preserving the season: citrus
preserved lemons, vinaigrette, lemon cordial, and more
Welcome to mamaeats, a twice-weekly newsletter (Tues. & Sat.) inspired by a simple + seasonal home life. I’m a mother of three, avid reader, gardener, and home cook who focuses on nourishing, whole food meals with a focus on plants. This newsletter is my labor of love, and it means so much that you are here. If you are not already, and are able to do so, please consider becoming a subscriber to support my work here. This gives you access to all the archives and recipes (find the recipe index here), as well as cook-along videos which go along with most recipes.
In our neighborhood, and in many places in California, every yard has some kind of citrus tree—lemons, mandarins, oranges, tangelos, grapefruit, limes, kumquats. The trees are usually not very tall, and are covered in deep green, curved leaves which make a beautiful backdrop for the showy masses of bright fruit. When the blossoms come, they perfume the air of the entire neighborhood with their sweetness. Citrus are so plentiful here that it's not uncommon to see baskets full of lemons, oranges, or grapefruits being offered for free in front of houses. We tend to take things for granted when they are abundant, but citrus remains luxurious to me, even if it’s free. I still enjoy the thrill of a Christmas orange in a stocking, or mailing a midwinter gift of a box of citrus to friends in the Midwest. An orange used to be a symbol of extravagant luxury, a rare and expensive fruit. They even used to be individually wrapped in tissue paper, a lovely little present to unwrap.
But onto lemons! Lemons are an important part of my cooking, and even though they have a long season here, they do not last the whole year through. Hence, preserving. In the spring months, when lemons are very good, I try to go about preparing them in different ways to last through the year. I’ve already written about candied peel, which is an essential part of my Christmas and Easter baking, but I wanted to share a few more recipes I make yearly.
lemon cordial for making lemonade
notes: Yields around 3.5 liters. This is a concentrate. When you go to use this, dilute to your taste with cold water (for lemonade), cold soda water (for sparkling lemonade or a splash of flavor), or add a spoon to cocktails.