An embarrassingly frugal question

[nelliegemini]

I bought a load of cheap, unwaxed lemons, grated and froze the zest and froze the juice in teaspoonfulls (approx!) in ice cube trays.

So now I don't have mouldering half lemons in the fridge, and I don't 'over lemon' - so many recipes seem to call for the juice of half a lemon and it can overpower sometimes.

The zest is working fine = it has kept colour and texture.

[LostGoddess]

This thread has been really helpful to me, thaks everyone

Nellie, I also got a load of reduced unwaxed lemons which prompted my original question, and I also now juice them and freeze them in cubes. Great minds think alike

Beanie, I would be very interested in your WI marmalade recipe if you get chance to post it up!

[Beanie]

Beanie, I would be very interested in your pennywise marmalade recipe if you get chance to post it up!

OK, here goes -

Pennywise Marmalade.

1.5 lb mixed orange, grapefruit & lemon peel, washed
1 lb whole lemons
8oz lime flesh
half pint of water
6lb sugar

Place peel & water in pressure cooker & cook for 10 mins at 15lb pressure. Leave to cool at room temp.
Drain, retaining liquid, & slice peel. Set aside.
Quarter the lemons, remove pips & place in a muslin bag. Remove & roughly chop the flesh; slice peel thinly. Place in pressure cooker.
Add the lime pips & peel to the lemon pips inthe muslin bag. Roughly chop lime flesh & add to pressure cooker.
Add another half pint of water & cook for 10 mins, 15 lb pressure. Allow to cool to room temp.
Place the previously cooked peel and the lemon and lime peel together in a large preserving pan. Squeeze the muslin bag thoroughly, to extract all juice. mix together all the retained juices & add sufficient water to make up to 2.5 pints. Add to preserving pan, along with the sugar.
Heat slowly & stir till sugar is dissolved.
Bring to the boil & boil vigorously until setting point is reached.

[Alison]

No idea re the original question but am just curious as to what you're using all those lemons for? Feel like I must be missing out as I hardly ever use any apart from when you need to add the juice to jams like strawberry.

[LostGoddess]

Thanks for posting the recipe Beanie, that is one I will keep on file for sure.

Alison, my original need to preserve so many lemons was because the supermarket had all their organic lemons reduced and I snapped up the lot!
We do get through a few lemons a week at the moment, what with pancakes on a Saturday, jam making, cakes, etc

[annacruachan]

I always buy three or four times the Seville oranges I need for one batch of marmalade and freeze the rest whole. The rind is already soft when they defrost, cutting down the boiling time, and there seems to be even more juice than when they are fresh.
I use fresh lemons with them for the pectin.
When making for us rather than to sell I chop the rind up in the food processor as we go for the taste, not the shape of the peel!

[Flummery]

That reminds me - I'm on my last jar of marmalade and I still have a bag of Sevilles in the freezer!

[zazen999]

We do get through a few lemons a week at the moment, what with pancakes on a Saturday, jam making, cakes, etc

If I ever visit you oop norf; I'm coming on a Saturday. Yum yum. Can I bring my friend?