Spring symbolizes new beginnings and as this is my very first column for Nelson In Common, I thought I would introduce you to my absolute favorite spring flavor: lemon. My brothers and I could smell the sweet and zesty aroma wafting from my mom’s kitchen as she made lemon cordial in copious quantities so we could drink it through the entire summer. When our mother had finished straining the cordial, we used to sneak the soaked peels and munch on the sweet/ sour candylike treat. What better way to prepare for the upcoming sweltering summer days than to whip up a batch of lemon cordial ready for drinking.
In a large bowl place the following
5.5 lbs. sugar
1 oz. tartaric acid
3 oz. citric acid
The peel of 9 lemons
Cut lemons in half and squeeze as much juice as you can from them and add to ingredients
Now add 3.5 pints (7 cups) of boiling water
Method
Once you have added the boiling water, stir until the sugar has dissolved. Place in the refrigerator overnight and then strain through a fine sieve. Pour into nice, sterilized bottles I like to collect interesting shaped clear bottles for my cordials. A good tight-fitting cap is a must. Refrigerate once opened. This cordial can be kept refrigerated for approximately 3 months.
Uses:
Cordial is diluted to taste. Use as a simple syrup on your freshly baked vanilla cake.
YUMM! Thank you Bev. Love this and so excited you’ll be doing a regular column!
This is wonderful! One question. Is tartaric acid the same as cream of tartar?
Good question Mare-Anne. Yes I should have added that in brackets. Cream of tarter is the powdered form of tartaric acid.
Thank you for giving us this recipe. Can’t wait to try it.
So glad Mare-Anne asked the cream of tartar question! I had wondered reading this. I have a Meyer lemon tree (more like a bush) that I bring indoors for the winter. In April I harvested lemons, didn’t have time to do anything with them and froze them. Will they work in this once thawed?
Hi Val. I have done a little experiment and frozen a couple of lemons. While they are not easy to peel after freezing I suggest the following. Juice your lemons ,if difficult to extract juice add one or two more lemons to your ingredients. When completed cut halves into quarters and include in your bowl with all the other ingredients. Meyer lemon is what I would call a gentle flavor and thus will give the opportunity for more flavor to develop. Strain as you would and squeeze the quarters out over the strainer. A little more work but worth it.
Thank you for this recipe & for your column. I look forward to reading & learning more.
Yeah, Bev!! So glad you will be a contributor to the newsletter. Looking forward to lots of great recipes!!!
Bev,
Thanks for the beautiful food photos! I will look forward to a column on all things food (especially since I dearly miss the cookbook book club!)
So excited for this monthly column of fresh beautiful flavors. Thank you for sharing your time and talents with us!!