Recipe for Preserved Lemons

bump for the preserved fermented lemons

You will need:
a large bowl
a large non-reactive lidded container, ideally glass.
fresh thick skinned lemons, ideally spray-free
pure salt (not iodised, free from additives)
optional - a few bay leaves, a cinnamon stick, a few dried chillies
extra lemons for juice

Wash lemons well. Cut into quarters. Place in large bowl with a tablespoon of salt per lemon and stand for an hour or so to soften. Massage with your hands to soften further but do not break the quarters.

Pack into jar, pressing down to exclude air. Add bay leaves/cinnamon/chillies as you go. Pour in all of the salt and juice from the bowl. If the liquid does not cover the lemons squeeze some lemon juice and add to cover.

Cover tightly and store in a dark place for a month. Every day turn the jar over to dissolve redistribute the salt and juice. The liquid will become thick and syrupy as the salt dissolves.

After a month or so the lemons should be soft and aromatic and can be used. Don't use the flesh, just the skins. The flavour will improve and the colour will darken over time. lemons will keep almost indefinitely if kept cool and dark

Fermented actually.

davidt4, thanks for this recipe.
I attempted to preserve lemons a couple of years ago & ended up ditching them because they grew a scummy look, not mouldy though. I didn't keep them in the dark, could that have been why? If not, any suggestions as to why this happened. I'd love to try again as my lemon tree is loaded, more than enough to use fresh, or for curd, or give away.

I don't know why your lemons would have thrown scum; in my experience they are foolproof because of the extremely high levels of salt and acid.

Did you add water maybe? I don't think the sunlight would cause much of a problem unless it was very hot and they started to rot before the fermentation started.

I envy you with your abundant lemons. Our trees are still young and not producing nearly enough to keep us going, and this time of year decent lemons are hard to find at the greengrocers.

Thanks david4t . I'll give it another go.
My lemon tree (inherited on my property) has taken a couple of years to bring up to speed, When I first moved here,I was so excited to be able to grab a lemon & the first ones were juice less . it's taken a while to get it to this stage, despite heavy frosts.
A well producing lemon tree is a luxury to me & it gets the most TLC that I can give it.
Well worth it.
I have a tangelo & a Lime (which are struggling in my climate) hidden under frost cloth for 5 monhts of the year . but I live in hope.

That makes me a bit less envious. Our young lime trees and a Carter's Navel orange tree are already producing well, especially the limes. The difficulty in Auckland with citrus is summer drought, not winter frost.

I found this recipe on myheartbeets.com which has a lot of Indian style paleo foods. My first jar of preserved lemon is in the pantry and tastes pretty good. The ajwain seeds can be bought from most Indian spice shops and I love the flavour. They are supposed to be excellent for aiding digestion. And a cure for hiccups.

Perpetual Pickle (How to Use Leftover Lemons)
Ingredients

2 organic lemons, sliced (thin-skinned/meyer lemons are ideal but not necessary)
2 teaspoons Fine Sea Salt
2 teaspoons Organic Cane Sugar
1 teaspoon Carom Seeds (Ajwain)
Instructions

Cut lemons in half and squeeze out all the juice into an air-tight glass jar.
Slice lemon and place those pieces into the jar.
Add salt, sugar and carom seeds.
Shake jar and store in pantry - stir every now and then.
Continue to add lemon, lemon juice and spices as needed.
Notes

You can start eating this pickle after two weeks but it’ll taste better the longer it ages. Keep refilling whenever you have extra lemons and stir the jar every now and then. Make sure to always coat the lemons with juice, sugar and salt. Limes work too!

If you don't like the taste of carom/ajwain seeds, you can make this with just salt/sugar.
Make sure you eat this pickle as a condiment - in moderation. A small spoonful before or alongside a heavy meal will go a long way.