Instructions: Lime juice.

The important thing in preserving lemons is to be certain they are completely covered with salted fresh lemon juice. With this recipe you can use the lemon juice over and over again. As a matter of fact, I keep a jar of used pickling juice in the kitchen, and when I have a half lemon left over, I toss it into the jar and let it marinate with the rest. Use only wooden utensils to remove lemons.

Sometimes you will see a sort of lacy, white substance clinging to preserved lemons in their jar; it is perfectly harmless, but should be rinsed off for aesthetic reasons just before the lemons are used.

Preserved lemons are rinsed, in any case, to rid them of their salty taste. Cook with both pulps and rinds.

To make preserved lemons:
Quarter the lemons from the top to within 1/2" of the bottom, sprinkle salt on the exposed flesh, and then reshape the fruit, just quarter them.

Place 1 tb. Kosher salt on the bottom of a sterilized one-pint mason jar. Pack in the lemons and push them down, adding more salt, and the optional spices, between layers. Press the lemons down to release their juices and to make room for the remaining lemons. (If the juice released from the squashed fruit does not cover them, add freshly squeezed lemon juice - not chemically produced lemon juice and not water.*) Leave some air space before sealing the jar.

Let the lemons ripen in a warm place, shaking the jar each day to distribute the salt and juice. Let ripen for 30 days.

To use, rinse the lemons, as needed, under running water, removing and discarding the pulp, if desired - and there is no need to refrigerate after opening. Preserved lemons will keep up to a year, and the pickling juice can be used two or three times over the course of a year.

* The best way to extract the maximum amount of juice from a lemon is to boil it in water for 2 or 3 minutes and allow it to cool before squeezing.

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