5 November 2008

'Lemon tree, very pretty...


...and the lemon flower is sweet.
But the fruit of the poor lemon is
impossible to eat!'
Or so the song goes.
We have a flourishing lemon tree in our yard,

bursting at the seams with lemons,
I've thought of how I could put them to some use
as it seems such a waste to see them falling to the ground.




I usually have the juice of a lemon every morning
diluted in a glass of water. So cleansing and high in vit. C.
Unfortunately it seems whenever a recipe calls for the use of lemons,
it requires sugar to compensate for the sourness of the lemons...
and I don't like to use a lot of sugar in my cooking. So,
the next best thing is a preserve. Simple to make,
just fill a large preserving jar with lemons sliced open and
packed with salt. Add a teaspoon of peppercorns and
one bay leaf, and fill to the brim with more lemon juice.
Then set aside in a dark place for 6 weeks, inverting
the jar once a week. Well I made mine (pictured)
about two weeks ago so will wait a little longer for the results.
Then the family and I will sample some of this preserve
as an accompaniment to our meal.
So maybe lemons aren't so impossible to eat after all.