The Answer is a Lemon
Preserving foodstuffs to give them life beyond their natural season without modern means has been part of civilised man’s daily grind for millennia. Salting, drying, smoking, fermenting or preserving in fats or sugars have been the way to stretch and provide sustenance for those times of the year when slim pickings arrived.
I remember as a child my mother’s store cupboard, the top shelves always laden with glass jars with green metal vacuum screw tops, containing preserved fruits, chutneys, marmalades and jams. Back then, before the art of cross leasing and subdivision took hold, when quarter acre sections were full of giving fruit trees and before swimming pools imposed themselves upon the urban landscape, suburbia itself was very much a productive and active part of many cities’ and towns’ economies.
Today of course you can buy almost everything from a supermarket, that is, if it is in the supermarket’s interest to stock it. One item you are unlikely to find is pickled lemons.
Pickled lemons are a wonderful addition to any number of dishes, entrees and salads: a unique taste enhancer to salad dressings and aioli, and something no good kitchen should be without. Simple to make and with a long shelf life.
Pickled Lemons
Ingredients
- 6-8 fresh, ripe lemons.
- Heaped tablespoon of salt for each lemon
- Clean cold water, enough to cover the lemons
- Olive oil, enough to create a sealing film on top of the water
A weight of some kind to hold the lemons down if not using specially made preserving jars.
Method
Wash lemons thoroughly, pat dry, then make a deep incision into each of the lemons, pour a tablespoon of salt into each of the incisions while holding the lemon over the container you will be using to ensure all of the salt ends up in the container. Pour in cold water to cover the lemons completely then pour in enough olive oil to act as a sealant layer to the brine. Leave for aproximately one month before starting to use. Remember never to stick your fingers in when removing or returning a lemon as that will introduce bacteria and destroy the pickled contents of the container.
Shabbat Shalom
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