29/08/2026
It is Lemon day today, it's time to get the lemon harvest processed.
The fruit got a light wash in cold water due to my hands being covered in soil when picking, since I decided to w**d around the lemon tree whilst harvesting and pruning, all at the same time. This all happened a few days ago before torrential rain of course. And now that it's pouring with rain, it's the perfect time to get this job done.
So after drying the fruit:
I peeled some to make dried peel for tea and baking,
I also made lemon peel zest with the mandolin, freezing in little snaplock bags for drinks and baking.
Next I juiced some lemons, filling 3 wine bottles which stay in the fridge for drinks and cooking. I do love a refreshing lemon & soda drink in the afternoon.
Salted lemons are so handy for that one and only Moroccan dish I make once a year, but a salted lemon salad with feta is a summer favourite. I keep the Salted lemons in the fridge after just a couple of days on the bench to ferment. The fermentation process is almost halted by refrigeration but it still ferments just a little to create this very special delicacy.
I save a few lemon pips which you can use to help with jam setting. The pips are kept in a bag in the freezer.
I made a batch of Lemon Curd which is addictive-you have been warned. This recipe uses 6 eggs so I am fortunate that the chooks have just got back onto laying. I do keep Lemon Curd in the fridge due to it being made with egg, so I will need to hide it at the back so i don't get too greedy. I'm looking at these four jars and thinking another four jars would be nice...
Now I'm remembering that Lemon Curd cake recipe I have, and the good old Lemon Delicious pudding! Bake it in a waterbath for that delicious self-saucing action. Did I mention delicious???
There are a few lemons with black spots or little holes on them. It could be just wind, rain or damage from branches but I dissect these damaged fruit carefully to check for a guava moth caterpillars. They're usually easy to see as the create a large amount of black p**p. None found thankfully. This time of year the guava moth go for the citrus as there isn't much else around for them, so it's an important opportunity to break their lifecycle. More on that next week.
A lemon chutney sounds good -anyone make Lemon chutney? Let me know your favourite lemon recipes please.
