​Preserved lemons - the easy way
1. Wash and cut lemons in quarters or sixth, depending on size. Don't make the segments too small as they can go a bit mushy and can be hard to slice if you're just wanting slithers.
2. Pack them into sterilised jars (although if any microbe can live in the high salt concentration of this mixture then I'd be very surprised) but as I was saying .... pack them into jars pushing them down and squeezing the pieces just a little to burst some of those little jewels containing the juice, but without breaking the pieces.
3. Pack salt, more is better than less, into the centre of each piece, or layer if your jars are large, pop in a cinnamon stick a couple of bay leaves and cardamon pods then fill the jars with fresh squeezed lemon juice to cover the fruit (make sure the lemon juice makes its way right to the bottom).
4. Seal well with screw cap or lid and store upsidedown in the fridge for a few weeks. Make sure you wipe all salt off from around the top to ensure a good seal otherwise the salty juice will leak out around the lid (mine did anyway!).

There's not a lot you can do wrong with this recipe. Just have a go, but if you are a bit nervous try one lemon in a small jar. Remember to pack the jar to the top. I imagined that the salt would dissolve, but no, it was such a saturated solution the salt crystals remain in the jars to this day after almost a year.
If the fruit is too salty, you can always wash the salt off when you come to use the lemon.

My home-preserved, homegrown lemons (the whole fruit
is just a store-bought stand-in model!)
Note the amount of salt in the jar.

Handy travel tip: you can go through fruit fly check points and come through with lemons! I'm always looking for ways of travelling through those areas without depleting all my stores of fruit and vege.

There are so many way you can use preserved lemon. Here's a few of my experiments, but rest assured they are all, well most of them, road-tested on number 1 man!
* Steamed mussels and cockles with wine and garlic
* Stove-top chicken casserole/cassolette
* Salads - try adding to mixed greens, farro/rice, lentils, a smidgen of chilli and a touch of pickled ginger
* As a topper for baked/BBQ fish with sweet soy sauce or cajun spices (a bit like a blackened fish)

[For Cajun spice - for dry mix blend together salt, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, cayenne/chilli, oregano, thyme. Store in airtight container. You can do a fresh version using minced garlic and fresh chilli instead of the powdered versions but dried herbs are best here. Be creative with your mix and use what you have to hand. the essentials are pepper, chilli and paprik.]

*Steamed salmon with sage, lemon grass and chilli.
*Add a little finely chopped and some juice to a small box of UHT cream to make sour cream for potato salad (tinned potatoes if you don't have fresh) and add some of those dried or frozen herbs you've packed! Quick n easy Heather style.

OK that did it, I'm going to have to go eat now!