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Friday, April 27, 2012

Weekend Cooking - Meyer Lemons!

You know what they say about too much of a good thing... I was at the grocery store three days ago, and they were practically GIVING away the Meyer lemons - 6 for $1.49! I wanted to buy all 30 or so bags, but since it was produce I restrained myself and bought 4 bags, for 24 total lemons. Let's look at them (for no reason - I just think they are pretty!)
At first, I had fantasies about lemon curd and marmalade, but I discovered they were selling them so cheaply because they were starting to get a little soft - still good, but they could not wait around until I had time. So, I made up a recipe for two kinds of Meyer lemon popsicles! They turned out really well, so I am going to share the recipe with you. You obviously do not need to make such a huge batch - the recipe is very easy to divide. But, this allowed me to juice and freeze the lemons so that I did not lose them!

This post was written as part of Weekend Cooking over at bethfishreads.com. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to head over to Beth Fish Reads, grab the button, and link up anytime over the weekend.  (The button is on your right...)

First, I made a simple syrup with 2 cups of sugar and two cups of water. (Again, you can use one cup of each if you have fewer lemons...) I brought this to a boil on the stove, watching it and giving it a stir now and then. You can see when the sugar is dissolved. At that point you can remove it from the heat and give it a few more stirs and set it somewhere to cool.

Meanwhile you can be squeezing the lemons. Mine were very seedy, so you will have to strain the juice. When the syrup is cool, mix it at a 1:1 ratio -- in other words, one cup of syrup for every cup of juice. Now you have Meyer Lemon Concentrate.


So, I did two different things with the Meyer Lemon Concentrate. They both turned out - but the second one was GREAT, and the first was just pretty good.


For the first type of popsicles, you just mix one cup of water to one cup of concentrate and fill up the molds. For the second (WONDERFUL) type of popsicles, mix one cup of concentrate to one cup of plain Greek yogurt. At first the mixture will look alarming and curdled, but just keep stirring with a fork and it will blend nicely. Add to molds.



And, that is really it! I only had two sets of pretty small molds. But, the concentrate can be kept in the fridge for about three days or so, and that way you can mix up and freeze batches of popsicles and put them in individual zip lock bags.

Note that I did not use the plastic sticks that come with the molds. They are too short and they pull right out when you try to release the popsicles from the molds. I just got a package of sticks. To keep them from tipping over I cover the top of the molds with foil and put a little slit in their with a knife. To release the frozen popsicles, I run hot water over the bottoms of the molds until they release. You do not want to pull really hard on the sticks...

36 comments:

  1. These sound delicious. They will be refreshing treats on a hot summer day! :)

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    1. That's what I was thinking. There are now a bunch in the freezer!!

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  2. They sound delish. Easy recipe too. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks, Gloria! Really appreciate you coming by. :)

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  3. with yogurt..wow, I would never have thought of that.
    I must say your first ideas, lemon curd and marmalade..oh, they just made my toes tingle with happiness.

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  4. Mine too! Unfortunately, I had to do something fast though(!)

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  5. My kids (and their mommy!) would love these. This would be a great snack to cool down from this hot Texas weather.

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    1. Yep! Definitely time to break out the Popsicles in Texas. :)

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  6. Oh wow! We used to make our own popsicles when we were kids. I need to track down my molds. Like Caite, I would have never thought of the yogurt. Now I must try . . . with whatever citrus looks good and inexpensive at the store this week.

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    1. The yogurt adds creaminess. It was surprisingly good. :)

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  7. Those lemons look luscious, and what a great idea with popsicles. I haven't made those since I was a kid.

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  8. The Meyers look amazing. I love them. I buy tons all winter and freeze them whole so I always have some on hand. Great price! The popsicles look delicious, I'd love the lemon and yogurt combination!

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    1. I didn't know you could freeze them whole!!!! Lol!!! It never occurred to me. Oh well. Now I know. :)

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  9. Oh, wow, the second one with the Greek yoghurt sounds so yummy....Worth a try in summer.

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  10. These are a great idea...I will have to remember this when I get my hands on another batch of Meyers.

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  11. Lemons are so wonderful! Thanks for the great treat recipe I will make these when the grandkids come this summer!

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    1. Good - hope they like them...and no chemicals either!

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  12. Yummy!! I love lemons so I must give this a try. Perfect for those hot summer days. Next try lemon sorbet. Thanks for such an easy recipe! Yum!

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    1. Hope you like 'em! My kids liked them AND my parents liked them too, so I was happy :)

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  13. Yum! I'm mad for Meyer Lemons anyhoo...and I am SO loving the sound of the greek yogurt pop. Deeelish.

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    1. Thanks! What was cool was that it seemed really rich, but was 0% yogurt...

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  14. I love Meyer lemons - although I am having mixed success growing them.

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    1. I'm impressed you are even TRYING to grow them! I'll bet the blossoms smell great!

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  15. What a great idea! I tend to buy large quantities of produce on sale too and then try to figure out hot to best use it ;)

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    1. I know the feeling...and then if you get the sense that the produce is not going to last long, you have to change Plan A to Plan B sometimes just in order to get something done FAST!

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  16. I have a thing for lemons also and I would have had to restrain myself from buying several bags also. They are so very pretty and tangy-tasting. These popsicles will make a perfect warm day treat. Sadly here I'm wearing my winter coat.

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    1. The weather is haywire all over the planet. It is a bit cold here today. No Popsicle eating. Thank goodness for the freezer!

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  17. I did the same exact thing ... bought a bag of Meyer lemons because they were on sale and because they looked so pretty. Alas, they have gone bad. I wish I saw this sooner! Oh well, maybe next time!

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  18. I must confess I am not sure what the difference is between Meyer lemons and ordinary lemons! These do both look like good recipes though. We are just heading into winter so it will be a while before e need to make popsicles again!

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    1. See how the Meyer lemons look more orange than yellow? The flavor is also a bit different.

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  19. Yummy! It's so hot here, I'd love to have one of those right now. My mom grows Meyer lemons.

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