Saturday, December 15, 2012

12 Days of Meyer - Day 1: Preserved Meyer Lemons


After being a guest blogger on the 12 Days of Cookies series on Local Savour, it got me thinking about how great it would be to do my own "12 Days" theme. However, what to do it on? I thought that cookies, desserts, crafts and such had all been done. What's a grits girl to do?


Before I had a chance to figure out a theme, a freeze warning came across the news which meant there was early harvesting to be had. By harvesting, I mean that our beautiful Meyer lemon tree that was over-loaded with fruit had to be picked so that the freeze would not ruin them.  So my sweet husband started picking.  I made room on the kitchen table and bowl after bowl and basket after basket were handed to me. After the first round of 400 (yep that's what I said, 400) he called it a night as darkness set in. The next day he picked over 100 more.  We left another 100 or more on the tree because they were not quite ripe enough, setting up a small heat lamp and wrapping the tree in Christmas lights with the hope it would make a difference.

500 lemons, could a girl be any more blessed?  My tequila guy will be taking his share of these pretty yellow globes for our annual batch of Limoncello.  I will juice as many as my freezer will hold.  I will barter with some of my lovely food-blogger friends.  Some will be given as gifts to neighbors. Then I will feel satisfied knowing that this sweet little tree that is perhaps 20 years old and traveled with us from California, has fully blessed us. With that blessing, I feel it only right and respectful to do a 12 Days of Meyer series, I'm jus' sayin'!


Day 1: Preserved Meyer Lemons
Recipe can be found on this post - http://girlgonegrits.blogspot.com/2010/01/lemon-twist.html