The Adventure Begins

I first thought about the fact that food could be preserved by fermentation when I was young and read "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott. One of the sisters, Amy, bought some pickled limes and got caught eating one by her teacher. I had never heard of pickled limes, and had no idea why someone would go to the trouble of pickling a fruit that is used for delicious drinks and in food.

I did some research and was astonished to find that pickling limes is a great way to preserve them. Packing them in jars filled with brine and allowing lactofermentation to occur increased the limes' shelf life from weeks to months, or longer! Along the way, I learned that the Royal Navy used pickled limes (either in the 18th or 19th century, or maybe both, I don't remember exactly) to prevent their sailors from contracting scurvy.

Of course, after learning all I could find about pickled limes, I had to make some for myself! I bought a bag of limes, pulled out a big glass jar and some kosher salt, and got to work.
I am not sure where I found the directions, but it was pretty simple.

-Scrub the limes really well
-Slice the limes in quarters, but not all the way through (they should look kind of like that paper "fortune-teller" that we all used to make. Do kids still make those? Here are the directions)
-Liberally salt the insides of the limes
-Pack them tightly in the jar
Some juice will come out during the packing, but it probably won't cover the limes, so
-Use enough filtered (non-chlorinated, anyway) water to cover the limes
-Weigh down the limes to keep them submerged by using a clean plate with some type of food-safe weight- I use a soup can
-Put aside for about two weeks, checking every few days and removing any matter from the top of the jar or water.

In about two weeks, the limes are ready to eat, and the jar should be covered and kept refrigerated. The flavor is very unusual but addictive! To me it a tart, salty, pleasantly soapy sort of flavor.

I haven't found any recipes for the use of pickled limes, (although pickled lemons are used quite often in Moroccan cuisine,) so like Amy in Little Women, I just have them as a strange little snack.

For some interesting information about limes, check out The Nibble.