Hi I'm Tricia an organic gardener. I grow organically, for healthy and safe food
supply, for clean and sustainable environment, for an enjoyable and
rewarding experience.
Today we're going to preserve citrus. I've just harvested my Meyer lemons and my blood
oranges. And we're going to preserve two different ways. The key to great candied
lemon slices is to start with clean lemons of course. Then cut the ends
off and start with about one-quarter inch slices. Once their sliced you will be able to take
any pits out.
Beautiful, MMMmmm
I'm going to candy the blood oranges the exact same way.
Mmmmm, Look at that.
Now we're going to mix liquid that the lemons are going to saute in.
A cup of sugar, three-quarters of a cup of water, and two tablespoons of lemon juice.
This is what we're going to cook the lemons in.
Start the temperature high, but watch it very closely and then turn it down to low.
For the candied blood oranges we're going to use the same mixture except instead of lemon juice
were going to use orange juice.
The liquid is starting to boil so it's time to turn it down and add the slices.
I used two blood oranges and two Meyer lemons to fill up the pan.
The most important thing is not to let them boil. You don't want to overcook them. They need to
cook very, very slowly. I'm bringing mine down to simmer.
Usually it will take at least 45 minutes to an hour
at a very, very slow and low rate of heat.
Salt preserved lemons are one of the most
important ingredients in Asian and Northern African cooking. In Morocco for example
all the Tagine's are made with preserved lemons.
While the candied citrus is cooking,
we are going to preserve lemons in salt. its very easy.
Of course we're using sterilized jars.
we're gonna cut the end off of the lemon, then we're gonna cut it in quarters but without cutting
all the way through.
We want to leave the lemon attached just at the bottom and open it up.
At this point we can remove any obvious visible pits. Then we're gonna fill the lemon with salt.
I'm using a kosher rock salt at about a tablespoon of salt per lemon...
letting the excess drip out into your Weck canning jar.
Squeeze it together.
Put it in the jar.
Usually you can fit three lemons per Weck jar.
Squash them into the jar tightly. At this point it's optional but you can add a few
drops of lemon juice to add a little bit of liquid.
Then we'll just seal the Weck jars and then put them in a cupboard or the pantry, every day you might want to check on them
and turn them. Now just store the jars in the pantry for about three days.
Back to the candied citrus. They've been cooking slowly in the sugar water and so it's time to
turn them. You can turn them frequently. Make sure you cook them slowly.
Once the liquid is all gone the candied lemons are ready to be put on a parchment paper to cool.
Once they've cooled on the parchment paper you can put them in the refrigerator and let them cool for an
additional two hours. You can leave them in the refrigerator for up to two months.
Once your citrus has cooled in the refrigerator for 2 hours, you can store them in layers of parchment in any
kind of food storage container.
It's been about three days the lemons have disgorged some of their juices
and their skins have softened. Now we're gonna add lemon juice up to the top of the jar.
Then we're just going to re-seal the jar and let the lemons sit for about another month.
I like my candied citrus just chopped up and added to some plain yogurt. Check out our blog to find
recipes and ideas for how to use your preserved citrus and grow organic for life!
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