Limoncello is a Perfect Holiday Gift

Limoncello is the quintessential homemade gift for Christmas! And now you can buy certified synthetic pesticide free lemons from Florida to make your own delicious limoncello. It gets better! Why not buy your lemons now in time to zest for lemon cello, and juice the remaining fruit for fresh lemonade. What a treat for young and old alike! Camellia Groves is offering our lemons through the remainder of the year for your cooking delight. Sign up for our newsletters so you will know when our next Local Harvest event is scheduled.

Ingredients:

• 2 fifth bottles Everclear grain alcohol

• 2 fifth bottles Potato Vodka

• Sugar syrup ( equal parts sugar and

• 24 10/12 ounce spring loaded capped bottles(Amazon)

• Approximately 12 premium lemons, or 5 pounds

• 2 1- quart ball jars

A few notes.

Your limiting factor is lemons. Purchasing organic or pesticide- free lemons is essential because you are using the skin only. So, plan to juice the fruit afterwards and enjoy fresh lemonade or a cocktail such as Lemon Drop Martinis or Fresh Whiskey Sours. Or maybe a Lemon Mocktail! We have recipes for all on our blog here.

You may contact us by email to inquire about current availability, or plan to attend a U-Pick when scheduled.

To start, using a fine peeler, fill approximately 2 1-quart ball jars with the skin. Peel away only the yellow skin of the lemon(flavedo) and limit the amount of white(albedo) you cut off. This is a good reason to use Florida lemons which have much less albedo.

Working diligently with a peeler, remove the skin and put it plus 1 bottle of Everclear grain alcohol to fill each jar.

So, approximately 5 pounds of lemons in 2 quart jars will use 2 fifth bottles of Everclear. This will be mixed with 2 fifths of potato vodka. But, for 3 weeks keep peel mixture under tight lid in refrigeration or cool temperature to preserve the color. Shake from time to time.

When all the yellow oil has been extracted from the peel, you are ready to make the limoncello.

You will need a gallon of sugar syrup, cooled to room temperature. Strain lemon mixture and pour into a large container. Add equal parts (2 fifths of potato vodka) and stir. Then, slowly add cooled gallon of sugar syrup. Mixture should appear cloudy.

If you have a funnel, use it to pour limoncello into bottles, cap, rinse and store in freezer. Labels should be applied before chilling. Makes approximately 20-22 bottles.

Enjoy!

Check out more recipes and lemon fun on Instagram @lemonsandsuch

Hurricane Ceviche

Recently, when Hurricane Ian went over our house and grove, we had lemons and avocados all over the ground, not to mention a ton of debris. We also lost electrical power. So, as they say, “ when life gives you lemons “, we decided to make ceviche!!

We had frozen tilapia that was thawing out, so I cubed that up and juiced enough lemons to cover the raw fish and refrigerated it for approximately 4-6 hours. (The acid in the juice ‘cooks’ the fish!)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound white fish filet, raw

• 1 cup fresh lemon juice

• 1 can chopped green chilies

• 1/2 red onion, chopped fine

• 1 cup chopped tomatoes ( or sliced grape tomatoes)

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1/2 tsp adobo

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp hot sauce

• 1/4 cup first pressed virgin olive oil

• Optional: Cilantro

Pouring off about half the juice, add back all the ingredients below and let sit for an hour before serving inside half an avocado. Garnish with cilantro.

Yummy Lemon-Ginger Tiramisu

I recently presented a program on Florida lemons to the Dade City Garden Club. As part of the presentation I made a ginger lemon tiramisu for them and have re-created that recipe here. The Instagram post came this weekend when I was planning to bring dessert to a girlfriends luncheon and of course I couldn't find ladyfingers in the grocery store!! So I substituted vanilla wafers and some homemade lemon cello instead of the delicious ginger syrup I had made earlier.

Both turned out exceptionally well. And I invite you to use the original recipe I'm posting here or consider being creative when you can't find the ingredients you need on short notice. Lemons are very forgiving and whatever you make with lemons are always delicious. Bon appétit!

Directions (serves 12; make 24-36 hours ahead)

Needed:

• 60 ladyfingers, fresh or dried

• Ginger syrup

• Lemon Curd

• Mascarpone

Ginger syrup

• Fresh Ginger Root

• 1-2 cups sugar

• 1-2 cups water.

1. Peel ginger and thinly slice. Heat water and sugar in saucepan. Add ginger and gently boil for 30 or more minutes, covered.

2. Remove ginger pulp to parchment paper to dry for another use. OR, using steel knife, chop ginger until fine. Add back to syrup and cool for use.
   

Lemon Curd

• 2 Florida lemons (organically grown)

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 4 oz softened butter

• 3/4 cup lemon juice

• Zest of 2 lemons

• 4 eggs

• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Zest both lemons, then juice to yield 3/4 cup liquid. Blend zest, salt and sugar in saucepan. Add butter and blend well.

2. Add eggs and stir until smooth. Gradually add lemon juice and whisk until all juice is taken up. Move to medium heat and stir until thickened, about 10 minutes. Cool and use.

Mascarpone

• 8 0z whole ricotta cheese

• 1 8 0z package cream cheese

• 1 pint heavy whipping cream

• 2 eggs, separated

• 1/2 cup sugar

1. Separate eggs. Stir egg yolks and sugar together until it forms a light yellow ribbon when stirred.

2. In mixer, soften cream cheese and ricotta. Pour in heavy cream, scrape down sides, and beat until it forms a stiff, foamy cream.

3. Fold egg mixture into cream manually. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold in last by hand. Chill.

To Assemble

1. In pie pan, pour ginger syrup.

2. Lightly touch ladyfingers into syrup and then assemble along bottom and sides of rectangular casserole pan.

3. Spread lemon curd over ladyfingers and then a layer of mascarpone approximately 1/2 thick.

4. Repeat, making two layers and ending with mascarpone on top.

5. Cover with saran and refrigerate 24-36 hours before serving.

Check out more recipes and lemon fun on Instagram @lemonsandsuch