Preserved lemon
Preserving carries risks, so you need to be sure you are well informed. Before fermenting and pickling make sure you know what good safety practice is. Try this link: http://foodsafety.psu.edu/preserve.html.
Pickling and fermenting revolve around lowering food pH - eg, making it more acidic - through the interaction of bacteria.
These are common food pH values:
Savoy cabbage: 6.3
Lemon: 2.0
Vinegar, cider: 3.1
Beets: 5.3 - 6.6
Highly acidic foods are those with the lower numbers (confusing, of course). You can see from this short list that lemon is among the most acidic of all foods. That means the risks of any adverse bacterial growth are minimal. It might be the best place to start.
Preserved lemons are widely used in North Africa, where they are added to stews or tagine. I add them to salads. Use the rind. Yes, the rind. The process makes the rind edible. You do not use the flesh inside.
You will need:
4-6 unwaxed organic lemons
Pure salt with no additives
Olive oil
A jar that can be air-sealed
A weight - possibly a clean stone wrapped in clingfilm.
Wash the jar thoroughly in hot, soapy water. Clean the lemons and then cut off both ends.
There are two ways to salt lemons. Americans simply quarter or slice them, lay them in the jar and add salt to the interior part of the lemon, and then add a new layer of lemon and salt and so on. The North African method is to cut vertically so the lemon can be opened without separating. Stuff salt inside and then close the lemon.
Put four to six lemons in the jar. When they are nicely crammed in, put the weight on top and close the jar.
After three days, sufficient juice will have been extracted to cover the lemons. Open the jar and top it up with olive oil. The lemons are ready to use after three weeks and will keep for several weeks after, or longer in the fridge. If, after a week or so, you see a lot of bubbling in the jar, it means you added too little salt. If after three weeks the rind is tough, ditto. Start over again.
Here is a link to a completely different method: www.timesonline.co uk/article/0,,23009-2177458,00.html
Next week: healthy desserts
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