One of the pleasures of winter is citrus, in all its diverse glory. If your Christmas stocking didn’t include tangerines, a holiday tradition, you can find them at our farmers markets, farm stands, and supermarkets.
Cara Cara oranges appeared a few weeks ago. This pink-flesh fruit is arguably the most delicious of all varieties of oranges, with a sweet, smooth flavor and enticing aromas. It is best as an eating orange, enjoyed simply, or peeled and cut into rounds for a simple winter salad dressed with olive oil, black pepper and a bit of salt.
Tangerines are at their peak, and you’ll find several varieties at farmers markets, where you’ll also find pomelos, grapefruit, Valencia oranges, Meyer lemons, Eureka lemons, limes, and the occasional Buddha Hand, as strange a looking fruit as you’ll ever see that is used, primarily, in liqueurs, perfumes and medicines.
Although citrus is not a major commercial crop in the North Bay, there are a lot of citrus trees, many of them unharvested. To find them, sometimes all you need to do is look up as you are strolling through, say, the SRJC neighborhood or downtown Healdsburg. Sometimes you even see a box full of beautiful fruit on the edge of a driveway, with a sign announcing “Free!”
When you have an abundance of citrus, there are a number of ways to preserve it to use later. Lemons can be juiced, frozen in ice cube trays and then packed into freezer bags. They also can be frozen whole and grated into slaws, soups, stews and risottos. Lemons can be preserved, a popular method of preservation throughout the Middle East.
All but the smallest and most oddly shaped citrus can be juiced, of course, but other citrus juices are best enjoyed right away.
For recipes using preserved lemons and other citrus, visit “Eat This Now” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.
Not all recipes for preserving lemons include soaking the lemons first, as this one does, a process that softens the skins and leaches out some of their pectin. If your lemons are thin-skinned, you can skip this step. On the other hand, if they are thick skinned and quite hard, you’ll want to soak them for at least a day. The firmest lemons can benefit from a week of soaking, with the brine changed daily. This recipe is really more of a formula and can be increased to accommodate however many lemons you have on hand.
Michele’s Preserved Lemons
Makes 1 quart
12-16 lemons, any variety, preferably organic
1 cup kosher salt
3 tablespoons sugar
Wash the lemons in cool water, and set them on a tea towel.
Put 8 to 12 lemons into a large crock or bowl, and set the others aside. Fill a quart jar or measuring cup, add a tablespoon of salt and pour it over the lemons; if the brine doesn’t cover them completely, make another batch and pour it into the bowl. Cover, and set aside for a day.
Drain the lemons, set them on a tea towel, and pat them dry. Cut each one into lengthwise wedges, cutting smaller ones into six pieces and larger ones into 8.
