The Life and Projects of An Avid Hobbyist

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Lemon Pickle-Second Place

Weather-Update

All is well post-Irene.  Lots of water and spotty power outages.  My tomato plants took quite a beating in the post-storm winds.  I've spent the day cooking and sewing.
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This recipe won a second place ribbon in the 2011 NJ State Fair.  Enjoy! ~ksp
Lemon Pickle-Done


Indian Lemon Pickle

Ingredients
12-18 lemons scrubbed and patted dry
½  cup salt
¼  cup chili powder
½  cup sugar
3 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp black mustard seeds
¼ tsp asafoetida or hing powder
2 limes

1 gallon hermetic glass jar (bought mine at The Container Store)


Preparation
1.     Slice off either end of the lemon and dice them into ½ inch squares.
2.     Place the diced lemon in a large bowl. 
3.     Roast the chili powder, sugar, turmeric, fenugreek and black mustard on medium flame for about 4-5 minutes .  Grind until fine with a spice grinder or a pestle and mortar.
4.     Add kosher salt and hing to the spice mix and liberally sprinkle liberally over the lemon pieces.  Toss the lemons with the spice mix to evenly coat the lemons.
5.     Once the lemons are completely covered, transfer them to the glass jar.  It may look like the jar will overflow but the contents will eventually settle.
6.     Shake the jar about to help the powders get to as many lemons as possible.
7.     Add the juice of 2 limes. The jar must be placed in the sun to cook slowly in its warmth.
8.     Give it a good shake as you put it out and bring it in each day. Your pickle should be ready in about 2 months when the peel has softened and is no longer crisp.
9.     Before serving note if the liquid is runny.  If so, pulse ¼ of the pickles in a food processor or blender until coarsely ground.  Add mash back to the larger batch.
10. Wipe rims of jars and seal immediately with still-hot lids.  Process in hot water bath (½ inch headspace) for 15 minutes in sterilized jars; adjust for altitudes.
Yields eight ½ pint jars.

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