. A cool dark place will do if
> you want them out of the fridge. I don't have mine in the fridge at the
> moment because it's winter down here so they're just sitting in a
> cupboard.
>
>
>
> I think that provided there's plenty of salt, plenty of lemon juice,
> plenty tight lid and plenty of cool dark, there's not much else to it.
> Super clean jars that have been dried in a low oven are a good idea too.

Yes, I dry in a low oven.
>
>
>
> Hoges in WA
>
You say, 'winter down here' - I thought WA is for Washington (State of
Washington). Not so?

Thanks for all your advise. I may be ready to tackle them again. Gotta
gather in some salt. Lemons always available at Costco cheap.

Dee Dee