lemons cut in half

Years ago, I purchased a case of lemons from Bountiful Baskets. After squeezing all the lemons, I froze them in ice cube trays. We used those lemon cubes all year to make fresh lemonade. It was amazing!

On a whim, I decided to buy a case of Meyer lemons from Azure this month.

As I looked at the box sitting on my island, I began to think that I was perhaps a little too ambitious. But today, I bit the bullet and starting squeezing lemons.

Dreading the process of digging out ice cube trays, I wondered if I could perhaps can the juice instead. To my delight, yes! You can!

So I pulled out my pint size jars and got my water canner ready.

The process is easy:

1. Cut lemons in half.

2. Juice the lemons.

3. Strain out seeds and pulp.

4. Bring to a low simmering boil.

5. Ladle into 1/2 pint or pint jars and process in a water canner for 5 minutes. (10 for me at 3500 ft)

Here is the simplified lemonade recipe from my old Betty Crocker cookbook:

1. Stir 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Simmer about 7 minutes. (Add rind of two lemons if you have them.)

2. Add 1 cup lemon juice and 4 cups ice water.