There I was...
Perusing my March 2009 issue of Coastal Living magazine...
Huh?
Yes, I live in Arizona.
We have a coast here.
It's true.
OK, it's not.
It's a lie.
But we could someday...if there is a really big earthquake and California becomes an island...
Oh no!
I hope I haven't offended anyone that lives in California.
It's just a rumor.
I'm sure a false one.
I'll cancel my subscription to Coastal Living Magazine just to prove it.
OK.
Bye now.
Darn.
I forgot where I was.
Oh yea, Preserved Lemons.
You know those weirdly salty, sour lemons that you find in Moroccan dishes that are uber-expensive to purchase?
Well.
On page 106 of the soon-to-be-cancelled magazine I mentioned earlier, there was a recipe to make Preserved Lemons.
And since we have these in our front yard...
... and the recipe said it took four minutes of prep time I figured I should try making my own.So...with these little beauties...
... which I thoroughly washed in the sink...
...I prepared to become exotic.
Here's the actual recipe:
Preserved Lemons
Prep: 4 minutes Stand: 3 weeks
5 to 6 organic lemons, washed and cut into wedges
3/4 cup kosher salt
1 teaspoon pink peppercorns
Fresh lemon juice
Toss together lemon wedges and kosher salt in a bowl. Pack into a pint jar and sprinkle with pink peppercorns. Cover wedges with fresh lemon juice.
Let stand at room temperature for 3 weeks, turning and shaking the jar every day.
It has been one week since I made these.I'm going to open a jar and take a picture of the insides so you can see how things are progressing.
Be right back.
I tasted the liquid and it is kind of lemon-y salty and starting to have the right flavor.And if you click here you can see a bunch of recipes to use preserved lemon in.
I hope you enjoyed this exotic Moroccan stop on your little journey through Alphabe-Thursday's Letter "P".
Even if you're from California.
Don't worry.
Really.
I promise it'll be OK.
Sigh.
This post is linked to Alphabe-Thursday's meme for the letter "P".
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79 comments:
Ok, I won't be preserving lemons anytime soon, but I Have to share a funny (to me) story from my childhood. We vacation a lot in AZ. We were at the Princess I think in Scottsdale and at a resteraunt with singing waiters..I was at the ripe age of 13 - teetering on flirtatious. Wearing my first Bikini at the pool. Feeling UBER smart and full of myself. When at dinner I said "dad can we visit the beach while we are here" and our waiter being ever so good at his job and engaging the customer chimed in to tell me their were no beaches in AZ. I set out to proove him wrong while everyone (even my little brother were smirking and laughed at me) I went so far as to draw a map of the US to proove my point.
Too Bad MEXICO had completely escaped my brain. And to make matters worse I was convinced Alaska was down their by Hawaii like it often is on printed kids maps and my dad was gracious enough to point out my grave errors.
I would NEVER have awakened one morning and thought, "Let's see, I think I'll pack lemons in salt today."
Who THOUGHT this up once upon a time FIRST?????
I would have guessed SUGAR. But - - - what do I know. I can't even PRETEND there's a coast near me here in central Indiana - - - nor any fresh lemons, organic or otherwise, either.
You have lemons in the front yard??!! I'm on my way and I'm bringing the chinese checkers with me.
: )
How neat you have a lemon tree. This looks interesting but I've never tasted Moroccan food. Also, I've never heard of pink peppercorns.
I've read about preserved lemons, but never tasted them. However, I'm going to check out that link on how to use them. How lucky to have your very own lemon tree!
Oh Jenny, you have a lemon tree right there in your yard! I am so jealous! I would LOVE that. Tyler Florence did an episode on Moroccan cooking where he showed how to make preserved lemons and how to cook chicken in a tangine. I learned a lot of new things that day.
LOL! I just love your sense of humor. Those preserved lemons in Moroccan style look great -- and I am sure the taste is delicious. Love it! :)
Hugs,
Birgit
Who say's we don't have a beach???? Have you already forgotten "Big Surf"??? The beach in the desert, as it's always been advertised. Well it's all we've got until the "big one" makes us ocean front, yes I heard the rumor, too! I believe it, though.
Hey when you come to pick up your shadow boxes, I wouldn't mind a few of those lemons myself. A neighbor has a tree that half-way sticks over my yard (which makes those lemons mine) but his tree isn't doing so well. I'd be happy to pay for them, too, just let me know. Also, I'd suggest you pick your boxes up soon, or all the ladies that will be coming over on Monday night will be haggling over them..........hmmmmmmm can I sell them twice?????? JUST KIDDING!
Love ya'
Meri
This is GREAT. No matter how many I give away or make lemonade out of, I always end up wasting lemons from our tree.
You have given me a solution!
P is for perfect.
=)
This is super cool Jen! You're always doing such neat stuff. :)
Fantastic idea. Unless you have a lemon tree, you really don't understand how prolific they are!
And I'm not participating this week because of the mother thing going on on my blog, but I'll be back next week!
Gonna have to track you down one day for lunch!
Oops, baby's screaming. Gotta go!
I am going to PRETEND to not be jealous that you have a lemon tree!
I love me some fresh lemonade. I'll check out some of the recipes. Have a good day. Becca
Yum....looks awesome!
:) Those lemon jars are adorable! How cute..
BUT guess what? I would die if I had a lemon tree in my yard! We have to pay almost 50 cents a lemon! GEEZ!
Very cool! You're so funny! I love your post!
Wow, those look yummy! I think I'll have to try some!
I have never heard of doing this..a good idea and it looks so pretty. Thanks for the idea! Come say hi :D
I love this Jenny. I hope it works out for you...with all the flavoring and all.
I want a lemon tree. And a lime tree too!!!! I don't ask for much do I?
I am so jealous... I want a lemon tree. Those jars are so pretty!! And it sounds so yummy!!
What an adventure
good way to use your lemons (o:
they will look pretty on a shelf..the recipe link showed some jars with green (maybe lime) you could sell them they are so pretty.
never heard of pink peppercorn
I am jealous tooooo...I want a lemon tree.....boohoo!!!
Wow that is amazing...I would have thought sugar and that sure is a lot of salt...
I am anxious to hear how this turns out!!
Have a great one!!! :-)
Hi! Stopping in after I saw your Alphabet thingy on Jen B's site. I'm a former Arizonan too ( now in Austin) and I am also a food blogger, so I'm now following you and look forward to reading more!
I am so jealous..a beach in AZ who knew..must revise my atlas...love preserved lemons but so expensive to buy or make up here...so enjoy..
"Pink Peppercorns" goes along with the letter of the day! And I've never heard of them, either(?) Interesting indeed. Love your lemon tree. Lemons are 2 for $1 here...and look how many you have! Wow ~~ :o) Great post! ♥
The Source may try this. It was the only exotic P...signed Pea Jui
Daughter has a lemon tree. I must share this with her.
All that talk of Moroccan food puts me a little in the mood for some belly dancing. Short of that, maybe some lemonade, none of which starts with "P", but this was a great "P" post.
I have never heard of doing that to lemons. The recipes to put them in sounds good.
I will miss Coastal Living. I had no idea they were ending the magazine, but they all seem to be having trouble. Another thing to lose because of progress I quess.
Willow
wait...so that song that says.."i have some ocean front property in arizona...from the front porch you can see the sea" is a joke? hmmm
lucky with the lemon trees...it is amazing how well citrus does in the desert isn't it? i love preserved lemons..i just hate waiting the 3 weeks!
ok forget the politeness and waiting to be offered I want some NOW please
A++++
Look at you being all glamorous and fancy. Wow. I wish I had a lemon tree in my front yard. Honestly I am trying to convince my husband to move to AZ just so we can have an orange tree. That is the whole reason I want to live there. Oh, and the 70* weather in December. But for now I will just drool that you can just pluck those off your tree, and wait until the day I can be fancy and glamorous just like you. And that is why you are my friend. :)
totally fun use of you lemons :D
You have lemon trees in your yard?!!! I want one!...I just get wild cherries and maples (yuck) and an ugly male holly that gets no berries. I'm such a whiner! The preserved lemons sound yummy!
and when can I expect my jar in the mail?
I love just about anything lemony! Yum!!
Very interesting post Ms Jenny! I have never heard of preserved lemons but it does sound interesting. Tell us how they turn out.
I like most everything but lemons! Soooo, I won't be making these! Sounds like you did a marvelous job and they look beautiful! Enjoy this sour treat! I will send the recipe to my Sister, she loves to try new things! Hugs!
" Lemon Tree Very Pretty"! I love lemons! They look very good Jenny.
Love Di ♥
They look so good! You'll have to let us know how they are when they're done. I may have to try this...
Yeah after seeing 2012 I had my doubts about living in California.
I'm outrageously jealous of your lemon tree!!!! I don't remember ever eating preserved lemons...but now I'm curious and will need to seek some out. And Moroccan food. Yum!
I've never heard of preserved lemons. Hm.
Kelly
I am going to report you to the Principal Mrs. Matlock. Those Californians have crowded into the bathroom stall and won't come out. Shame on you for scaring them!
Hopefully you find this amidst your 'lemons', but you need to pop over to my place and check it out, because you are a winner.
I never even heard of those, but I would like to put them in my mouth.
Hubby and I would love to be able to go out and pick lemons off a tree, someday if we are going through Arizona, we might just have to stop by and see these lovely trees! We will bring with us some Georgia peaches and blackberries picked from our farm. Also some Moon pies, made just down the road and other Tennessee treats. Thursday is my favorite blogging day of the week! It is so much fun to read all these wonderful blogs! Thanks!!
What a wonderful way to utilize all the lemons you get, Jenny! I'm not sure I ever tasted a salty/sweet lemon but I sure it is a nice condiment to ahve and they look so pretty in the jars.
♥ Pat
PS I live on the coast but I don't get Coastal Living magazine, but I did subscibe to Southern Lady magazine just fpr its greta recipes.
I really enjoyed that post. I've never heard of preserving lemons - but it sounds delish!
sandie
These sound interesting!
I'm so jealous...I want a lemon tree!! Guess I'll just have to purchase some organic lemons and give this a try! I followed the link and there's a recipe for lemon tossed salad that looks yummy. Your photos are great, by the way.
OK? Never heard of preserved lemons. Do you spread it on toast?
Ok, so just let me know when they are ready and I will send you my address so you can mail me a jar, LOL!
I LOVE lemons...and limes! My Mom has lime trees. In PR people make lime-ade as opposed to lemonade. It's the funniest thing. They can grow lemons but they just don't they grow limes. I would love to have a lemon tree in my yard. But this is NH, it would be dead come Jan...LOL!
Those look mouth-wateringly tasty! The lemons you sent me were sooo good, I've been wanting a lemon tree ever since and I finally whined enough that my husband bought me one for Mother's Day ;) ! It has to grow in a container, but I hope to harvest at least a few lemons someday :) .
Blessings,
Catherine :)
Yum!
When we have beachfront property, my house may be worth what I owe on it!
The lemons are very pretty with the pink peppercorns. No lemon trees here in Michigan but there are a lot of beaches and coast lines since we are surrounded by lakes.
Clever. My little ones would have fun with that if I can get them to stop spraying each other in the toddler swimming pool in back of our house.
I know what the next give away is going to be!!!
You are always doing something creative, Ms M.
When I was a child we had a lemon tree in our yard. It grew TX size lemons. Honestly they were the size of grapefruits. We would squeeze out the juice and freeze it in ice cube trays (do they still make them?) and then use the cubes to make lemonade. I also used the lemon juice to put on my hair and then sit out in the sun. All blondes did this in the 60s. :-)
Thought you'd appreciate a little humor this evening.
Great post!
Is Big Surf still open? I'm not a fan of lemons but I applaud your determination and the use of your overflowing lemon tree. I can't wait to be the library aide this week...thanks for the appointment.
Loretta
You have lemon trees? I never thought of someone as actually having a lemon tree. I have always wanted one. But since I have never lived anywhere outside of Illinois, I thought I'd have to have a little indoor one. I didn't realize I could just move to Arizona! That is just so great. I'm sure it is ordinary to you but it's really very exciting to me. And the recipe is very intriguing. Thanks!
That looks absolutely yummy!
Ahhhh, citrus trees and mild winters... that's what I miss about Arizona! (Don't miss the dust or the summers, though)
I'm on the same coast as california and they keep threatening us with the "big one" ... so if an earthquake wakes me up tonight ... i am totally blaming you!
We love Moroccan food and Mr B cooks a mean tagine. Preserved lemons are very expensive here too how great it would be to have home grown & home made.
But, I bought lemons at the farmers market yesterday and will have a go at your recipe.
Loved seeing your smiley face commenting on my blog, glad you enjoyed the Renoirs.
~Maggie~
~Maggie~
Side benefit: shaking those bottles is exercise (burn baby burn) and sculpt the muscles in your arms to a state of divine perfection.
I am thinking this is a great cheer me up to get in the mail. Oh, no, I am cheerful this morning, but I am feeling lazy and I don't have a lemon tree. teeheeee
I want a taste when they're done...I'll be sitting here on the coastal side of Utah waiting for ya!
Wow..I can taste that lemon wedges preserved in my mouth by just looking at your pictures.
You must let us know when you eat them..
Whaaaa? No earthquake jokes allowed. We just had one on Easter and it was pretty scary, however quicker than a tornado or a hurricane and way less frequent. I did run home to see if my neighbors across the street house had fallen into the sea. I'd have a much better ocean view if so. JUST kidding! I love my neighbor more than the ocean view.
Hey, if I'm going down, I'm taking you with me. ;) haha When I was a kid we had a tree in our backyard. We would eat them right off the tree. To this day I can suck a lemon and not pucker.
really funny [the part about CA] and interesting.
I'm impressed about the whole process of making preserves. How lucky you are to have lemons outside your house!
I have never had preserved lemons. Little envious of your lemon tree. It is beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed my stop here!
I kind of want to try this. If for nothing else, it looks very pretty.
Interesting concept - not one I'd have thought of!!
oh how cool to have a lemon tree in your yard. I dunno what I'd do with all those lemons, but I think lemon trees are so gorgeous!!
I havent ever had these but they look good....I love lemons! I cant even imagine having a tree to pluck them off of.....yum!
I can imagine living on the coast though, cause I have always lived on the ocean or sound until now.......stupid Utah...lol
Hi Jenny, I just sent you my address again - maybe third time's a charm! I love this post because I made preserved lemons last year and used them all year long in Moroccan recipes. Wonderful!! You'll love them!! Hugs, Silke
How cool that you have lemon trees. I almost posted on "sun pickles" (which is making dill pickles in a pretty similar manner to what you have done, except different spices and more sunshine). Fun post. I think living on the coast can be a state of mind and heart, if not reality.
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