I found your post very informative. I've never made preserved lemons
before - but I was looking for detailed info to do just that. That's how I
happened to join this newsgroup. I'm assuming that you just clean the
lemons - quarter them - and layer them in a jar with salt, put them in a
dark place and wait?

Would anyone be willing to divulge kindergarten instructions? You speak of
lemon juice - do you squeeze them before placing in the jar? When using the
gasket jar - I'm reading that you lock the top?

I've ever only seen this done on foodtv where they sliced them and placed
them in jars. I've tried to find the recipe on that site - but can't seem
to find it.

thanks for any and all info.

Susie


"Noel Gieleghem" > wrote in message
om...
> This is Noel in Napa, California, weighing in. I've been making
> preserved lemons for donkeys' years *(about 30 years) and know exactly
> the problem you're experiencing (BTW, I'm a sea salt, non-iodized,
> user and I like them spiced with a bit of cinnamon stick, black
> pepper, bay leaf, and coriander seed). I make a lot of different
> citrus pickles (Indian), and you begin to get a sense of what will
> work over time. Presoaking and thorough cleaning is imperative. I use
> a stiff brush and get all the dirt and grime off. I then "polish"
> them dry with a rough towel, and work over a bowl to catch the juice
> and salt. I only use glass and ceramin, no metal. Some of my tricks
> may be from India pickling sources, but they work in a North African
> modality as well.
>
> The trick to non-bobbing lemons is the right jar. It should be one
> with "shoulders," narrowing toward the mouth. I use a glass canning
> jar with a glass lid and rubber gasket. It's a bit of a balancing
> act, but you need to gauge the jar size to the amount of lemons to
> that when you've just about filled it, you cram in about 5-10 more,
> effectively wedging them beneath the "shoulder" of the jar. You
> really have to exert some force to make sure they're "trapped" beneath
> the "shoulder." You then have a bit of "head room" at the mouth of
> the jar, and you can top off the jar with more lemon juice (or, if
> you've run out of lemons, a bit of boiled water will work). The lemons
> should be so tightly packed that they don't shift or move at all when
> you shake the jar; only the fluid should slosh, not the lemons.
>
> And yes, they do "relax" as they ferment, so you can continue to smush
> them down as they soften.
>
> Regarding the quartering question, you should be making 4 slits along
> the length of the lemon, but starting and stopping about 1/2" away
> from each end. When you're salting, you squish down the lemon, pour in
> the salt, turn, do it again, etc. When you're done, the lemon
> "reforms." Yes, you will break some when you're backing them in, but
> if you're careful, you'll keep them whole. I use the "broken"
> sections as packing material to wedge in the whole lemons.
>
> BTW, be aware that there is a whole lot of fermentation which takes
> place and it seems to be completely random. I recently made two huge
> batches. Identical lemons, jars, salt, etc. One jar when on ferment,
> burping, squirting for about a month and a half; the other settled
> down in two weeks.
>
> The juice/liquid in the jars because quite cloudy, but it suddenly
> clears when the the fermentation stops. You have to shake the jars
> every day while they're active. After they've finished, they can lie
> quiet. Be aware that a lot of pressure can build up in the jars, so
> open them over a sink and away from your body or you can get covered
> with lemony brine!
>
> A funny story about preserved lemons. I'd been making them for years,
> according to Paula's recipe, and loved them. When I finally got to
> Morocco and tasted the lemons there, I was very disappointed! No
> flavor, or really a bit soapy. When I got back to the states, I
> plucked up my courage and phone Paula Wolfert to find out what the
> deal was. She was kind enough to validate my discovery, saying, in
> effect, that her recipe (and its reliance on lemon juice rather than
> water), was really "palace style" and produced a superior product! I
> was relieved to hear it. She's a wonderful person and very generous
> with her information, exactly as you'd expect from such an excellent
> author.
>
>
> mangodance > wrote in message
>...
> > David Hare-Scott wrote:
> >
> > > The only trick to it is to ensue that there is sufficient juice/salt
to
> > > cover the fruit otherwise it will get mouldy, if this happens just
throw out
> > > the mouldy bits on top and make sure the rest stays covered. Adding
some
> > > inert (glass, pottery, etc) weight on top (inside the jar) to push the
fruit
> > > down can assist.
> >
> > Everything I've ever seen or heard said to pack them down HARD so they
> > don't float up. I had my entire fist down in the cannisters packing
> > down the lemons. But they all still float up. If they didn't, I'd have
> > a safe 2" or so of juice covering them. Will they be less buoyant in a
> > day or two? I keep pushing them down but they're up w/in mins. I've
> > been scrambling for something made of glass that can go in the top of
> > the cannister and add weight enough to stay submerged but no luck yet.
> >
> > BTW, All the careful cutting into quarters but leaving them attached at
> > one end was for naught. Many ripped free during the squeezing/packing.
> > It seems to me that it would be easier just to quarter them fully and
> > pack better. Does anyone just use cut lemons?