"Dee Randall" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Hoges in WA" > wrote in message
> ...
{snipped}>
>
> Thanks for all the uses. I have a gallon (it says Italy on the top) jar
> with a snap-down metal lid with a rubber gasket, that I used on the last
> go-round, that I must've got at someplace like Cost Plus. As I recall, I
> didn't have THAT many lemons in ratio to the salt I used to fill up that
> jar. The lemons were cheap in comparison to the salt I used. Don't you
> completely fill the jar with salt around the lemons? As I recall I used
> kosher salt. I have a place that is cool and dark, would that be better
> than 75F and light during the day? Also, since lemons have so much
> crappy-oil on them, what did you do to get it off, as well as some of the
> blue markings that are on the lemons?
> Lots of problems to work out for me. Thanks for any advice.
> Dee Dee


This is not an exact science, since people have been making these for
centuries.



Take several lemons, saving some for the juice you will need. I like to use
organic, but if you don't have access, any good ripe ones will do. If
you've got them from your back yard or one of your friends' backyards
they're probably as close to organic as you're going to get anyway.



Wash them with detergent & rinse, to remove the agricultural wax if they are
commercial. You'll know if they need washing.



I like to completely quarter mine, but many recipes say to quarter them
lengthwise but not to cut all the way through the end. Whatever.



Cram them into a clean jar and pour a lot of salt over them, enough to
cover. Yes, it's a lot of salt. However, if you buy cooking salt, it's
cheap as chips. I don't know about kosher, it's not on my list of
obligations (or, as an old Australian saying goes, "it's all Hebrew to me")

Roll 'em in salt, put some salt at the bottom of the jar, half way up the
jar, on top of the jar. Just chuck salt in til it looks like there's a lot
of salt in there.



Fill the jar with lemon juice from the reserved lemons. This seems to use
more damn lemons than you've already put in the jar.



Put the lid on and shake well.



Put in the refrigerator (probably not necessary). For the first several
days, take the jar out twice a day and shake. The salt will draw moisture
from the lemons and soon you will have a brine with no undissolved salt. At
that point you can forget the jar in the back of the fridge for a while.
The rinds will mellow beautifully. A cool dark place will do if you want
them out of the fridge. I don't have mine in the fridge at the moment
because it's winter down here so they're just sitting in a cupboard.



I think that provided there's plenty of salt, plenty of lemon juice, plenty
tight lid and plenty of cool dark, there's not much else to it. Super clean
jars that have been dried in a low oven are a good idea too.



Hoges in WA

"Hoges in WA" > wrote in message
news
>
> "Dee Randall" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Hoges in WA" > wrote in message
>> ...
> {snipped}>
>>
>> Thanks for all the uses. I have a gallon (it says Italy on the top) jar
>> with a snap-down metal lid with a rubber gasket, that I used on the last
>> go-round, that I must've got at someplace like Cost Plus. As I recall, I
>> didn't have THAT many lemons in ratio to the salt I used to fill up that
>> jar. The lemons were cheap in comparison to the salt I used. Don't you
>> completely fill the jar with salt around the lemons? As I recall I used
>> kosher salt. I have a place that is cool and dark, would that be better
>> than 75F and light during the day? Also, since lemons have so much
>> crappy-oil on them, what did you do to get it off, as well as some of the
>> blue markings that are on the lemons?
>> Lots of problems to work out for me. Thanks for any advice.
>> Dee Dee
>
>
> This is not an exact science, since people have been making these for
> centuries.
>
>
>
> Take several lemons, saving some for the juice you will need. I like to
> use organic, but if you don't have access, any good ripe ones will do. If
> you've got them from your back yard or one of your friends' backyards
> they're probably as close to organic as you're going to get anyway.

No lemons here!
Yes, I used loads of juice from lemons that weren't 'perfect' looking.
>
>
>
> Wash them with detergent & rinse, to remove the agricultural wax if they
> are commercial. You'll know if they need washing.
>
I washed mine.
>
>
> I like to completely quarter mine, but many recipes say to quarter them
> lengthwise but not to cut all the way through the end. Whatever.

As I remember, I completely quartered mine. Perhaps not, as I remember not
being to get enough in the jar.
>
>
>
> Cram them into a clean jar and pour a lot of salt over them, enough to
> cover. Yes, it's a lot of salt. However, if you buy cooking salt,

do you mean the kind that has "ADDITIVES" in it to make it always pour-able?
Mortons, for instance?

it's
> cheap as chips. I don't know about kosher, it's not on my list of
> obligations (or, as an old Australian saying goes, "it's all Hebrew to
> me")


>
> Roll 'em in salt,

I don't think I rolled them.

put some salt at the bottom of the jar, half way up the
> jar, on top of the jar. Just chuck salt in til it looks like there's a
> lot of salt in there.
>
>
>
> Fill the jar with lemon juice from the reserved lemons. This seems to use
> more damn lemons than you've already put in the jar.
>
Yes, I KNOW!
>
>
> Put the lid on and shake well.
>
>
>
> Put in the refrigerator (probably not necessary). For the first several
> days, take the jar out twice a day and shake.

I shook.


The salt will draw moisture
> from the lemons and soon you will have a brine with no undissolved salt.
> At that point you can forget the jar in the back of the fridge for a
> while. The rinds will mellow beautifully. A cool dark place will do if
> you want them out of the fridge. I don't have mine in the fridge at the
> moment because it's winter down here so they're just sitting in a
> cupboard.
>
>
>
> I think that provided there's plenty of salt, plenty of lemon juice,
> plenty tight lid and plenty of cool dark, there's not much else to it.
> Super clean jars that have been dried in a low oven are a good idea too.

Yes, I dry in a low oven.
>
>
>
> Hoges in WA
>
You say, 'winter down here' - I thought WA is for Washington (State of
Washington). Not so?

Thanks for all your advise. I may be ready to tackle them again. Gotta
gather in some salt. Lemons always available at Costco cheap.

Dee Dee

Dee wrote:

> You say, 'winter down here' - I thought WA is for Washington (State of
> Washington). Not so?

http://www.arta.com.au/wa.html

Bob

"Bob" > wrote in message
...
> Dee wrote:
>
>> You say, 'winter down here' - I thought WA is for Washington (State of
>> Washington). Not so?
>
> http://www.arta.com.au/wa.html
>
> Bob

Thanks, Bob. Now I'll never think of you as living in the state of
Washington.
Do you live in/near Perth?
Dee Dee

"Dee Randall" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Bob" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Dee wrote:
>>
>>> You say, 'winter down here' - I thought WA is for Washington (State of
>>> Washington). Not so?
>>
>> http://www.arta.com.au/wa.html
>>
>> Bob
>
> Thanks, Bob. Now I'll never think of you as living in the state of
> Washington.
> Do you live in/near Perth?
> Dee Dee
>

Dee
Bob posted the link 'cos he worked it out.
I live about 180km south of Perth in the bush outside WA's second largest
city, Bunbury.
Only about 10ks out but we still call it the bush.
Hoges in WA