Ojai, CA is a haven of citrus groves, giant oaks trees, trust fund hippies, macrobiotic yogaholics, well-hidden celebrities, drum circles and one of the best farmers markets in Southern California.  I have the great pleasure of visiting a few times a year to see my parents, who live next to endless acres of Sunkist land dense with navel orange trees.  With each visit, I bet ter understand how someone could leave the buzzing metropolitan heaven that is New York.  

The best of both worlds part is leaving Ojai to go back to the city, my roll-aboard laden with Meyer lemons from our trees.  Folding them in between my clothes and finding crevices in the fold-out pockets, stuffing several in my purse, I typically manage to haul about two dozen smooth, orange-yellow lemons back to New York.  They perfume the whole journey.  

Some of the sacred orbs are destined for juicing and freezing, Meyer lemon cubes in the dead of a Northeast winter are worth their weight in gold.  Others will be crafted into cocktails, squeezed into salad dressing or sliced thinly, brushed with simple syrup and candied in the oven.  To garnish the cocktails, of course.  

My favorite way to keep the Meyer lemon alive all year round, without spending $7 a pop and Dean and Deluca, is by preserving it in salt and spices.  Ground into pesto, chopped up and served alongside a vegetable couscous or stirred into risotto, its subtle, floral citrus flavor is amplified by the seasonings and will keep in your fridge for up to 6 months.  

It'll take about 4 lemons to fill a 12 oz. mason jar.

Slice each one into 8 wedges, like below, and remove any visible seeds.

Fill a clean, scrubbed jar with a tight seal 1/4 full with coarse or kosher salt.  I added whole cloves, dried chilis, smoked peppercorns and a bay leaf.

Tightly pack the lemon wedges together on top of the salt and spices.

Press down with a fork after each layer to release some of the juices until you reach the very top of the jar.

Tightly seal the jar, shake vigorously for a few seconds to distribute some of the salt, then invert and place in direct sunlight.  

Flip the jar every 2-3 days for two weeks, or until about two inches of brine accumulate.  Move the jar to the refrigerator at that point and use within six months.  

A little piece of Ojai at home.