Sicilian lemon jam, Grandma Fernanda’s recipe with freshly picked Sicilian lemons. Among Grandma’s various recipes, homemade lemon jam was definitely my favorite, together with orange jam. Grandma made preserves in every season and when winter arrived, orange and lemon jams were an indispensable must in her kitchen, jams with which she would make the world’s best tarts and prepare the most loving snacks. Grandma made jams with the peel, so this was also her jam from organic lemons freshly picked from her garden. Grandma made a lemon jam without long soaking, or with a short soak and her quick lemon jam was really delicious and almost not bitter, so we children loved it very much. If you also have organic lemons on hand, maybe just picked, follow me in the kitchen and we’ll prepare an easy and very tasty lemon jam just like the old days! Before we start, however, I remind you that if you want to stay updated on my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here) and find many more in my book “La sicilia è in tavola”.

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Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Rest time: 6 Hours
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Cooking methods: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients

1.65 lb lemons (organic)
2 cups sugar (about 14 oz)

Tools

Pot
Bowl
Food mill
Stove

Steps

Rinse the lemons and clean the peel very well, then cut them into thin slices. Collect the lemon slices in a container, cover with cold water and let them rest for 3 hours; after that time change the water and let them rest for another 3 hours.
After the time has passed, drain the lemon slices, bring a pot full of water to a boil and immerse them. Cook the slices for two minutes, then drain them, but set aside 350 ml (about 12 fl oz / 1.5 cups) of the liquid.
Place the drained lemon slices back into a pot, add the sugar and the reserved liquid and cook for 40 minutes.
After that time, pass everything through a sieve (food mill) and return it to the pot. Cook for another 15-20 minutes stirring often and the jam will be ready.
The jam keeps well in the fridge for about ten days. To make preserves, after sterilizing the jars, take them out of the pot with tongs and place them mouth-up on a clean cloth.
Fill them immediately with the hot jam, being careful not to burn yourself, close them tightly and let them boil again for about ten minutes, completely covered by water. Let them cool in the same pot, then remove them and press the lid; if a vacuum seal has formed the preserve was successful and the product will stay perfect for over a year. I made only a small quantity so I skipped this step.
Don’t worry if the jam seems runny: thanks to the natural pectin in lemons, it will tend to become quite thick once cold (if it becomes too thick you can add a little water and reheat it on the stove).