Now that we're learning how to cook Moroccan food, we decided to preserve our own lemons. After doing a bit of research, here's how we did it. I bought organic lemons. Wash the lemons and dry completely before processing.
I washed and sterilized a wide mouth canning jar.
Zest 6 of the lemons. I used a potato peeler because I didn't have a zester. I laid the peels on a pan and froze them for future use.
Cut the lemons in half and juice them. Remove any seeds. Pour it into a jar and store in the frig. You'll need this tomorrow.
Now, slice the remaining 6 lemons in quarters BUT do not slice all the way through. Stop when you get to about 1/2" from the bottom so the lemon remains intact. Pour some Kosher salt in a bowl. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of salt in each lemon.
Pack the lemons in the jar. You may have to squeeze them a bit, but they'll go in.
Put the lids on and leave them on the counter overnight.
In the morning fill the jars to the top with the reserved lemon juice that you put away. Store these in a dark place. I put mine under the kitchen sink. Shake once a day. Leave them for a month.
That's when they're supposed to be done. I'm three weeks away and will report back at the end of that time.
I'm not really sure how to store the lemons after that point, but will poke around on the internet and see what my next step is. I'll keep you posted.
Until next time.....
