When Meyer lemons show up in the market, I get all atwitter (no, I do not mean that I start sending short messages into the ether). Almost anything calling for lemons will be that much better if the lemons are Meyers. I started with 8 lemons, which I put through a fruit & veggie wash. I do this with most produce, as even organics can have picked up poisons from the air. Ream juice into a strainer set over a large, wide pot. Quarter the rind and scoop out most of the pith, then cut into strips and add to juice. Tie up all the pith, flesh and seeds into a cheesecloth bag and suspend to rest on mixture in pot. Add 6 cups of water, bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 2 hours. Squeeze all of the juice out of the cheesecloth bag. Put 6 cups of sugar into an ovenproof bowl and heat in the oven at 250 degrees for 15 minutes. Add warmed sugar to the pot and stir over low heat until it has completely dissolved. Increase heat and boil rapidly without stirring 15 to 20 minutes (220 degrees). Allow to cool for a few minutes so that the peel will be suspended rather than rising to the top. At this point, I stirred in toasted walnut chunks. Process for 10 minutes.
I gave a jar of this to a friend in her Christmas basket, and she said “Oh…you have made conserve.” I’m sure I read at some point that adding nuts to preserves makes them into conserves, but in culling through various cookbooks to come up with this hybrid recipe, it seemed that it was the addition of liquor that transformed preserves into conserves. Even that was not consistent, as one recipe for orange and whisky marmalade failed to make the leap. I blended a recipe from Harrods Cookery Book for lime marmalade with a Seville orange marmalade recipe from The Oregonian and added the nuts of my own volition. The nuts fail to make much of an impression on crunchy things like toast, but spread it on a scone or biscuit and oh, mama.
Yummy…I’m waiting for my Washington oranges to ripen so I can make some, I could use my meyer lemons as well… thanks for that.
Linda~Did you grow your own Meyers? If so, I’m jealous!
Looks delish, Ricki! You’ve got talent.
Ricki, Yes, I have a meyers lemon tree. It is full of lemons and flowers …all year round. I got mine from Rain tree Nursery a few years ago.
It is Seville time over here. Always the middle of Jan.
And then I start feeling guilty that I’m not doing it anymore.
So many failures over the years, that I gave up.
I never knew that you guys only called it conserves when it is nutty. For me it is merely a matter of fruit/sugar ratio. Still, I’m not the person to ask 🙂
Those Myers trees sound nice. All year round? Well, not over here I’m sure.
Grace~Don’t know about talent, but I do like to eat. Had some on cornbread for breakfast this morning as we commiserated over the Ducks losing to Auburn.
Linda~I am putting this on my wish list right now.
Jo~Sevilles are not a regular item over here, but I’m thinking they might be worth seeking out.
I think the “conserve” question is still up in the air. Seems like a British thing, so I would take your word for it.
Our climates are pretty similar. I’m betting that Linda treats her Meyer as a conservatory plant, with maybe a vacation outdoors in the summertime.
oooh, sounds great. I have also never been a huge fan of nuts in a conserve or whatever serve. But I think you’re right – you just need the right kind of base. I can imagine that on a scone. yuuuuuummm..
Wendy~to me, almost anything is better with nuts.