Candied Meyer Lemon Slices in Syrup

This past fall (during my 2015 preserving craze), one of the favorite recipes I used was for Candied Meyer Lemon Slices in Syrup. The recipe is small-batch from preserving by the pint by Marisa McClellan. The whole idea is to preserve just a few jars (2-4 and in this case half-pints) so that you aren't storing or giving away quarts of everything you preserve.

I used four pounds of lemons and 4 cups of sugar last time (and again this time.) The original recipe was obviously going to produce much more syrup than candied lemons ... and I had four pounds of lemons so I used them all.  Last fall, I finished with about six half-pint jars.


In my first batch last fall, the lemon slices came out wonderful - a nice clear syrup and lovely, sweet slices. They are terrific in a gin and tonic, a honey-lemon drink, hot or cold tea, or glass of soda water.

While I gave away a few jars, I have been hoarding my own stash to use on a tart this spring or over a lemon pound cake.

And so, this week when I saw 4 pound bags at Costco, I knew I needed more candied Meyer lemons!

This time, however, I used pint jars (I read several canning/preserving directions on the Internet. Basically, the processing time is the same for half-pints as pints of jams and jellies.) I boiled the juice down for a nice, flavorful syrup. Possibly a mistake.

Sadly, the syrup ended up a bit cloudy this time and I will have to wait to see how thick it will end up being. The lemon slices also seemed to break down more this time around. Delicious nonetheless! I tasted some left in the pan. Sweet and the rind is tender yet a bit firm and chewy with just that touch of lemon bitterness.

The original recipe calls for one-pound of Meyer lemon slices, 1/4" with seeds removed. I removed a thin slice from the stem side but kept the other end. It makes for a nice piece of lemon rind.

Cover the lemon slices with water and bring to a boil and cook 20-25 minutes until the zest appears tender.



Take them out of the pan with a slotted spoon and drain.  You should have some liquid left depending on how much water you started with. If it isn't one cup, add some warm water to the pan so you have one cup liquid.

Add  2 c. sugar and bring to a boil.  Add lemons and cook 10-15 minutes until the lemon peel is pretty translucent with little whiteness left.

Place lemons and syrup on half-pint jars, put on lid and ring and process 10 min. in a water bath. Cool.