Preserved or pickled lemons are a preserved fruit, commonly used in many ethnic cuisines. They popular in Cambodia, and in the Middle East, most commonly associated with Morocco. There are many recipes, some with spices others, using just salt. This is a simple and basic recipe. They can be used after one month of fermenting in all sorts of dished ranging from cous cous to tagines. I could buy a jar at our local Turkish market, or I could just make some – it’s very simple ( just lemons, and salt). Here is how we did it:

Here is what you will need:

– a 1 quart glass jar with a tight fitting lid
– 12 Meyer Lemons, or a sweet lemon variety like ‘Ciron beldi’. (12 or more when tightly packed)
– 1/2 cup of sea salt or Kosher salt

1. Add a tablespoon of salt to the bottom of the jar before packing lemons.

2. Cut lemons into quarters, but only deep enough so that the quarters remain connected at the stem end.

2. Rub salt into the quartered lemons, and rub salt all over them ( don’t worry, you will wash off the salt before you cook or eat them).

3. Add lemons to the jar one by one, squeezing in as many as you can, tightly.

4. Layer with salt, as you go, and try to get as many lemons as you can into the jar. I even add some lemon halves to fill in the spaces.

5. Top off the jar with another tablespoon of sea salt, seal and cover with a tight lid.

The preserved lemons will be ready in 1 months time,  as the juices mingle with the salt, and they begin to ferment. If you can find them, the smaller ‘petit doqq’ lemons found in Morocco are most favored, but any sweet lemon will do with ‘Meyer’ being the easiest to find. I tried to pick the smallest lemons from our trees so that I could fit as many into the jar – a bit of a luxury on a snowy day in New England in January, but one which requires very little effort at all, as the lemons bloom and set fruit during the summer by themselves, and then are just brought into the greenhouse in the autumn, where they ripen and are ready to pick in January. Remember, they can also be grown in the winter on a cool, sunny windowsill if you have one.

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Tomatoes seem to know when they should ripen – and it’s never at a convenient time. I’ve been traveling for the past three weeks ( a couple trips to both New Mexico and California for work and pleasure) but I’ve been home every weekend for a day or two to do laundry, re-pack and to ‘put-up tomatoes, which this year, have decided to not only ripen when I am at my most busy, they have also decided to become a bit of a bumper crop (which I have no idea why, as we have had a very cold and wet summer). Really though, I am not complaining – as come this winter, we will have lots of heirloom tomatoes canned whole, crushed, sauce, salsa and stewed. Since again this weekend I am just catching up on posts, emails and yes…..tomato canning, here are some pictures from last weekend’s bounty.
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Most of the tomatoes will be canned whole, a family favorite since I was a young. Any extra tomatoes are being processed into tomato sauce. My sauce is nothing fancy, (unless you consider 14 different kinds of heirloom tomatoes fancy! Well, OK….I guess a little fancy.) Most importantly, everything in my sauce comes from our garden -except the olive oil.

I have no idea why some many of the tomatoes in our garden this year are perfect, but again – not complaining! I try to organize tomatoes by size, reserving the most uniform ones for whole tomatoes, and others for sauce.

FRESH BAY LEAVES FROM ONE OF OUR FOUR LARGE BAT LAUREL TOPIARY TREES

I start by processing the whole tomato – skin and all, even the seeds in a Vitamix blender – Julia may frown, but it’s just a lot easier, and we don’t mind a few seeds). I use lots of garlic, basil, bay leaf and parsley from the garden, with a touch of celery leaf for flavor. A few red peppers perhaps, and one or two hot chili’s.

Every herb in my sauce comes from the garden.

The sauce is them reduced down for a couple of hours until thick, and then added to clean canning jars.

When canning sauce, citric acid or lemon juice needs to be added to each jar to keep the acidity level high. I use 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid rather than bottled lemon juice, as I prefer the flavor to lemon juice in tomato product. Citric Acid had no flavor.

Tomatoes intended for canning whole, or in quarters are first skinned by placing into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, and then into an ice bath. I cut an X in the bottom of each tomato before placing in the hot water bath. It makes the skin easier to peel off. I don’t peel the skin on the tomatoes that go into the sauce, as the Vitamix blender takes care of that for me.

Once removed from the hot water bath, the jars cool on a dry kitchen towel on a wood board, away from drafts, and the cold granite counter. As you can see, I tried to keep some yellow and orange heirloom tomatoes separate because they are so beautiful canned in separate colors. Others are just mixed up varieties. Come January when the snow is falling, and any idea of the summer garden remains months away from reality, we really won’t care what color they are, when we pour their cool, salty contents into bowls to accompany hearty winter dinners. Sunshine in a jar.

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Making your own Herbes de Provençe is easy, but like anything, it does require some up-front knowledge about selecting the best herbs, as well as knowing the right time to dry them, but the truth is, there is no one, single recipe which is ‘classic’ or even ‘traditional’.

Basic Herbes de Provence consists of just a few herbs – tarragon, thyme, rosemary and oregano, in a 25% ratio.

This past Saturday, I turned all ‘French’ for a day, picking so many herbs that my hands smelled for two days! Nothing that a little Pastis couldn’t cure!

A tradition Provençial wall locust, a ceramic locust that I bought in Nice, filled with fresh picked herbs on our porch near the kitchen. I have a half dozen of the Locust pots, hanging near the rear door in various sizes, I like how wierd they are, at least to an American, but as our locust’s hatch this year, they suddenly make sense.

Sure, one can find jars of Herbes de Provençe in France today, but there, the standard is a commercial brand marketed under the name Ducros, and Label Rouge ( now owned by spice giant McCormick).

Fancier brands in the US have ingredient that can vary wildly, but there seems to be one fact most connoisseurs of the herb mix agree upon, and that it, that it must never contain lavender, especially the blossoms. Lavender was added in the 1980’s to make mixes feel ‘French’ in both scent and feel’, ( OK< I like the Lavender in some mixes, I admit), but knowing that it was added so that it would appeal to tourists does make me want to try a more ‘authentic mix, even though I use the term ‘authentic’, loosely.

Today I decided to go out into the garden, and pick herbs specifically for drying, so that I can make my own Herbes de Provence mixture. Taking in all that I have learned in my research, I feel pretty confidant that I can make a good mixture, as I have many of the oil-rich herb species required.

The trick here is this: Use as many of the high summer-growing herbs, those Mediterranean species that would be found in gardens, or in the wilds of Southern France.  If one thing is essential, it is this – use the right varieties of these herbs, for an inferior Thyme, such as Lemon Thyme ( Thymus serpyphyllum, will dry terribly and ruin a mix). Here are my notes on each type of herb required for a decent Herbes de Provence mixture. Feel free to switch around proportions, but I will include the rough proportions used in France per the Label Rouge web site.

 I am separating the herbs into groups, plants that have similar amounts of volatile oils , or drying times.

Here are some basic suggestions for recipes:

1. The Label Rouge mixture calls for:
Rosemary, Oregano, Savory, Marjoram, Sage, Lovage. Bay, Parsley, Basil, Tarragon and Fennel.

2. An old French classic cook book the Larrousse de la Cuisine, has a much simpler mix:
Wild Thyme, Rosemary, Bay Leaf and Savory ( Summer Savory).

3. Patricia Wells, in her ‘Patricia Wells at Home in Provence’ cook book (Scribner, 1996), prefers fresh, wild collected herbs, snipped fresh fennel fronds rather than seed, as well as snipped dill, but lists her ‘classic’ dried mixture as having “Dried Fennel (seed), rosemary, sage, savory, and wild of domestic thyme.”

For what’s it’s worth, she goes on to clarify the difference between Herbes de Provençe and Fines Herbes. “Fines Herbes are comprised of fresh chervil, tarragon, chives and parsley”. Chefs worth their sea salt also know that Fines Herbes are best when assembeled and used as fresh herbs, and not dried.

Note: Not one of these contains lavender.

Herbs dry on the back porch. NOte the hand painted locusts on the olive urn.

Another chapter in Larrousse de la Cuisine lists “Fennel, Rosemary, Chervil, Oregano, Summer Savory, Tarragon, Mint, Marjoram Orange zest and Lemon Zest, and that Lavender leaves can be added ‘as a benifit for tourists”. How funny.
I have seen mixtures with

The truth is much more simple, and logical- Herbe’s de Provençe simple means “handfuls of summer herbs found in Southern France, and the recipes vary a widely from family to family, as recipes should, Let me know what your favorite mixture has in it.

Thyme and other aromatic herbs drying on the back porch.

Notes on specific herbs for Herbes de Provençe

Fennel, Tarragon,Lovage and Chervil

These provide that essential licorice flavor found in the mix, and although some mixes include all, or none of the licorice scented herbs, the most common ones used are tarragon and fennel. Fennel seed may provide the strongest flavor, and in France, wild fennel seed is preferred, but unless you live somewhere where this grows as an escapee ( such as in California), you will have to harvest your own, or buy it. Tarragon will dry nicely, but forget about drying Chervil, it is far too tender, and like cilantro, will lose its flavor.

Pick fresh herbs in just as the dew dries in the morning, as the leaves much never be wet or damp. Tie into tiny bundles, and air dry in a shady, dry and breezy spot. Pick more mature stems, ( if they don’t wilt, they are mature), as these will have the highest essential oil content.

If you are making a fresh mix, then you have many more options to achieve the same flavor profile.  When using fresh herbs, you may choose chopped Lovage leaves, but they can be horsey, due to their size and stems.  The finest fresh option is Chervil, which offers a delcate flavor profile almost unmatched as it is also somewhat floral. I would choose that as the finest option for that authentic mix, Remember, never dry chervil, fennel fronds or lovage, for all you will have is hay-scented herbs with only a hint of licorice.

Fresh Oregano

Oregano, Marjoram, Sage

Finding the proper oregano may be your greatest challenge, as most commercial garden varieties found in the US are not the true culinary oregano we find at pizza parlors or even at the market. Look first for a type that will return year after year, and as Oregano in the world of Provençe most likely means ‘wild oregano’, an Oraganum species found growing throughout the mediterranean. At nurseries, look  for Greek Oregano, or Oreganum vulgare. What you want here is a rich, strong-flavored oregano that will hold its flavor once dried, and, an oregano with flavor. Lemon oregano, orange oregano and any of the fancy types won’t do. In drying oregano, one must wait until late in the growing season, when the plant is blooming, as the floral buds and blossom ends contain the richest amount of volatile oils. Leaves have the least. Look for varieties that have woodier stems, and not green stems that will wilt when picked. A proper oregano branch should be woody, stiff and intensely fragrant. A bunch of dried oregano in bloom, should only be rubbed gently between ones hands, to release the fragrant leaflets near the blossoms.

Sage can vary, as of course, it is a Salvia. I find that culinary sage can vary from plant to plant, so when buying plant or growing your own from seed, test them all, to find your favorite. Some new hybrids are excruciatingly horrible in scent ( especially the thin-leaved dwarf forms). Find a good sage, and stick with it. I know it is strong, and hard to find a good use for ( but I do reccommend  the recipe for Frittata in the Al Forno cookbook  Cucina Simpatica by food geniuses Johanne Killeen and George Germon – my favorite cookbook in the world, in which every page is stuck together and the cover has been missing for years! It will make you adore sage and eggs. Cucina Simpatica gave me a gift, and that gift was a love for sage beyond Bell’s Seasoning.).

Herbes de Provençe hang on a breezy, airy porch near our kitchen entrance where the sun never shines.

Savory, Basil, and Parsley

When the French write about Savory here, they are referring to the one gardeners know as Summer Savory. In seed catalogs and at some nurseries you may find something called winter savory, it is woody and has a fuzzier leaf. Summer Savory has a smooth leaf, and if you are not growing this herb already, I urge you to. I never eat Zucchini without it!. Both are eventually woody shrublets, but winter savory is so much more hairier and greyer, and it has a  skunky and bitter taste which makes it less palatable. Summer savory must be grown from seed, or from plants if you are lucky to find it. Harvest before it blooms, or in late summer when the new growth has begun to harden off. Again, volatile oils is the goal, and these mature as summers end.

Choosing the perfect Thyme means doing a little more research – the wrong thyme can ruin everything.

Thyme, Rosemary, Bay

Thyme seems to be a lose term at most garden centers, so proceed carefully. The thyme species you want is Thymus vulgaris, not Thymus serpyphyllum. You can tell the difference sometimes from the labels ( variegated Thyme, Golden Thyme or Lemon Thyme, are all T serpyphyllum – it has a wider leaf. Thymus vulgaris is more woody, especially near the end of summer, as as a culinary thyme, it has leaves which are often rolled, or smaller. If in doubt, the scent will give it away, as T, vulgaris cultivars that are best for cooking have crispier leaves, full of essential oils. Never use the Wooly Thymes, T. pseudolanuginosus.

Freshly picked Rosemary from containers on the gravel bed

Rosemary varieties are more versatile, as most are so similar, with varying degrees of oilyness. I use a prostrate from, with semi-mature stems that are half green, half woody near the end of summer – they are often so sticky with oils when I pick them, that I need to clean my snips. Rosemary can be harvested anytime of the year, but I find that growth which is almost mature has the finest flavor when dried, and is less likely to turn into sharp ‘pine needles’.

Bay laurel is easy, as long as you have the true Bay laurel. Laurus nobilis. Many plants have common names with the term ‘laurel’ but some are poisonous, or at the very least, inedible. I harvest my bay laurel leaves just as the mature in August or September, as young harvested while too young will dry with a brown color. No need to string them up,  I simply place them in egg cups on a breezy porch out of the sun, and they will dry in a few weeks.

I grow many types of Basil, but this Genovese basil I feel is not choice as some of the smaller leaved forms for drying. Still, I rarely dry basil, opting to either only use it fresh, or eliminate it from the mix.

Basil, parsley

As dried herbs, these are basically filler, I believe. For we all should know by now that dried basic is horrid, and dried parsley is barely fit enough for a caged rabbit. Use these only if you are making a fresh mixture, otherwise, leave them out.

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A selection of home-grown citrus from my greenhouse. Starting from the bottom ( the big one), Citron ‘Etrog’. as is the slice to the left. above that Meyer Lemons, Australian Finger Limes, Limequats and the tiny Indian Kumquat, Fortunella hindsii, the smallest pea-sized citrus that I grow.

Inspired by a few posts from blogger friends who seem to always make marmalade in during the winter (traditional marmalade is indeed a winter craft in Mediterranean climates, as citrus ripen during the winter months). As I keep a about ten varieties of citrus in my greenhouse here in central Massachusetts, I figured that I might as well try making some, otherwise, the citrus only gets used in tea, and a few drinks, and that’s about it. Maybe it’s time to use some of my organically grown citrus for something more useful.

Look – if Martha Stewart Living magazine can run two different covers, I thought I would too. A quick graphic treatment for my post, but I still need to design my labels. Later this week. Here is my Meyer Lemon Marmalade with Mandarins & Lavender (recipe from the Blue Chair Jam Cookbook by Rachel Saunders).

Meyer Lemons formed the base for all three Marmalade’s. Mild, sweet and fruity, when prepared as marmalade, it can be rather one-note and not as lemony or bitter as true lemons, so I combined my Meyer Lemons with other citrus.

Most of the work in making any marmalade comes in the beginning, and I should note that most recipes suggest three-day long procedures ( I cheated and did this all in two days), but by far, the most difficult task is carefully cutting the fruit into thin slices. A sharp paring knife is handy, so  you won’t crush the peel and fruit while slicing.

The third type of marmalade comes from the BLUE CHAIR COOK BOOK – Meyer Lemon and Kumquat. I had three types of Kumquats, which are so delicious when picked fresh from the tree – nothing at all like store bought fruit, as the oil-rich peels taste like orange blossoms to me, something store-bought fruit lose. Even store bought Meyer Lemons will not have the strong lemony citrusy oil scent and flavor in their peels that home-grown fruit have. I really don’t know why I haven’t done this before – it’s time for this costly greenhouse help supply this kitchen with some produce.

Having the proper tools helps immensly, and that starts with a proper confiture pot – a Bassine à confiture makes all the difference in the world. Costly, it’s something to look out for on EBay ( a friend of mine found a vintage one there) or from an on-line retailer. Look – you’ll have it for life, and the wide surface area and copper make jam and jelly making effortless. You will never need to buy pectin as the proper evaporation will occur.

Once the citrus are sliced into elegant long strips or slices, depending on the recipe, the long process begins. All recipes will have you soak the sliced fruit for 24 hours ( important, to remove the bitterness and to soften the rind), then they all deviate. Some require you to first boil the fruit and then drain it in a colander for another 24 hours, as I did with the Blue Jam Cookbook recipe which asked for me to create a mandarin orange extraction that took two days, but most will have you start the actual process of boiling the soaked fruit with sugar, and if you are using a confiture, this part is easy. You will have marmalade in about 30 minutes.

Cut branches of Cornus mas still bloom in the kitchen window as two batches of marmalade come together. The windows got so steamy, that I could not watch the bird feeders. Yeah – that mess on top of my stove are trays of seedlings that require soil temperatures over 75º F, like the artichoke seedlings. This is my secret spot!

Once you start on the final part of a marmalade recipe, the cooking in the confiture, the entire process happens quite quickly. Be careful, stirring too much will case more air bubbles as the water evaporates, yet you must stir ever minute or so, to avoid caramalization ( which happened to me on my second batch, as I had to go send an email logo to someone). I assume many of you are jam makers, as the garden and jam making go hand in hand, but I encourage you to use your home grown citrus – even if you use your house plant citrus, just be certain that they are organic, and for this reason, never use store bought plants with fruit on them, for most likely, they have been treated with an systemic insecticide, which can take a year or more to work its way out of a plants tissues.

Sweet, sour and Tangy, homemade mixed citrus marmalade will warm any ones hearts on a cold, winter day. Steamy windows, frosty panes of glass, and the scent of fresh lemons, oranges and limes. I am so glad that I took the time to do this today, I needed something to take my mind off of what is happening at work right now.

Jars await a hot water bath processing. I process mine for 25 minutes as it helps reduce the amount of air bubbles.

Naturally, have everything ready to work with when you make marmalade, for unlike jam and jelly, it is difficult to reheat and soften the marmalade once it begins to set, as too much caramalization will occur. Have all of your jars and glassware sterilized either in the dishwasher, or in the oven, and have your jar rubbers boiling along with the lids on the stove. Keep plenty of fresh linens at the ready, as well as a couple of pots of boiling water, as one you will need for wash cloths to clean the rims, as marmalade making is a sticky process, and the other pot will come in handy when you process the finished jars, as the hot water bath will often need topping off, and in the winter, one does not want to add ice cold water to hot, glass jars.

A jar of Etrog Citron and Kumquat Marmalade that I shot in the greenhouse, with a sprig of some of the smaller Kumquats ( Forunella hindsii) that I also added. This is the batch that I almost burnt when I had to go send the logo to someone, but it still tastes fine, and I think I even like the more caramel taste.

I also made a loaf of French bread that I started yesterday using my standby no-kneading recipe from Jim Lahey’s book MY BREAD. His no knead method has become a stand-by in my kitchen for crispy, French loaves.

Well, after all, they are from the British Isles.

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