When Life Gives You Lemons
Our neighborhood, Gerstle Park in San Rafael, was once the Little Italy of Marin, home to a large Italian-American community. I don’t know if that is the reason for the abundance of lemon trees, or if it’s just a very particular micro-climate (warm and sunny but not too hot, with little chance of frost) where lemons, and particularly Meyer lemons, can thrive. I first noticed the proliferation of lemon trees on my (endless) walks around the neighborhood during the early days of the pandemic. It inspired an episode of Quaranteen Canteen, a cooking show I created with the (reluctant) help of my daughter who had been sent home from her freshman year at college to quarantine. Talk about life giving you lemons!
Fast forward to 2023. Happily, the daughter is back at school (and graduating in June!) and my real estate business is busy once again. However, even green realtors need a break sometimes! Not wanting to waste the beautiful produce from our backyard tree, I thought I’d try some lemon marmalade, or as one recipe calls it, bottled sunshine. Like the preserved lemons above, the ingredients are simple. Preserved lemons are just lemons, salt, and water while lemon marmalade is just lemons, water and sugar. It’s all about the technique. We gave it a try and it came out delicious, if I do say so myself. Want to give it a shot? Here’s how we did it.
After harvesting our lemons, the first step is to give them a good scrubbing.
After a quick 30 second blanch in boiling water, we cut the lemons into quarters. Holding them over a bowl to catch the juice, we removed the seeds and most of the membrane, setting it aside. Then we sliced the remaining lemon peels and pulp as thinly as possible. Wrapping the seeds and membrane in a cheesecloth bundle, we placed them in the juice bowl along with the lemon slices and an equal amount of water. Refrigerating overnight allowed the lemon peels to soak up the pectin from the seeds.
The next day, dump the whole thing into a pot and boil until the lemons are soft, about 15 minutes for ripe Meyer lemons. Carefully remove the cheesecloth bag, allowing it to cool a bit before squeezing out as much lemon juice and gooey pectin as possible. Then, add the sugar. Boil at 220 degrees until the texture is thick and jammy, testing a spoonful periodically by freezing it on a plate for a couple of minutes.
And that’s it! We decided to pack it in these little jars and process it in our canner to make it last longer, but keeping it it in the fridge or freezer works well too. It should last in the fridge about 3 weeks or up to a year in a properly sealed jar. So fun! When you finish, make sure to play your favorite song and dance your heart out!
What’s next? Maybe some Meyer lemon syrup for tea or lemonade. Or maybe I’ll toast the Gerstle Park Italian community with a cocktail made with homemade limoncello. So many possibilities! Stay tuned.
