PRESERVED LEMON PEEL
Preserved lemon peel can be used in many different ways in the kitchen, both for sweet and savory dishes.
1.Using a citrus zester, shave off lemon peel from lemon.A zester is a great tool for peeling only the exocarp (outside layer of the lemon’s skin),and comes with several sizes.
2.Use lemon fruit for juice and piths for pectin.
3.Place lemon zest in a glass mason jar and freeze. Placing the portions in a glass mason jar, rather than a plastic bag, will ensure that the small portions are not crushed or crumbled in the freezer.
Dry Preserving Lemon Peel:
1.Using a potato peeler, cut off lemon peel in wide ribbons. Larger strips of peel work better for dry preserving.
Use the remaining lemon fruit for juice.
Save the pith for pectin by freezing in a plastic bag.
2.Mix equal amounts salt and sugar in a bowl. The volume of your mason jar minus the volume of your lemon peel is the approximate volume of salt/sugar mixture you will need.
The volume will change depending on the size of mason jar you are using.
3.Add a few dried peppercorns, allspice berries, bay leaves, and cloves to the bottom of the mason jar. These are spices that will break down and diffuse into the sugar/salt/lemon mixture.
4.Add a layer of salt/sugar to the mason jar, then a layer of lemon peel. Repeat layers, to top.
5.Place lid and rim onto mason jar, close tightly, and shake several times. Since you have only peel in this mixture, the sugar and salt work together to break down the skin and to preserve it, without making it overly salty or overly sweet.
6.Refrigerate up to one year. Preserving this way, the lemon peel should be able to keep for up to one year in the refrigerator.
Note the date and label the bags
Please…..use the juice as well:
1.Put on latex or non-latex gloves. Gloves will protect the citric acid in the lemon juice from going into small cuts and abrasions on your hands as you work with the lemons.
Really, put on the gloves!
2.Roll lemons a few times, with pressure, on a cutting board. Rolling the lemon on a cutting board with the palm of your hand starts to separate and break down the fiber in the lemon, making it easier to juice.
3.Slice lemons in half. Most lemon juicers require that you slice the lemon in half in order to provide an open surface for the juice to escape.
4.Zest lemon skin with citrus zester.If you don’t zest the lemons now, you’ll end up wasting all that good zest!
You can either use a sharp potato peeler for large ribbons of zest for use in cocktails or to infuse olive oil or a citrus zester for smaller pieces of zest for use in cooking
5.Place zested half-lemon in lemon squeezer and juice.
6.Filter lemon juice at least once. Straining the juice allows you to filter out the tiny seeds and other fibrous material so that the lemon juice is smooth and has no particles.
Use either a double or triple layer of cheesecloth over a measuring cup, or a fine metal mesh
7.Save spent lemon piths in a plastic bag.
These leftover fibrous parts are chock full of pectin, which is what makes jelly jelly-like, so use them instead of buying packaged pectin at the store for making jellies.
Store pith in the freezer in a plastic bag or plastic storage container, if you are not making jelly or preserves now.
8.Pour filtered lemon juice into ice cube trays, and freeze thoroughly. Freezing lemon juice allows you to preserve it for up to one year.
For a useful lemonade variation, heat lemon juice and sugar (to taste) over a medium flame until sugar is dissolved. Let cool to room temperature and then pour into ice cube trays for easy lemonade ice cubes that won’t dilute your lemonade.
9.Empty ice cube trays into plastic bags. Date the plastic bags and make sure to note whether the lemon juice is natural or has added sugar, and freeze for up to one year.
POSTED BY: Amanda Conradie
