The Preservationist

The Preservationist Preserved Lemons and Big Sur Marmalade

Discovering local treasure

By Jordan Champagne Photography by Geneva Liimatta

The one thing that was missing in my life in Big Sur was local citrus. On the Central Coast of California, we are spoiled with what local means and the variety of ingredients we can source year-round. There is no need to eat a fruit or vegetable from afar here—the only reason not to eat locally is to satisfy some far-reaching desire. But to do so is to miss out on one of my favorite things about eating locally: getting a chance to develop a relationship with the source of my food—whether that means going to the land and harvesting the food myself or just getting to know the person who grew it. It gives us a chance to enrich our lives.

Courtesy Jordan Champagne, Happy Girl Kitchen Co.

Yields 22 8-ounce jars

The different flavors and textures that come together in this three-fruit marmalade are fabulous. The lemons’ tart punch and the oranges’ sweet undertone combine with the tasty mandarins’ delicate beauty (the peels are so tender, I use them all). I usually do not add anything else so I can really enjoy the dance between these citrus fruits, but you could add some rose geranium or star anise for another dimension.

7 pounds mandarins 7 pounds oranges (any variety) 6 pounds Meyer lemons Water to cover (about 30 cups) 25 cups organic granulated sugar

Day 1: Start with the lemons because they will be the most persnickety. Slice in half crosswise and remove any seeds. The skins are so thin that you can include the entire fruit if you like. Simply slice the fruit any way you like as it adds your signature to the marmalade. At Happy Girl Kitchen Co., we slice the half of a citrus in half lengthwise and then in thin wedges crosswise for beautiful half-moon sections. If you do not want to use all of the peels, set aside up to half of them for another project (candied citrus peels).

Slice the mandarins and baby oranges however you like. Remove what may be only a random seed. The peels are so tender and sweet that you can feel great about using them all. Again, these are special fruits from Apple Pie Ranch that have very tender peels with little bitterness and few seeds. Find fruit like this if you can. What fun.

Place all of the seeds and peels in a cloth tied VERY well. Add to the pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil rapidly for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and leave pot, covered, overnight or up to 24 hours in a spot that will not exceed 80° F. This is so your peels soften nicely.

Day 2: Put five plates in your freezer that you will use later to test your gel set. Begin to again heat your pot, removing the muslin bag when it is warm to the touch. Squeeze out every last drop of liquid from the bag and add the liquid to the pot. This is the extra pectin that will help your marmalade gel beautifully. Bring contents to a boil and slowly add sugar, stirring constantly. Continue to boil until your marmalade reaches the desired consistency. This will take about 45 minutes. Test the gel set by placing a small amount of the marmalade on the plate and returning it to the freezer to cool. When ready, remove marmalade from the heat. Using 8-ounce jars, fill and then process them for 10 minutes in a hot water bath.

When I first started making marmalades, I was forced to search outside of my 50-mile radius for citrus. I just couldn’t find any that were closer to my home. But with time, all that changed.

I remember one winter, when I was yurt sitting on Palo Colorado Canyon Road, my family and I went on a long walk in the redwoods and ended up on Country Flat Farm, which is Peter and Janie Eichorn’s homestead. I was so excited to see the horseshoeshaped land lined with Meyer lemon trees. It was my first experience seeing that many citrus trees growing in one place. Sure, I had driven through the citrus groves of Southern California and the Central Valley. But this was different. This was here in Big Sur, on a hike from my friend’s backyard.

Later, I met Tom Coke, who also grows Meyer lemons locally, and he quickly became one of my favorite vendors at the Monterey Bay Certified Farmers’ Market at Monterey Peninsula College. Tom and his wife, Laurie, have been farming in Aromas for ages and truly are the salt of the earth. Tom always makes you feel like a friend at the stand and often says something quite memorable and funny when we meet. Once when we were picking up 400 pounds of lemons at the market, Tom said to my husband, “Man up” as he handed him another heavy crate to carry to the car. I now had as many local lemons as I wanted, but still searched for other varieties of citrus.

Then a woman approached me at our café in Pacific Grove, offering me some of her Rangpur limes. Helaine Tregenza of The Raised Bed has since become very dear to my heart because Rangpur limes are one of my favorite fruits for making salt-cured preserves and marmalade. Sometimes getting what you want takes time to let the word spread into the community.

I had heard rumors of a ranch in Big Sur that had planted a lot of different citrus trees 40 years ago. Somehow, I didn’t investigate, as I had assumed it would be more Meyer lemons. Then one day I was doing a delivery at the Big Sur Bakery and saw a friend with seven different citrus boxes in the back of her pickup truck. I got so excited because in them I saw mandarins, clementines and small oranges. We began to talk and she assured me that there was much more where those had come from.

A week later, I took the kids out of school and we drove up to Apple Pie Ranch

Courtesy Jordan Champagne, Happy Girl Kitchen Co.

These preserved lemons are popularly known as Moroccan lemons and are found in many Eastern cuisines. They add a distinct freshness to meals and are deceptively easy to prepare. They will become a culinary secret for adding an interesting and exotic flavor to the simplest preparations. I like to finely slice the preserved lemons and mix them with sautéed vegetables or marinades.

I like to use Meyer lemons, as they are sweet, tender and cure quickly, but you can also use other varieties of lemons, limes and other fruits. Rangpur limes have become just short of an obsession to my palate. I also prefer to use sea salt.

Instructions

Scrub and dry the lemons.

Cut off the little round bit at the stem end if there is a hard piece attached. At the other end of the lemon, cut lengthwise into it, stopping about 1 inch from the bottom. Then, with another downward slice perpendicular to the first, cut an X in the lemon. Pack sea salt into the lemon where you made the incisions, using about 1 tablespoon of salt per lemon. Alternatively, simply slice the lemon into nice-sized wedges or, with limes, in half, if you prefer, and pack in the salt accordingly.

Begin placing the lemons into a clean glass jar that has a tight-fitting lid. While packing, add a combination of spices that you like. Choose from bay leaf, coriander, black pepper, cumin, cloves, cinnamon sticks, juniper berries, allspice or dried chili, to name a few. I like it a bit spicy so I can add some heat to a meal without steaming out my dinner guests (who most often are my children who do not tolerate spice well yet).

Firmly press the lemons in the jar to release their juice. Cover and let stand overnight. If you are using a juicy Meyer lemon, you will have enough juice to cover the lemons right away. If you do not, check and press them down again the next day. Your lemons should be submerged in juice. If by the second day they are not, top them off with a little lemon juice.

Once the preserved lemons are soft, they are ready.

to harvest citrus. It felt like we were miners who had just struck gold! To be able to harvest so many different varieties of citrus just a few miles from home was a dream come true and fulfilled a deep longing. On our first harvest, I even stumbled upon a rare bergamot tree that I sensed hadn’t felt appreciated in decades. We harvested as much as the car could hold and drove away, emanating pure joy.

I look forward to revisiting my citrus friends every winter and harvesting that which was missing from my life. What is missing from your local cupboard? Go on an adventure to find it. Call in sick and skip school—it just might be worth it.

Jordan Champagne is the co-owner and founder of Happy Girl Kitchen Co. She has a passion for preserving the local, organic harvest and loves sharing her secrets at the workshops she teaches across the region.

For a video about Tom and Laurie Coke produced for EMB by Tidepool Films, go to www.ediblemontereybay.com.