Five pounds of lemons and limes were still sitting on my counter three days after the wedding. I dislike letting good citrus go to waste. Sure, there are lemon pound cakes and mojitos to make. But after prepping for a wedding that size, I wasn’t about to start baking or mixing drinks on top of it all.
So I did what I do with anything that shows up in bulk around here: I preserved it. Except this time I had two fruits instead of one, which meant I wasn’t just making a preserved lemons recipe. I was deciding whether to blend them together or treat them like the two different things they actually are.
I went with two different things. Here’s why, and here’s exactly how to do both.
Why This Works
Preserved lemons and limes aren’t a canning project in the pressure-cooker, ring-the-lid, listen-for-the-pop sense. This is a salt cure and is closer to what your grandmother might have called putting something up in brine than what I usually walk you through in the canning posts on this site.
Salt pulls moisture out of the fruit. That moisture, combined with the juice you pack the jar with, becomes a brine strong enough to cure the peel over about two weeks without any heat processing at all. What comes out the other side is a peel gone soft, salty, and intensely lemon (or lime). It ends up nothing like the raw fruit you started with, and nothing you can buy at the regular grocery store.
Preserved lemons still have that wonderful bright lemon flavor, but they’re not nearly as sharp or sour as a fresh lemon. The salt mellows the lemon as it preserves, softening the rind and giving it a salty, tangy, almost savory flavor.
I’ll admit, it’s been a long time since I packed lemons into a jar with that much salt — I’m so used to preserving food with a water bath or pressure canner these days that simply packing citrus with salt and walking away for two weeks almost felt too easy again. But that’s really the beauty of this old-fashioned method.
If pressure canners and hot water baths are more your speed, you’ll find plenty of that over in my canning and preserving guides — but this one’s a different kind of project altogether.
What to Expect
The fruit is going to float which is fine. I prefer to weigh my citrus down with a ferment weight to keep all the fruit in the juice but it is not required. The salt is going to seem like too much. Your kitchen is going to smell like a citrus grove while preparing the preserved lemons and limes.
They will need to be shaken daily for two weeks. By day three or four, the lemons will have softened enough that they don’t look quite like lemons anymore — more like something that’s been sitting in brine, because it has. That’s normal. That’s the cure working.
At two weeks, you’ll pull the jar out, and what you’re using isn’t the pulp — it’s the peel. Rinse off the extra salt, scrape out the pulp and membrane, and what’s left is the part that goes into your cooking.
What to Use Preserved Citrus In
Once that jar comes out of the cupboard, the question isn’t really “is it done” — it’s “what do I do with it now.”
Rinse the salt off, pull out the pulp and membrane, and what you’re left with is the peel. That’s the part that does the work. Chop it fine, and it disappears into a salad dressing the way a squeeze of fresh lemon never quite does. It will have a deeper, saltier, a little more complicated flavor than plain citrus.
It’s a natural fit for rice dishes too. Stir some in near the end of cooking, and it reads almost like a condiment folded through the grain rather than a seasoning. My favorite way is to add chopped preserved lemons into a vinaigrette such as my Garlic Scape Vinaigrette for the garden greens.
The lime version leans a little different, thanks to the jalapeño and garlic it cures with. Chopped fine, it’s closer to a relish than a seasoning — good stirred into beans, spooned over grilled meat, worked into a quick salsa.
If you cook anything slow — a tagine, a braise, a pot that sits on the stove most of an afternoon — tuck a few strips of the peel in early and let it soften into the dish. I like adding the preserved limes to Korean Braised Short Ribs or Mexican Slow Braised Birria Recipe.
You don’t need a recipe that calls for “preserved lemon” by name to use it. Anywhere a dish could use a hit of salt and citrus at the same time, a little goes further than you’d think.
Traditional Preserved Lemons
Makes one quart (1 L) jar
| Ingredient | Amount |
| Lemons, divided | 10 |
| Pickling or canning salt | ½ cup (125 mL) — about 150g |
| Bay leaves | 4 |
| Cinnamon sticks (about 4 inches each) | 4 |
| Whole black peppercorns (optional) | 1 tsp (5 mL) |
Substitution note: using Diamond Crystal kosher salt instead of pickling salt? Weigh out 150g rather than measuring ½ cup by volume — Diamond Crystal is light and airy, so a cup-for-cup swap will under-salt your jar by close to half.
Instructions
Sterilize your jar — boil it 10 minutes, keep it hot until you’re ready to pack it.
Wash 5 lemons well and dry them. Trim a thin slice off the stem end, then quarter each lemon from the stem end without cutting all the way through the bottom, so it holds together in one piece. Juice the remaining 5 lemons to measure 1½ cups (375 mL).
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon salt in the bottom of the jar. Pack a heaping tablespoon of salt into each lemon before it goes in, stem end up. Every 3 lemons, tuck bay leaves and cinnamon sticks in against the sides, plus peppercorns if you’re using them. Repeat until the jar’s full, then cover with the remaining salt.
Variation: instead of packing each piece individually, you can quarter the citrus, toss it with the salt in a bowl, then pack the jar.
Fill with lemon juice to within ½ inch of the top. Center the lid, screw the band down to fingertip-tight.
Set the jar in a cool, dark cupboard for 2 weeks, and give it a shake every day to move the salt around. I have them on my pantry shelves where all my canned goods live since I am in there daily, and this way I will remember to shake the jars. After 2 weeks, it’s ready. Rinse, use the peel, and store the jar in the refrigerator.
Many times I just quarter the lemons or limes; I find they fit easier into the jars.
Traditional Preserved Limes
Makes one quart (1 L) jar
| Ingredient | Amount |
| Limes, divided | 20 |
| Pickling or canning salt | ½ cup (125 mL) — about 150g |
| Jalapeño peppers, stemmed, sliced lengthwise into eighths (optional) | 4 |
| Garlic cloves, smashed (optional) | 6 |
Instructions
Sterilize your jar the same way as the lemons.
Wash 9 limes well and dry them, trim the stem end, and quarter each one the same intact-bottom way. Juice the remaining 11 limes to measure 1½ cups (375 mL) — it takes more limes than lemons, since they’re smaller.
Sprinkle salt in the jar bottom. Pack salt into each lime, and this time layer in jalapeño and garlic instead of bay leaf and cinnamon. Repeat, then cover with remaining salt.
Variation: instead of packing each piece individually, you can quarter the citrus, toss it with the salt in a bowl, then pack the jar.
Fill with lime juice to within ½ inch of the top, lid on fingertip-tight.
Same cupboard, same two weeks, same daily shake. Pack the limes in threes as you go — it’s the only way they all fit.
Traditional vs. Quick Method
| Traditional Method | Quick Method | |
|---|---|---|
| Cure time | 2 weeks | A few days |
| How it works | Whole or quartered lemons are heavily salted, covered with lemon juice, and left to cure | Smaller pieces or slices are salted so they soften and season more quickly |
| Texture | Soft, tender, fully cured peel | Firmer peel with more bite |
| Flavor | Deep, mellow, salty lemon flavor | Brighter, sharper, more like fresh lemon |
| Best for | Classic preserved lemons to keep refrigerated and use over time | When you want preserved-lemon flavor without waiting two weeks |
A quick method can give you a similar salty lemon flavor in just a few days, but it won’t have quite the same soft texture or deep, mellow flavor that develops during the full two-week cure.
Troubleshooting
My lemons (or limes) are floating / not fully covered in juice — is that a problem?
The floating part is normal. Citrus is buoyant, brine is dense — the fruit wants to float no matter how well you packed the jar. That part isn’t the problem.
What matters is whether it’s floating above the brine line, exposed to air. That’s the part to watch for, because the juice isn’t just flavor — it’s what’s keeping the fruit safe while it cures. Any part sticking up out of the liquid loses that protection, and exposed fruit is exactly what invites mold in a jar like this.
So: check where the fruit actually sits relative to the juice, not just whether it’s floating. If a piece has drifted up above the brine, press it back down, or weigh it down with a small fermentation weight or a clean glass that fits inside the jar mouth. If there just isn’t enough juice to cover everything once it’s all packed in, top it off with a little more juice — not water. Fresh works, but bottled lemon juice works just as well here, and honestly, I keep a bottle in the fridge for exactly this reason. It’s consistent every time, which is more than I can say for whatever lemon I happen to be squeezing that day.
How do I keep the fruit from floating?
It’s going to try. Citrus floats, brine is dense, that’s just physics — not a sign you did something wrong. A small fermentation weight set on top does the job. Don’t have one? A clean glass or a small food-safe object that fits down inside the jar mouth works too. I check mine when I give the jar its daily shake — two birds, one jar.
Can this cure in my pantry, or does it need to go in the fridge?
Ball’s instructions call for a cool, dark cupboard — not the fridge — for the initial two-week cure. Cool means genuinely cool, roughly 50–70°F, away from the stove, the oven, or a wall that bakes in the afternoon sun.
If you’re curing this in an Idaho August, your pantry might not be as cool as you think it is. If you’re not sure, the fridge is a perfectly good substitute. It’ll just take a little longer to cure since it’s colder — go by feel instead of watching the calendar.
Should I keep the jar somewhere dark, not just cool?
Yes — dark matters here almost as much as cool does. Light can affect the cure over those two weeks, the same reason you wouldn’t leave a ferment sitting in direct sun. If your cupboard isn’t fully light-blocking, Ball’s own tip is to slide the jar into a paper bag while it cures. It’s a low-tech fix, but it works, and it’s an easy add if your “cool, dark cupboard” is really just a cool, dim one.
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Weck jars – I prefer the Weck 974 (1-1/2L) jar.
Fermentation Glass Weights with Easy Grip Handle for Wide Mouth Mason Jars
A Kitchen Scale isn’t required, but it’s the easiest way to get that 150g of salt right — especially if you’re using Diamond Crystal instead of pickling salt.
Morton Canning and Pickling Salt or Diamond Kosher Salt (remember when using Diamond Kosher Salt – it will need to be measured by weight since it is lighter than canning salt.
Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving – I use this preserving book all the time and love my spiral-bound version.
Stay in the Loop
Five pounds of leftover wedding citrus, two jars, and a kitchen that smelled like a lemon grove. Not a bad ending for a pile of lemons and limes I wasn’t about to let go to waste.
That’s the thing about preserving — it doesn’t care where the food came from. Garden overflow, a farmers market deal, or in this case, whatever didn’t get used at a wedding. It all ends up the same way: safe on a shelf instead of wasted.
Two jars are in my fridge right now, waiting on a birria pot or a bowl of rice to be worth opening.
If you want more of this — real fixes for real kitchen problems, not just recipes — that’s what the newsletter’s for. No fluff, no filler, just what’s actually working in this kitchen.
Simple Living ❤️ Country Style — proof that nothing on this homestead goes to waste, not even the wedding leftovers.
Tell me in the comments — what’s the most random thing you’ve ended up with too much of, and what did you do with it? A wedding, a garden that got away from you, a neighbor’s overflowing tree — I want to hear how you used it up instead of letting it go to waste.
More Preserving Recipes You’ll Love
- Quick Refrigerator Pickles – No Canning, All Crunch!
- Pickled Quail Eggs Recipe (Easy Refrigerator Method)
- Canning Pickled Onions – Tangy, Crisp, and Surprisingly Easy!
Traditional Preserved Lemons Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Quart Canning Jar Or Weck Jar 1 to 1.5L Sterilized
- Kitchen Scale optional
- Ferment weights optional
Ingredients
- 10 lemons divided
- ½ cup 125 mL pickling or canning salt — about 150g
- 4 bay leaves
- 4 cinnamon sticks about 4 inches each
- 1 tsp 5 mL whole black peppercorns, optional
Instructions
- Sterilize your jar — boil it 10 minutes, keep it hot until ready to pack.
- Wash 5 lemons well and dry them. Trim a thin slice off the stem end, then quarter each lemon from the stem end without cutting all the way through the bottom, so it holds together in one piece. See notes.
- Juice the remaining 5 lemons to measure 1½ cups (375 mL).
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon salt in the bottom of the jar. Pack a heaping tablespoon of salt into each lemon before it goes in, stem end up. Every 3 lemons, tuck in bay leaves and cinnamon sticks, plus peppercorns if using.
- Repeat until the jar’s full, then cover with remaining salt.
- Fill with lemon juice to within ½ inch of the top. Seal.
- Set in a cool, dark cupboard for 2 weeks, shaking daily.
- After 2 weeks, rinse off excess salt, remove pulp and membrane, and use only the peel. Store in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Many times I just quarter the lemons rather than leaving them intact — they fit into the jar easier that way.
- Substitution: using Diamond Crystal kosher salt instead of pickling salt? Weigh out 150g rather than measuring ½ cup by volume — Diamond Crystal is light and airy, so a cup-for-cup swap under-salts the jar by close to half.
- Keeps up to 6 months refrigerated.
- Half-batch: 5 lemons + ¼ cup (75g) salt + 2 bay leaves + 2 cinnamon sticks makes about 1 pint (500 mL).
Traditional Preserved Limes Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Quart (1 L) Mason jar or Weck jar (1 to 1.5 L) sterilized
- Kitchen Scale optional
- Ferment weight optional
Ingredients
- 20 limes divided
- ½ cup 125 mL pickling or canning salt — about 150g
- 4 jalapeño peppers stemmed and sliced lengthwise into eighths, optional
- 6 garlic cloves smashed, optional
Instructions
- Sterilize your jar the same way as the lemons.
- Wash 9 limes well and dry them, trim the stem end, and quarter each one the same intact-bottom way. See notes.
- Juice the remaining 11 limes to measure 1½ cups (375 mL) — it takes more limes than lemons, since they’re smaller.
- Sprinkle salt in the jar bottom.
- Pack salt into each lime, and layer in jalapeño and garlic instead of bay leaf and cinnamon.
- Repeat, then cover with remaining salt.
- Fill with lime juice to within ½ inch of the top, lid on and sealed.
- Same cupboard, same two weeks, same daily shake.
Notes
- Many times I just quarter the limes rather than leaving them intact — they fit into the jar easier that way.
- Substitution: using Diamond Crystal kosher salt instead of pickling salt? Weigh out 150g rather than measuring ½ cup by volume — Diamond Crystal is light and airy, so a cup-for-cup swap under-salts the jar by close to half.
- Pack the limes in threes as you go — it’s the only way they all fit.
- Keeps up to 6 months refrigerated.
- Half-batch option: 10 limes, ¼ cup (75g) salt, 2 jalapeños, 3 garlic cloves — makes about 1 pint (500 mL).
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you use preserved lemons?
Diced fine, the peel works into salad dressings, rice dishes, and slow-cooked mains such as Mexican Birria or Korean Short Ribs.
Can you buy preserved lemons instead of making them?
You can — but they’re pricier and harder to find than you’d think for something this simple to make at home.
How do you make preserved lemons quickly?
See the comparison above — a heavier salt pack and firmer packing shortens the cure, though the traditional two-week method gives the deepest flavor.
Are sweet preserved lemons a thing?
Some variations add sugar, but the traditional method — and the one this post follows — is salt-only.
Can you preserve lemons and limes together?
You can put them in the same cupboard on the same day, as I did, but I’d keep them in separate jars. They cure at slightly different rates and take different flavorings, so treating them as two recipes gives a better result than blending them into one.
What’s the difference between preserved lemons and pickled lemons?
Preserved lemons rely on salt and their own juice. Pickled versions typically add vinegar to the brine.
How long do preserved lemons last?
Up to 6 months refrigerated.
Do preserved lemons need refrigeration?
Yes, once the initial cupboard cure is done — refrigerate for storage.
Hi, I’m Yvonne — the voice behind Our Country Life. I share from-scratch recipes, garden know-how, and simple living inspiration rooted in real farmhouse life. Thanks for being here ❤️
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