For the last six years, the highlight of my January has been the day the box of Meyer lemons arrives on my doorstep from the Lemon Ladies Orchard in Emerald Hills, California. My whole apartment fills with their fragrance the moment I unseal the box and I spend the next week or so making marmalade, syrups, curds, preserved lemons, and dehydrated rounds.
Last April, while I was on the first leg of my book tour, I spent a little time visiting Lemon Ladies and getting to know the owner, Karen Morss (she even put me up one night, which was incredibly kind of her).
In the morning, Karen took me on a tour of the orchard, which is tucked into her backyard. She introduced me the 40 trees that make up the orchard (each named after a different woman who had inspired her) and told me about the joys and challenges of growing fruit.
Karen uses organic fertilizer, ladybugs, and love to raise her lemons and it shows in her gorgeous fruit. I am forever in awe of the fact that such glorious fruit just grows on trees in California (I realize it sounds ridiculous, but in the depths of Pennsylvania winter, such things don’t seem entirely possible).
For this week’s giveaway, Karen has offered up a gift box of her lemons to one lucky winner. This prize has a $30 value and contains 3 1/2 pounds of juicy, fragrant Meyer lemons. Use the widget below to enter!
I’d try to use as much as I could. I’d candy the peel, make lemon curd and salt preserve them.
Oh gosh, I have so many ideas. First I’d certainly make some jam and some marmalade. We have a raspberry lemonade jam recipe that’s awesome. I think with so many lemons I’d also try preserving them in slices some way. As a minimum I’ll be zesting every single one and freezing the zest and using the beautiful juice for canning recipes.
I’ve never tried preserving lemons before so I thought I’d give that a go. Then there is all the other stuff I would try to thaw this eternal winter with: tea, marmalde, cake, humus, etc, etc, lemon everything!!
Oh! I’d make a citrus combo marmalade and lemon lime curd!
I’ve been wanting to make limoncello for years!
syrup for lemon soda and preserved lemons
If I win I hope to make salt preserved lemons and some candied lemons!
Oh! What a lovely thing to offer.
Marmalade, of course. It would be nice to add them to other fruits, but using them alone sounds so much more special and positively wonderful.
oh yes please! cocktails, pie, preserved….yep!
I would try making marmalade for the first time.
Lemon bars, lemon curd and Meyer lemon vinaigrette. Yum!
I’d love to make some lemon cake and meyer lemon olive oil
Ice cream, curd, cake, marmalade and more!!!
The very first marmalade I ever made was Meyer Lemon Marmalade! I would make more, but also try my hand at curd. I made grapefruit curd for the first time a few weeks ago, but it’s a little runny. These lemons would give me ample practice!
I’d make a bunch of lemon curd, lemon crunch bars, and a small batch of Limoncello.
I would make curd and syrup!
1. Marmalade – my husband randomly asked a few weeks ago if I’d ever seen any in the market, and I hadn’t.
2. Lemon pie (without meringue – I don’t like meringue – so just “lemon curd” pie.
3. Candied peel, for next year’s fruitcake.
4. If there are any left after all that, freeze a few for my first batch of dandelion wine this spring . . . I’m in Portland, OR, and there were a couple blooming as soon as our last snow (14″ – pretty rare here) melted.
Lemon curd, of course!
ooh ooh! Lemon curd and marmalade and cake! I really like lemon.
Lemon curd is first thing that comes to mind and then some lemon pies.
I didn’t think this was the season for meyer lemons.
I made meyer lemon lavender marmalade last summer so I might try my hand a lemon curd or preserving lemons.
I’ll use them to make a lemon cheesecake.
Lemon curd for now and lemon marmalade to preserve!
Lemons are a stable in our house. We squeeze lemon juice on our vegetables, use it in our couscous, quinoa and farro. We use it in coleslaw and with Meyer lemons, my older daughter likes eat them like oranges.
I love lemons. My first instinct was ” WANT. MUST CLICK” but I am one of those lucky people who live in citrus country. So I will go over to my parents , pick a box of meyers, and consider myself the winner of this contest. I hope someone in snow country gets this box full of summer.
I will make limoncello!
Rosemary and meyer lemon marmalade
Preserved lemon or a whole lemon pie! Tastes like sunshine!
Indian style pickles, jam, preserve the rind to use in cakes bread and scones, limencello, preserved lemons.
Lemon curd! It’s been way too long!
Definitely a jar of salt preserved lemons. The rest…some sort of sweet, a batch of salad dressing and freeze the rest for another time.
I would make salt-preserved lemons! From time to time I see those called for in recipes but never have them on hand. I think it’s high time I made some!
I would probably make some kind of lemon cake and lemon marmalade, of course! 🙂
Not entering the giveaway because I could easily offer another box. As a Southern Californian, I do take for granted being able to go out back and grab a lemon whenever I need one. My Philadelphia based sis-in-law was here the last time I threw a tea party, and was surprised when I handed her a basket and casually instructed her to grab six lemons off the tree for the lemonade. The idea of 40 trees is astonishing.
I’ve still been too scared to attempt to preserve with citrus, but thanks for the giveaway! If I win I may have to try marmelade, lemon simple syrup, or salt-preserved lemons.
I love lemon curd and I will try my hand at marmalade.
I would love to make some luscious lemon curd, which is one of my favorite tangy cake additions.
The first thing I’d make is a lemon meringue pie.
I’ve ordered these long before. This will be one lucky winner! I used them to make lemon sugar and lemon salt.
I havent made lemon curd in a while. Maybe this will get me in teh mood.
I think the peel of the lemons would make awesome candied peel to use in cooking! Not sure whete I would start trying to use that many lemons, otherwise…
lemon curd, can’t seem to have enough of it!
I’ve never seen such beautiful lemons! Gorgeous!
Preserved lemons for sure. And I’ve always wanted to try my hand at lemon curd.
Meyer lemon curd and salt preserved lemons would be what I make!
Marmalade and preserved lemons
I will make preserved lemons and try to make lemon curd!
My neighbor makes delicious lemon marmalade- I would ask him to share his recipe!
I would definitely try salt preserved lemons if I were to win.
a few would go in a jar, as moroccan lemons (salt preserved), some would go in tea, and the rest perhaps in marmalade.