When life gives me lemons, I preserve them!  I recently received a box of Meyer lemons as a gift and was excited about the possibilities – cakes, pies, tarts, marmalade – this was definitely the perfect gift for me!  Meyer lemons are plump, smooth-skinned, sweeter than other lemons and have an aroma that has hints of honey and thyme.

Since I haven’t worked with Meyer lemons before, I wanted to make sure I used them to their full potential.  I decided to make several treats and will be posting two (maybe three) of them over the next week.  First up – Preserved Meyer Lemons.  The rind of preserved Meyer lemons can be used in soups, stews or salads and the pulp can be used in anything that will benefit from a little lemon juice and salt.

Chilled, these preserved lemons keep for up to 1 year.

Makes 48 pieces

Ingredients

• 10 t0 12 Meyer lemons
• 2/3 cup coarse salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

Blanch 6 lemons in boiling water for 5 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut lemons into 8 wedges each and discard seeds. Toss with salt in a bowl and pack into a jar.  I used a 6-cup jar with a tight fitting lid.

Squeeze enough juice from the remaining lemons to measure 1 cup.  Add enough juice to completely cover the lemons and cover the jar with the lid.  Let stand at room temperature, shaking gently once a day for 5 days.  Add oil and chill.

original recipe found here