To Keep Lemon-Juice

Ingredients

• lemons
• 1 pound loaf sugar
• 1 wine glass French brandy
• rosin or pitch

Instructions

1. Select lemons that are completely free from blemish. Squeeze them and strain the juice through a sieve. For each pint of juice, add one pound of good loaf sugar that has been pounded. Stir frequently until the sugar is completely dissolved.
2. Cover the pitcher closely and let it stand until the dregs have subsided and the syrup is transparent and clear.
3. Prepare bottles that are perfectly clean and dry. Pour a wine glass full of French brandy into each bottle, then fill it with the lemon syrup. Cork the bottles securely and dip the neck of each into melted rosin or pitch to seal.
4. Store the bottles in a cool, dry cellar. Do not put it on the fire, as heat will destroy the fine flavour of the juice.
5. For the lemon peels: Pour water over them and let them soak until you can scrape all the white pulp away. Boil the peels until soft. Preserve them with half their weight in sugar. Keep these preserved peels for mince pies, cakes, and other uses—they serve as a very good substitute for citron.