Fermented Lemons

Adding a little fermented lemons to your cooking adds a totally unique and zesty flavor. We started making these a couple of years back after being inspired by reading My Pantry by Alice Waters. Fermented lemons, also known as preserved lemons, are great in salad dressings or delicious on sautéed broccoli; the options are endless! Plus these are a naturally fermented food, which means lots of good probiotics for your gut!

The Best Way to Preserve Lemons

I’ve found the best way to preserve lemons is use salt them and smash them in a lemon jar. First wash the lemons, and then cut them into quarters. Next add about 4 lemon wedges to a large wide mouth mason jar and then generously salt the lemons. Add another layer of lemons and salt. Stop periodically muddle the lemons. Using a muddler, press down on the lemon wedges so that they are fully submerged in their own juice. This is very important so they don’t mold. Once the jar is full, do a little muddling to ensure all lemons are fully submerged in their own juice. You can use a glass fermenting weight to hold them down if you have one available. Then just store your canned lemons in the pantry for about 4-6 weeks and voila the best preserved lemons.

Fermented Lemons

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Super simple fermented lemons recipe for making aged sour lemons.

• Author: Erica
• Prep Time: 5
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 4 cups 1x
• Category: Plant based
• Method: No cooking
• Cuisine: Healthy
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 6 lemons
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 16–ounce wide mouth mason jar

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Instructions

1. Cut the lemons into quarters.
2. Juice one of the lemon. Add the lemon juice to the mason jar.
3. Place about 4 lemon wedges in the jar and sprinkle them with salt. Press the lemons with a muddler to release some of their juice and allow you to pack the jar full. 
4. Add 4 more lemon wedges and salt. Press the lemons again with the muddler. Continue doing this until all lemons fit in the jar and are immersed in lemon juice. 
5. It is very important that the lemons are fully immersed in the lemon juice, if not they could rot and your lemon preserves will be ruined. If you’re struggling to keep the lemons under the liquid level, add more lemon juice or remove a couple of lemon wedges.
6. Tightly secure the lid and store your lemon preserves in a cool dry place for 4-6 weeks. They will get sourer in flavor the longer they sit. In my opinion the sourer the better! Once opened store in the refrigerator. Preserved lemons get better with age (they will continue to ferment but at a much slower rate in the fridge) and will easily last in the refrigerator for a couple of months, although ours never stick around that long!