Hi group,

Recently made a batch of preserved lemons, the recipe made no
mention of it being important to have all material immersed in the brine
solution, I tried to make them all sink, but small bits persisted in
sticking out, these parts went mouldy & the lot got thrown out. What do you
folks do to keep chunks under the liquid? Many thanks any ideas.

Oh pshaw, on Thu 15 Nov 2007 08:29:30p, whiteMemphis meant to say...

> Hi group,
>
> Recently made a batch of preserved lemons, the recipe made no
> mention of it being important to have all material immersed in the
> brine solution, I tried to make them all sink, but small bits persisted
> in sticking out, these parts went mouldy & the lot got thrown out. What
> do you folks do to keep chunks under the liquid? Many thanks any ideas.
>
>
>

Did you by any chance use wide-mouth canning jars? If you use traditional
jars (pints or quarts) that have a slight shoulder just under the threaded
neck at the top, the lemons should be able to be pushed (and wedged) below
the shoulder and the brine level kept above the shoulder, insuring
coverage.

I would not know what else to suggest.

--
November 15th,2007
¦ A mind is a terrible thing to lose... ¦
|_| _, _ _
| |(_||_)|_)\_|
___ | ._|
| |_ _ ,_ |/ , _ . .,_ _
| | |(_|| ||\/_)(_|||/|| |(_|
___ ._| ._|
.'=:-\
/.='( ` give thanks...
/. ^=.'-._..---.

whiteMemphis wrote:
> Hi group,
>
> Recently made a batch of preserved lemons, the recipe made no
> mention of it being important to have all material immersed in the brine
> solution, I tried to make them all sink, but small bits persisted in
> sticking out, these parts went mouldy & the lot got thrown out. What do you
> folks do to keep chunks under the liquid? Many thanks any ideas.
>
>
Could you post your recipe please? I don't have one but do have an
excess of lemons.

--
Ginny - in West Australia

On Fri, 16 Nov 2007 16:45:39 +0900, Ginny
> wrote:

>whiteMemphis wrote:
>> Hi group,
>>
>> Recently made a batch of preserved lemons, the recipe made no
>> mention of it being important to have all material immersed in the brine
>> solution, I tried to make them all sink, but small bits persisted in
>> sticking out, these parts went mouldy & the lot got thrown out. What do you
>> folks do to keep chunks under the liquid? Many thanks any ideas.
>>
>>
>Could you post your recipe please? I don't have one but do have an
>excess of lemons.

Here's one from Patricia Wells at Home in Provence:

2 lemons
1/3 cup (70g) coarse sea salt
1/2 cup (125 ml) fresh squeezed lemon juice
about 125 ml olive oil

Scrub lemons well and dry. Cut each lemon into 8 wedges. In a bowl
combine lemons, salt and lemon juice - toss well. Place in a 500 ml
non-reactive container that has a lid which will seal TIGHTLY. Leave
at room temperature for a week. Shake every day to distribute the
salt and lemon juice. For long term storage (up to 6 months), cover
with olive oil and refrigerate.

I found the olive oil wasn't needed as long as I put them in the frige
after the first week and used them within 2-4 weeks.

- Mark

wrote:
> Here's one from Patricia Wells at Home in Provence:
>
> 2 lemons
> 1/3 cup (70g) coarse sea salt
> 1/2 cup (125 ml) fresh squeezed lemon juice
> about 125 ml olive oil
>
> Scrub lemons well and dry. Cut each lemon into 8 wedges. In a bowl
> combine lemons, salt and lemon juice - toss well. Place in a 500 ml
> non-reactive container that has a lid which will seal TIGHTLY. Leave
> at room temperature for a week. Shake every day to distribute the
> salt and lemon juice. For long term storage (up to 6 months), cover
> with olive oil and refrigerate.
>
> I found the olive oil wasn't needed as long as I put them in the frige
> after the first week and used them within 2-4 weeks.
>
> - Mark

Thanks Mark. Do they need to be refrigerated or will cool, dark work
okay? I'm running out of fridge space.

--
Ginny - in West Australia

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:25:03 +0900, Ginny
> wrote:

wrote:
>> Here's one from Patricia Wells at Home in Provence:
>>
>> 2 lemons
>> 1/3 cup (70g) coarse sea salt
>> 1/2 cup (125 ml) fresh squeezed lemon juice
>> about 125 ml olive oil
>>
>> Scrub lemons well and dry. Cut each lemon into 8 wedges. In a bowl
>> combine lemons, salt and lemon juice - toss well. Place in a 500 ml
>> non-reactive container that has a lid which will seal TIGHTLY. Leave
>> at room temperature for a week. Shake every day to distribute the
>> salt and lemon juice. For long term storage (up to 6 months), cover
>> with olive oil and refrigerate.
>>
>> I found the olive oil wasn't needed as long as I put them in the frige
>> after the first week and used them within 2-4 weeks.
>>
>> - Mark
>
>Thanks Mark. Do they need to be refrigerated or will cool, dark work
>okay? I'm running out of fridge space.

I have not tried it myself, but I would say it depends on how long you
are going to keep them. If you're going to use them right away cool
and dark should do.

In North Africa, they wouldn't stay around long enough to need
additional preservation.

- Mark