The Lemons Are Back! And so am I!

Holy moly! Sometimes life just has a way of taking you on a thrill ride you didn't get in line for and you're pretty sure you don't deserve, but there you are - careening around the curves, bouncing off the median, barely strapped in with brakes that won't work. That pretty much sums up my life these last six months plus a little bit.

And here I am, still trying to navigate all the changes taking place. Work life in flux, unexpected health events, parental care, sending my youngest off to college. Heck, even our dog died recently! I've wanted to scream more than laugh for too long now, but I'm ready to get on with it. Part of that means getting back to doing what I love - canning wonderful treats and sharing recipes with all of you. And so, the old adage comes to mind in a very literal sense, "When life hands you lemons..." make lemon jelly!!!

Last year when the Meyer lemons starting appearing in my local supermarket, I wrote in this blog what amounted to a gushing love letter to this amazing fruit! Then, I shared a recipe here for Meyer lemon vanilla bean marmalade (still one of my favorites). You can also make an amazing curd using Meyer lemons by following my recipe for key lime curd, substituting Meyer lemons and their juice for the limes.

Today though, I want to share with you one of the easiest, most versatile methods for making lemon (or other citrus) jelly I've ever come across. My dear friend, Caroline Brooks, recently sent me a book on preserving that was, amazingly, not already in my extensive library. Not sure how I missed this one, but for those looking for something more unusual, you should really check out The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves by Linda Ziedrich. Some of the recipes in the book contain ingredients I've never even heard of and Ms. Ziedrich's adherence to ultra small batch preserving and the total exclusion of commercial pectin is a little too "radical" for this time-starved canning aficionado, but for those of us with a little experience under our belts, this book is a great find and one that will provide plenty of inspiration.

Okay, back to the Meyer lemon jelly. Here's the process, based on Ms. Ziedrich's recipe, but with some adjustments which I've found produce a stronger flavor and cut down on time spent:

Easy Meyer Lemon Jelly


Note: This recipe is very easy to make but does require the sliced fruit to sit overnight for up to 12 hours, so plan accordingly.

1 pound Meyer lemons, regular lemons, limes, or oranges
water to cover
4 1/2 cups sugar

If possible, use organic or home-grown fruit to avoid the wax coating on most commercially available citrus. If your fruit does have a wax coating, put the fruit in a colander, pour boiling water over it and scrub them well.

Cut the fruit crosswise into thin slices and transfer the slices and any juice on the board into a nonreactive pot. Leave any seeds in there as well. That's the beauty part of this process!

Prepare jars, lids, bands and water bath canner.

Add enough water to completely cover the fruit (up to 7 cups) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 25 minutes.

Remove from heat and cover the pot. Allow to stand out at room temperature overnight, up to 12 hours.

Pour the now-cooled mixture into a damp jelly bag and allow to drip for two hours.

Measure out 5 cups of liquid and pour into nonreactive preserving pot. Add the sugar and stir over medium heat until fully dissolved. Increase heat to high and boil until it's reached the jelling point using the spoon test, freezer test or a jelly thermometer. (I'm at high altitude and reaching this point took 25 minutes at 6200 feet above sea level. Watch for this point sooner at lower altitudes).

Move quickly to pour the jelly into hot jars. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes at sea level, adding time for higher altitudes. (25 minutes here in Castle Rock, CO)

Ms. Ziedrich has a great suggestion for adding a rosemary infusion to the lemon in her book. I also think lavender might be nice or thyme. For my next effort, I'm thinking about stirring in a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar at the very end to add a different type of savory flavoring to the finished jelly. I'll let you know how that works out.

Enjoy the jelly and remember to keep smiling, even when the ride gets scary. If nothing else, it'll confuse people!

Meyer Lemon Vanilla Bean Marmalade

Meyer Lemon Vanilla Bean Marmalade

I'm seriously thinking I need some sort of therapy. It simply can't be normal to get this excited over produce. Other people see fruit. I see glistening jars of goodness filling my basement shelves.

To some extent, this propensity of mine toward impulse produce buying is problematic. I have a (more than) full-time job. I have a home and a family to care for. I have responsibilities. But once those seasonal wonders are in my house, staring at me from the kitchen counter, I cannot rest until I turn them into something delicious. What can I do, but to keep stirring up something fun in the kitchen and sharing it with you here on In a Jam?

For some reason, I've been on a bit of a citrus kick lately. First, there was the key lime curd. Then, the Meyer lemons appeared in my local market and I scooped up three bags. For the uninitiated, Meyer lemons are thought to be a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. The skin is smoother than that of a traditional lemon and is a deep yellow to almost orange color. The peel of a Meyer lemon is generally thinner and the juice is somewhat sweeter, with less acidity than normal lemons. All of these traits make them a wonderful choice for culinary experimentation.

The first thing I made was a Meyer lemon curd, using the exact recipe I shared on the blog last week, only with lemons instead of limes. Even though the Meyer lemons are a bit sweeter, they still had plenty of acid content to make a delicious curd.

Then I decided I absolutely had to do something that would take full advantage of the amazing color of the Meyer lemon peel. An obvious choice? Marmalade. But not just any marmalade. A Meyer lemon marmalade with a touch of vanilla bean that would play beautifully off the tart/sweet of the citrus. I think you're really going to enjoy this recipe. The end result is a delicious lemon preserve with the exotic taste of real vanilla and pieces of orange-colored peel that taste like candy.

Meyer Lemon Vanilla Bean Marmalade
(Original recipe appeared in Bon Apetit, although I've made several changes here, including adding instructions for water bath canning.)

Ingredients:
6 to 7 Meyer lemons (approximately 1 1/2 pounds)
5 cups water
4 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
pinch of salt

Directions:
Cut lemons in half lengthwise.
Use a sharp paring knife to cut out the center membrane (the part where all the sections meet) and as many of the seeds as possible.
Remove and discard end pieces, then slice the rest of the lemon halves in very thin pieces crosswise. Discard any remaining seeds.
Pack enough lemon slices and any juice into a large measuring cup to measure 2 1/2 cups.
Put the measured slices and juice into a large, nonreactive pot. Add the 5 cups of water.
Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to stand, uncovered overnight.
The next day, measure out 5 1/2 cups of the lemon/juice mixture. (You can discard any extra).
Put the measured amount back in the same large, nonreactive pot. Add all of the sugar.
Split the half vanilla bean the long way. Scrape out the seeds and put those in the pot, along with the half bean itself.
Add a pinch of salt.

Marmalade mixture boiling

Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture reaches 230F on a candy thermometer, or use the plate test from my Tips and Tricks section. At higher altitudes, such as here in Colorado, you'll need to adjust the temperature down somewhat. Reaching the final jelling point can take anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes.
Fill hot, prepared canning jars to 1/4" headspace. Process in boiling water bath for 25 minutes. Turn off heat, remove cover of canner and allow to sit for 5 more minutes before removing jars. Reprocess or refrigerate and use any jars that have not sealed properly within 12 to 24 hours.