Harvest time

Ahhhhhh. Sukkot.

What can be better. The weather has finally figured out it is no longer summer. The leaves are holding their yearly fashion seminar ( "Red is the new green".) The kids (Oh, praise the Lord and Halleluiah) are back in school. And hubby is busy picking the last of the tomatoes. Autumn. My favorite season.

In the olden days, this was  the time our ancestors traveled (again) to Jerusalem. Of all three pilgrimages, this one was the most beloved. The end of Harvest in an agricultural society is a very happy time. The crops are in, the work is done, it's time to rejoice and be grateful for what we have (and you know how I like this particular idea.)

Ancient Israelites harvested all kinds of things. Dates, olives, wheat, barley, grapes. You know, the good stuff. And when G-d was looking favorably upon them, they harvested plenty. What did they do with all that bounty? Some they ate. Some they took to Jerusalem as tithes and sacrifices and gifts. Some they probably traded for other household needs (I just bet there were some husbands who drove their wives nuts trading grapes for the latest meshuggas in toys-for-older-boys,) but a lot of it had to be preserved somehow so they can use it all year long until the next harvest came in (G-d willing.)

How do you save food with no refrigeration? Humans are very good at inventing what needs to be invented (see: the iPod.) So they came up with various preservation methods. Dates can be dried, olives can be crushed into oil, wheat and barley can be ground into flour, grapes can be made into wine (which can be traded for even better toys-for-older-boys.) Some produce can be stored in cool cellars, some in clay jars, some can be preserved in salt, some in honey, some in oil. Really, we humans are very creative this way.

For example, lemons. They're very good as they are, for juice and lemonade and stuff, but what to do when there are too many?

Here's what:

Pickled Lemons

Lemons - as many as you want. Very important: Do NOT use regular lemons. You must find the ones that have a very thick peel. They look a little like baby etroggim that are yellow. If you can't find them, try again another time. Best place to look for these are greengrocers.

Kosher salt.

Lemon juice from fresh lemons only. You can use regular lemons for the juice.

A little extra virgin olive oil.

Clean glass jars with tight fitting lids and rather wide mouths.


Wash the lemons well, scrubbing the outside. Dry.

Slice each lemon into quarters but not all the way through (the quarters should be attached at the bottom.)

Sprinkle a very generous amount (1 or 2 tablespoons) of kosher salt into the lemon.

Stuff lemon into the jar and push it down hard.

Repeat with as many lemons and jars as you have, making sure to press the lemons hard into the jars and try to fill each jar all the way up (it should take an effort to screw the tops on.)

Leave on the counter top for 3-4 days, tilting the jars every day. You should see juice collecting in each jar and it might even reach to the top.

After 4 days or so, add fresh lemon juice to fill up any jar that has not filled with juice naturally.

Pour a thin layer of olive oil at the top of each jar and close tightly.

Leave jars on the counter top for 4-6 weeks. If mold forms, throw the jar out and start over with a new batch, but if you used clean jars and washed the lemons well, there should be no problem. Don't leave it in the sun.

After 4 to 6 weeks the lemons should be soft (including the peel) and so they are ready to use.

Once you start using them, store jar in the fridge. They should keep for months there, though the oil might harden. That's normal.


 Imagine opening a jar like this in January. It's like a little sunshine in the kitchen.


Now, what do you do with this?


In a few weeks (when your lemons are ready), we'll see what can be done with pickled lemons. Any woman who has sons can probably guess that it will involve some sort of mischief.



P.S. In case you're wondering why I say nothing about the chag itself: What's to say, people? Build a sukkah, invite as many people on as many of the days as you can, have dinner parties, sleepover parties, hangout parties, whatever. Spend as much time as you can there. Sit back in a comfy chair, look up and watch the stars through the s'chach, count you blessings and be thankful for everything you have: A house that you can come back to at the end of Sukkot, a Sukkah you can dwell in for your soul, family and friends to share it with, plenty of food, eyes to see the stars G-d made, lungs to breath in the cool fresh air of an Autumn night, children to teach the ways of our ancestors, and plenty. So much plenty that we sometimes forget where it came from, how lucky we are to have it and who we should thank for it. Thanksgiving is in less than 2 months. Start practicing.