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Mmmmmmmm………..Meyer Lemons!

December 18, 2019

Bishop citrus blossoms, Gardening, jam and jelly, Making Jam, Recipe , , , 2 Comments

The Meyer Lemon is not really a lemon. Bottom line, Meyer Lemons are both sweeter and less acidic than a true lemon.

“Citrus × meyeri, the Meyer lemon, is a hybrid citrus fruit native to China. It is a cross between a citron and a mandarin/pomelo hybrid distinct from the common or bitter oranges.[1]

Mature trees are around 6 to 10 ft (2 to 3 m) tall with dark green shiny leaves. Flowers are white with a purple base and fragrant. The fruit is rounder than a true lemon, deep yellow with a slight orange tint when ripe, and has a sweeter, less acidic flavor.”

From Wikipedia.

My Meyer Lemon tree has finally become productive after the hard freeze of …. I think 2017! I thought it had killed my lime tree and it obviously heavily damaged the Meyer Lemon. I trimmed the Meyer Lemon back and ignored the lime tree. As spring arrived the Meyer Lemon was sprouting new growth but the lime was bare. As I ripped the lime out of the ground I saw new growth….. too late – the was likely below the graft. Task done!

Meyer Lemons make a lemon curd that is both heavenly and bursting at the seams with both flavor and calories. Today’s cooking adventure does not involve lemon curd – it involves a first for me…….lemon Jelly. This will be a variation of the Meyer Lemon Honey jam I have made in the past. I have to give credit for the inspiration to Max Moszkowicz….he makes “lime jelly” and I just thought….Why not Meyer Lemon Jelly!

The process creates a wonderful aroma throughout the house. The aromatic lemons were thickly sliced and left soaking overnight in the kitchen. Then the aroma really amps up as they boil for 2 hours!

You can almost smell the aromas emanating from the photo of the boiling pot!

I am posting the recipe which includes the jelly variation. A disclaimer……only the Meyer Lemons are organic in my version……I know that for a fact as I have 100% control over the lemon growing. The honey is also mine, not lemon blossom, but it is local and raw – I can’t guarantee that it is organic………I tell bees to stay away from non-organic sources but I am not sure they pay much attention to me.

Once the jelly is done and allowed to set for a few days I will post a taste test update.

Meyer Lemon Honey Jam

INGREDIENTS 

*3 lbs Lemons (Meyers, of course!) 

*6 cups filtered Water 

*5 cups Organic Cane Sugar 

*1/4 cup Organic Lemon Honey (or other delicately flavored honey like Orange or Clover) 

*6 drops pure Lemon Essential Oil (1 drop for each cup of juice) 

 

INSTRUCTIONS ~ WASH lemons. 

~ TRIM off ends. Cut into fat slices. REMOVE pits (if making Jelly) 

~ COVER with filtered water. Leave to soak overnight or 7-8hrs

~ BOIL for 2 hours covered. ~ Then STRAIN through a jelly bag. COMMENT: Don’t be tempted to squeeze the bag or your jelly won’t be clear! ———————- 

NOTE: If you want to make Lemon JAM, skip the straining & whir the hot lemons and water carefully with an immersion blender. You definitely wouldn’t want the pits in the mix for jam though! So pick them out.

~ MEASURE juice. ~ ADD 1 cup sugar per cup of juice. STIR to dissolve sugar over low heat. ~ BOIL again until set. (15-30 minutes) ~ FILL sterilized jars as usual. ~ STORE in a dark cool cupboard. Jelly will keep for 1-2 years, but the flavor & color tend to fade beyond that time. 

Recipe from – http://www.figswithbri.com/

One of the web sites suggested that a slice of lemon would enhance the beauty of the jelly in the jars. I thought it would look great too! I sliced up a lemon, filled the jars, placed the jars in the canning water bath, turned around and what did I discover? You guessed it.

They will pretty good on top of some grilled salmon filets! LOL.

Almost looks like a light spring honey as a finished product!

TTFN

Bishop

Additional trivia for those that are curious……

“The citron (Citrus medica) is a large fragrant citrus fruit with a thick rind. It is one of the original citrus fruits from which all other citrus types developed through natural hybrid speciation or artificial hybridization.”

“Mandarin – mandarin orange

Pomelo – “The pomelo is one of the original citrus species from which the rest of cultivated citrus have been hybridized. “

Good Things From the Yard

March 3, 2017

Bishop Beekeeping, berrries, Berry Preserves, Gardening, Healthy Lifestyle, jam and jelly, Strawberries, Vegetables , , , , , Leave a comment

Nearly started off with an interesting typo! “Good Thongs From the Yard” – that could have raised some eyebrows! Spring is here and good things are showing up. 

One of the yards that hosts a couple of hives also has chickens. For my garden I receive some chicken fertilizer…. nice way to say it! Almost as good are the excess eggs I receive. Yum! 

Little ones, medium ones and big ones! He has about 20 chickens and they are laying very well now! 

Carrots, I grow short ones because of my clay soil. They may be short but they are very sweet. 


Unwashed but yummy. I put them on the grill the other night with some asparagus and chicken. Very yummy. When the sugars carmelize they are so yummy. 

Snow peas and sugar snaps are blooming and producing. The early pods never make it to the house. Insert smiley face and tongue licking lips here! 


 And yes…..strawberries. I have made two batches of preserves so far. One plain and the other with vanilla. I am hoping for so much more. 


And bees too. The Meyer Lemons are blooming and the bees are working. Mine and many others. Such remarkable creatures!


Ok, enough for now! Just one sting today out of 6 hives inspected today! I can always attribute a sting to a faux pas on my part! Yes, I have made a mistake or two! Most of the time I have no swelling but this one……hit my left hand and sure enough –  a little ballooning on the back of my hand. Ok Hun- please kiss it and make it better. 

TTFN

Bishop

Birthday Week Gardening

March 15, 2012

Bishop Gardening , , , , 6 Comments

The week started of wonderfully….the day was spent with family, except for the absence of son Benjamin – away at school. Also included in the great start were our best friends, John and Beverly – also part of many of my postings. We had a great evening at the Houston Rodeo and I loved walking through the Ag exhibits in the Reliant Center…. dream on Bishop!

The rains of last week have saturated the soils and and have lead to many of my “in ground” strawberries becoming soft and beginning to mold. I hate to see them go this route as I would much rather share them or get some into the freezer bag for a jam making event later this spring. All is not lost…. the bad berries wind up in my compost pile where they will continue decomposing and providing some good stuff for the berry patch next year. My strawberry towers seem to be free of the maladies hitting those on the ground….For whatever reasons the berries in the 3″ towers seem to be a little smaller….The 4 inch towers have great looking plants and have not yet begun to flower….maybe a different variety due to my poor attention to details like logging what went where!

Monday I went out and pulled up some carrots, both orange and a lone white variety. As I approached the backdoor I was met by my daughter Ashleigh who halted my entrance to the house….apparently the family members present had a little surprise for me. I had to close my eyes and was lead into the kitchen. I tried to put the carrots down but Ash wouldn’t let me…..she said keep them in your hand as they are so YOU!.

Image

Three tiny donuts and fortunately 58 candles short of the needed - carrots in hand...the choice? I did eat the doughnut. A little sweeter than the fresh picked carrots

An update on the activities in the garden,,,,The potatoes in the cages are growing like crazy. They are the healthiest looking plants that I have ever grown. The taters in the big Rubbermaid bin are also looking good. Asparagus is taking off and should be shooting up all across the bed in the next week. Temperatures will be more conducive to the asparagus’s liking. I added some heirloom watermelon radishes – really cool looking from the catalog photos. Radishes are for more than just salads….check out this month’s edition of “Mother Earth News” for recipes. I will try the pickled Water Melon Radishes.

John has another round of Edamame in the ground as does my garden. I have planted two types of slicing cucumbers and two varieties of pole beans. I will try a purple variety of beans for grins this year. I threw some bush bean seeds into the potato cages and bin. Supposedly they help repel the beetles that love “tater” plants.

Kathy Hun…. I picked some ugly and misshapen strawberries this morning for my jam making. I want you to have only the best to eat fresh! I harvested the worm castings or “poop” from the bin and thoroughly washed my hands before picking them…….trust me! The Meyer Lemon tree is in full blossom and the scent in the air is heavenly! It looks like it will be loaded to the max like last year!

TTFN

Bishop