What price paradise?

I discovered the truth in the phrase “Life is what happens when you are making other plans" by Allen Saunders,1957, following my retirement from full-time work more than a year ago.

I had so many plans to declutter my life and write regular blogs, but I soon discovered that living at Towerwater is a full-time occupation. I realised that I could write regular blogs because in Cape Town I could distance myself from the daily activity that is Towerwater. Distance gave me perspective, and thinking about a place brings an element of charm that can easily be put into words.

At Towerwater the realities of life happen apace, and the garden demands constant attention. As Keith remarked, while we were looking at the orchard coming into blossom, we planted a productive garden. That means that every year we have a new garden. There is no part of the garden that we can just allow to grow and let Mother Nature take her course season in and season out. 95% of the plants on the property need individual attention in pruning, spraying and protecting them from pests and diseases on a seasonal basis. A more demanding garden arrangement is hard to contemplate.

Walking around with more blog posts in my head than on paper, I felt guilty. Luckily, most of my blog posts are timeless. My readers and followers interact with me on a regular basis regarding a subject raised in a blog that they find interesting. I was not surprised when a company offered to help me monetise the blog, but I was surprised when a company informed me that they had a buyer for the blog.

I have been approached several times to monetise the blog, and with an average of 500 pageviews a day, I can understand why. Maybe I am wrong in not grabbing the opportunity, but the blog is personal to me. Although it is now written for a wider audience, it started as personal narratives for Keith to allow him to share in the activities of Towerwater and stay connected while working in Pretoria for six years.

Personally, I do not enjoy a blog where every paragraph is interrupted by an advertisement. The pop-up advertisements that one needs to close constantly before one can carry on reading, make me exit a post even though I would have liked to have read it. The blog for Towerwater Aan De Breede might seem dated, but I hope that my readers enjoy the fact that they can read the text and look at the images uninterrupted.

The offer to buy the blog was a surprise because it is a personal blog describing daily activities in our lives at Towerwater. Would the blog be frozen in time after I sold it? Or would I still need to write posts on demand by the new owner who would surely sell the advertising space on it?

Clearly there is money to be made from the blog with more than 300 000 pageviews to date, but I am not prepared to sell the joy of writing and reading an advertisement-free blog.

Because the posts on the blog have been sparse over this last year, I decided to explore how the wider public sees it. My mind was blown with what AI can write about Towerwater when asked certain questions.

I asked what Towerwater aan de Breede is, as well as several other questions involving the name of the property. I discovered that  AI is remarkable with the information that it provides in response. I found that about 90% of the information is spot on, but there is some information that left me perplexed. Trying to find the source for the perplexing information made me realise that writing for online consumption is not as straightforward as it used to be.

One needs to write with AI in mind. It helps to ensure that facts are substantiated, and that the correct information is clearly recorded. These are precursors to allow AI to find and accurately disseminate the information.

I could not put a price on my intellectual property. I decided not to commercialise the blog. What price can one put on paradise?

I have herded words for 11 years to record treasured traditions and new discoveries. I enjoy writing the posts and I hope that the more than 300 000 people that read the posts have enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed writing them. Happy birthday blog!

Previous birthday posts,

Packing up yesterday - 2024
Days like this - 2023
Our marmalade malady - 2022
Still life with oranges - 2021
Almond trees in August -2020
Of birthdays and blossoms - 2019
A life imagined - 2018
Looking back to the future - 2017
Reflections - 2016
Happy birthday blog - 2015
Heading for spring -2014  

A Celebration of Citron

 “It looks like the beginning of an idea about fruit, a rough prototype made at an early stage of the design process, a crude unfinished thing, a dinosaur that evaded extinction, a Neanderthal on a tree.”

That is how Helena Attlee describes the Citron in her amazing book, The Land Where Lemons Grow, a unique culinary adventure through Italian citrus history. My first experience of the fruit was one of amazed bewilderment. Apart from being enormous, the fruit resembles a kind of citrus, but it appears more ancient. Looking at the bowl of Citrons on the dining room table I was reminded of the fruit’s rich history. It was like having a bowl of history on the table. The heady fragrance of the Citrons filled the room and soon permeated through the rest of the house. 

But, I am getting ahead of myself. The bowl of history landed on the table through the generosity of a friend who has access to a Citron tree on a family farm at Swellendam. Apart from the history of the fruit, I was gifted with the agricultural history of Swellendam and the region at the same time.

Orange and lemon trees were introduced to the Cape in 1654 from St Helena and planted in the Cape Town Company Gardens, but the history of how and when the Citron itself came to South Africa is not very clear.  It was possibly brought to the Cape for domestic culinary reasons. There is enough evidence that Citron preserve was made at the Cape in the 1700’s and possibly before that. In her cookbook, Hilda’s “Where is It” of Recipes, published in 1891, Hildagonda Duckitt records a Citron Preserve recipe from her grandmother’s recipe book. I trust it would be her maternal grandmother, Maria Catharina Persoon, 1760 – 8 June 1834. I muse that she in turn might have inherited it from her grandmother, Margaretha Hattingh, 1700 – 8 April 1779.

Still Life with Bowl of Citrons, Giovanna Garzoni, 1640

To discover that Hildagonda Duckitt was my fifth cousin, twice removed, was a pleasant surprise. Searching for the origins of traditional recipes took me back to my own origins and gave me more to chew on than just Citron preserve.

The historical culinary author, A G, Hewitt does not indicate the origin of the citron preserve recipe that she recorded in Cape Cookery: Simple Yet Distinctive, 1890.

With a generous number of Citrons in the house, I set out on a discovery of how to use this great- great grandfather of all citrus fruit. In the book, The Land Where Lemons Grow, Helena Attlee explores the colourful past of six different kinds of Italian citrus and their contribution to the history of Italy. One of these is the arrival of Citrons in second century Calabria.

Mosaics dating back to the  4th century AD, at Villa Romana del Casale, depicting citrons 

The chapter on the Citron explores its culinary uses and the pursuit of the perfect Citron by Jewish people for use in a religious ritual celebrating the holiday of Sukkot. During this harvest festival the etrog (Citron) is the centerpiece of the tradition. Some devout buyers will even pay thousands of dollars (US) for a single perfect specimen.

A citron next to a matchbox for size comparison

Inspired, I decided that I wanted to make as many dishes as possible with the Citrons,  using every part of it from the rind to the pith and the flesh. I made Cedrello, a liqueur made by infusing the peel and zest of the Citron fruit in alcohol. I used the pith to make Citron preserve, candied Citron peel, and Insalata di Cedro. With the centre fruit part, I made a Citron syrup that can be topped up with sparkling water to make the refreshing drink Cedrata.

Towerwater Cedrello

It is truly amazing what one can make with Citron, and I have not yet explored all the savoury dishes for which one might use the pith. But that will have to wait until next Citron season. Marveling at all the produce that I could make from Citron, I still detect the bright, crisp citrus fragrance of the Citron, with its additional notes of subtle floral, herbal, and even slightly bitter undertones, lingering in the rooms of Towerwater.

Citron Recipes

Citron Preserve
Candied Citron Peel
Cedrata - Citron Syrup

Cedrello - Citron Liqueur

Insalata Di Cedro - Citron Salad

Citron Preserve

With an abundant supply of fresh organic citrons, I could not wait to try my hand at traditional citron preserve. As usual, I consulted the earliest Cape cookbooks in the Towerwater library. I was tempted to use the recipe of Hildagonda Duckitt’s grandmother but decided instead to use a recipe that does not involve using an egg to clarify the preserve. Using eggs to clarify jam was just a bit advanced for me.

I decided to use the recipe in The South African Culinary Tradition by Renata Coetzee, published in 1977.

Citron preserve
The South African Culinary Tradition, Renata Coetzee, published in 1977

The fruit must be plump, but the peel must still be green.

Grate off the peel or peel the fruit very thinly and cut the citrons into quarters. Remove the flesh. Only the rinds are used for preserves. Soak rinds for two days in fresh water, replacing the water at least once.

Drain and plunge the citron pieces into boiling water. Cook until the rind is so soft that it can easily be pierced with a matchstick. Drain the citron pieces and press all the water out carefully.

Make a syrup of 500 g sugar for every 500 g fruit and use three to four cups (750 ml - 1 l) water for every 500 g sugar. Add three tablespoons (37,5 ml) lemon juice to every kilogram of fruit.

Place the citrons in the boiling syrup and boil rapidly until the fruit is translucent and the syrup thick and has the right heavy consistency. Skim off and pack the citron pieces neatly into sterilized jars. Fill with syrup and seal.

 

When I explored the history of citron preserve at the Cape, I discovered that it was used in several dishes in its candied and preserved form. It was used to flavour and decorate cakes, puddings and biscuits. I suppose that is why citron trees were commonplace in the agricultural landscape of both the rural and suburban Cape.

The recipes for citron preserve have been fairly consistent over the years with salt added to soaking water by Hildagonda Duckitt, and salt added to the first boiling process by A.G. Hewitt to preserve the green colour of the preserve.  

I include the recipes for citron preserve as recorded since 1890 by different historical cooks. The recipes are as found in the different cookbooks.

Citron  Konfyt
Cape Cookery Simple Yet Distinctive, A.G. Hewitt, published in 1890

The citrons must not be ripe. Pare the citrons and quarter them, using only the peel. Soak the pieces in fresh water every day for 3 days.

Boil them up in water, adding a large spoonful of salt to keep the green colour. When taken out of the water squeeze them quite dry. Prepare the syrup, weight for weight, fruit and sugar, and boil all till clear.

 

Image of Citron Preserve cooking from The South African Culinary Tradition by Renata Coetzee

Preserve (Citron)
Hilda’s “Where Is It “of Recipes, Hildagonda Duckitt, published in 1891

(From my Grandmother's Recipe Book. Dutch.)

Scrape the rind, cut in halves, take out the pulp, lay them in a basin of hot water to which a handful of salt was added; change the water the next day, then leave for two days longer in water; after that, boil them in clean water till soft enough to put a reed through. Press all the water out carefully, laying on a cloth to cool. For each pound of fruit take two of sugar; make a syrup of the sugar (one cup of water for a cup of sugar), clarify with an egg. Boil for two days on a slow fire. Keep well corked in glass bottles

Citron Konfyt
The Practical Cookery Book for South Africa, S.H. Van Tulleken, published in 1923

This is the most delicious and the prettiest of all citrus fruit konfyts, and instead of yielding a yellow konfyt, it is a beautiful green when done, and transparent like glass. Cut them in quarters or when the fruit is not too large in halves; they can also be cut in rings 1 inch thick, by cutting through the fruit and removing the pulp with a spoon, this is rather difficult, as the inside is pretty tough. Care should be taken to remove the pulp only, and not part of the peel as well. Before cutting the fruit as above, first peel very thinly, just cutting through the pores. The surface is very uneven, and it is rather a trouble to peel them nicely. Don't cut away the uneven, places—peel right over them, just cutting through the pores, and leaving the peel uneven. Now place the peel in cold water, only changing the water on the second day as for oranges. The fruit is very slightly bitter, and of such delicious flavour that it would the greatest pity to change the water too often. The object is to soak the peal. On the third day start early, and boil the peel in clean water till it can very easily be pierced with a little stick or straw – it should be very soft and transparent looking. Now weigh, allowing the same quantities of sugar and water as for oranges, also for thinning syrup. Proceed exactly as for orange konfyt.  (Use  insides scooped out for jelly); Close the bottles when konfyt is quite hot to prevent sugaring.

Citron  Konfyt

Old-Time Recipes, edited by E. Barnard, published in 1952

Citrons should be unripe and green in colour and are usually ready for preserving in March. Scrape the citrons with a piece of glass. Quarter them and take out the pulp. Lay them in basin of hot water to which a handful of salt has been added.

Next day change the water and leave for 3 days in fresh water every day, then boil in clean water until soft enough to pierce with a reed or a skewer. Squeeze the pieces dry and lay them on cloth to drain.  For 1 lb. of fruit take 2 lb. of sugar.  Make a syrup of 1 cup of water to 1 cup of sugar. Add the fruit and boil gently over a slow fire until clear. Bottle.

Other Citron Recipes

Candied Citron Peel
Cedrata - Citron Syrup

Cedrello - Citron Liqueur

Insalata Di Cedro - Citron Salad

Candied Citron Peel

Candied citron was popular as early as the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The first recipes for candied citron were recorded by the unknown author of the 14th-century Egyptian cookbook Kanz al-Fawa'id fi Tanwi' al-Mawa'id, translated as Treasure Trove of Benefits and Variety at the Table.

Bartolomeo Scappi's 16th-century cookbook, Opera di Bartolomeo Scappi, includes recipes for candied citron, which he called "cedro," as part of the elaborate meals of his time. He detailed the process of candying the thick, edible rind of the citron, in his recipes. The candied citron was often used as a sweet treat as well as a flavour component in other dishes. Over 700 years not much has changed in the culinary use of candied citron.

 A painting of the Medici citrus collection c.1715 by Bartolomeo Bimbi

I used the recipe for candied citron peel in Annette Human’s book, Lekker vir Later published in 2002. It is a voluminous cookbook that has a recipe for seemingly everything that can possibly be done with vegetables and fruit.

Candied Citron Peel
Lekker vir Later, Annette Human, 2002

Cut a thin slice of peel from the stem and blossom ends of 2 large citrons. Make wide vertical cuts from top to bottom all the way through the peel to the flesh of each citron. Remove the strips of peel and cut them into 1 cm wide strips.

Quickly boil the peels in 2 litres of water until they are so soft that a match can easily be inserted through them. Drain the peels.

Slowly heat 500 ml of water and 400 g of white sugar to the boil, stirring at the beginning until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove the saucepan from the stove and place the peels in the syrup. Leave to macerate at room temperature for 8 hours.

Heat the syrup with the peels very slowly until the peels have absorbed all the syrup. This should take about half an hour; keep a close eye on the peels, especially towards the end, to ensure they do not burn. Carefully remove the peels with kitchen tongs and leave to dry on aluminum foil for 12 hours.

The next day, roll the peels one by one in white sugar until well coated and leave to dry on a wire rack for about 3 hours.

Pack the sugared peel between layers of wax paper in an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place for up to 2 months.

I could not find a recipe for candied citron in Hildagonda Duckitt’s, Hilda’s “Where Is It “of Recipes, published in 1891. She did however share some recipes that included candied citron, like macaroons and plum pudding. I share them in this post for anybody that might like to explore the culinary possibilities of this delicacy even further.

Macaroons (Another Recipe)
(Mrs. J. Cloete’s)
Hilda’s “Where Is It “of Recipes, Hildagonda Duckitt, published in 1891

Ingredients:

1lb. Almonds blanched and pounded.
The Whites of 4 Eggs.
1 lb. sifted Sugar
½ teaspoonful of Cinnamon.

Blanch and pound the almonds, adding a little rosewater while pounding. Mix with the sugar, which should be slightly warmed, then stir the whites of the eggs well whisked. Butter a paper and lay it on a baking-pan; with a fork put small lumps of the paste on the paper. Bake in a moderately slow oven for twenty minutes. A small piece of candied citron stuck into each little cake is a great improvement. Very good.

Pudding (Plum).

(Old English Recipe.)
Hilda’s “Where Is It “of Recipes, Hildagonda Duckitt, published in 1891

1 lb. Raisins.
1 lb. Currants.
1 lb. Beef Suet.
½ lb. Candied Citron,
¾ lb. Sugar.

Ingredients.

7 Eggs.
2 oz. Flour.
1 tablespoonful of Mixed Spices (Ginger, Cinnamon, Nutmeg)
1 tumbler of Brandy

Stone and clean the raisins, wipe the currants ; cut the beef suet very fine, also the candied citron ; whisk the whites and yolks separately ; mix all together. Boil in a well-floured cloth, or mould, for six hours. Improves by being made weeks before, and kept till wanted. Very good.

 

It is clear from Hildagonda Duckitt that preserved citron was popular in English and Dutch recipes.

Other Citron Recipes

Citron Preserve
Cedrata - Citron Syrup

Cedrello - Citron Liqueur

Insalata Di Cedro - Citron Salad

Insalata di Cedro

The recipe for citron salad in the chapter on citron in The Land Where Lemons Grow by Helena Attlee, made me want to prepare this savoury dish. I grew up knowing citron as a sweet preserve but discovering that one could make savoury dishes with it as well, was very exciting. The culinary possibilities of the citron took on a different dimension for me.

In the Dictionnaire de la Cuisine Française Ancienne et Moderne (1839), Maurice Cousin, the Count de Courchamps, lists 54 uses of citron in cooking. Only one of which involved a savoury dish, where the juice of the green citron on foie gras is added “at the time of serving”.

L’Anonyme Andalou, or the Anonymous Andalusian, is the most important cookbook of the early 13th century and contains a recipe which uses the leaf of the citron tree in lamb stew.

Through all my research, it is clear that the citron tree played an important role as a contributor in the culinary practises of different peoples and cultures since before the 5th century AD.

As an introduction to the savoury element of the citron, I decided to make Insalata di Cedro using the recipe in Helena Attlee’s book, The Land Where Lemons Grow, as a basis. I added anchovies and red chillies as inspired by Nonna Concetta’s Sicilian Citron Salad. 

Insalata di Cedro

1 small or 1⁄2 large, ripe citron
1 shallot, sliced lengthways into slivers
100ml olive oil
100ml fresh lemon juice
sea salt and black pepper
a handful of parsley
black olives, de-stoned
8 anchovy fillets chopped
1 fresh red chilli chopped

Peel the citron with a sharp potato peeler, being careful to remove all of the bright yellow rind, which is the bitterest part of the fruit. Cut the peeled citron into thick segments. Trim away the central pulp and discard it, so that you are left with only the sweet white pith. Slice each segment of pith into very thin strips and put the strips in a bowl. Add the sliced shallot. Mix the olive oil and lemon juice, pour over the salad and toss together. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Allow the salad to rest for an hour so that the dressing is completely absorbed. Finely chop the parsley and olives before adding them to the salad. Serve immediately.

Make sure to mix the olive oil and lemon juice through the salad briskly so as to cover all the citron pith because the porous pith quickly draws up the liquids.

The salad is fresh, aromatic and citrusy, with a complex balance of sweet and tangy notes from the citron's thick, spongy pith and rind. The anchovies added a savoury, salty, umami flavour and the chillies some heat and flavour.

One can serve the salad as a course on its own. It is very refreshing. You might want to serve with it crusty bread to soak up the juices on your plate.

Other Citron Recipes

Citron Preserve
Candied Citron Peel
Cedrata - Citron Syrup

Cedrello - Citron Liqueur

Citron syrup for Cedrata

Cedrata is a non-alcoholic Italian sparkling soft drink made from the citron fruit ("cedro" in Italian). It has a distinctive, intense fragrance and a sweet-and-sour citrus flavour.

Citron syrup for Cedrata

the pulp of 2 citrons
sugar
water

Weigh the pulp and add to it an equal amount of sugar. I had 1kg of pulp and I added 1 kg of sugar. Let sit overnight to macerate. The next day, pour it into a saucepan and add the equal amount of water (for example, my pulp weighed 1kg, I added 1kg of sugar and 1l of water). One simply reduces or increases the amounts accordingly. The weight of the pulp is the guide.

The pulp macerating in the sugar

Bring to the boil and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely and then strain, squeezing the pulp to get more out of it, into a bottle or a jar. Discard the leftover pulp.

To make cedrata, pour some citron syrup into a glass and top up with sparkling water to taste. Optional: Add ice or mint leaves.

Because the fruit will have a different flavour/bitterness depending on how mature it is, it is best to go by taste when you first prepare this drink. A good ratio is 1 part citron syrup to 2 parts sparkling water but one can adjust it to ones taste.

Other Citron Recipes

Citron Preserve
Candied Citron Peel
Cedrello - Citron Liqueur

Insalata Di Cedro - Citron Salad

Cedrello

When I researched the different ways one can use the citron, I discovered that one can use every part of the fruit and not waste anything. After peeling the skin of the citron, one can use the pith to make citron preserve or citron salad. The peel can be used to make cedrello, the citron version of limoncello and the inside flesh can be used to make citron syrup for making cedrata.

I decided that my citron celebration would not be complete without a bottle or two of cedrello.

Cedrello

Ingredients:

3 to 4 large citrons
1 (750 ml) bottle vodka

For the simple syrup:

2 cups sugar
2 cups of water

Wash the organic citrons and pat them dry.

Pour the vodka into a large glass jar. Carefully zest the citrons with a zester or vegetable peeler so there is no white pith on the peel. Use only the outer part of the rind. The pith, the white part underneath the rind, is too bitter and will spoil your liquor. Add the lemon zest directly to the jar as it is zested.

Cover the jar and let it sit at room temperature for at least 2 weeks and up to forty days in a cool dark place. The longer it rests, the better the taste will be.

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Cook until thickened, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Let the syrup cool before adding it to the vodka mixture. Strain the mixture, discarding the citron zest. Once the syrup is cool pour it into the jar with the vodka. At this stage you can add the simple syrup gradually to the citron infusion to adjust the cedrello to your taste. Allow to rest for another ten to forty days.

After the liquor has rested for the second time, pour into bottles. The cedrello is best chilled before drinking.

On the left is a classic cedrello and on the right a cedrello martini

Although I was very careful in removing the zest of the citrons the result had a bitter undertone. Next time, I will use a zester instead of a vegetable peeler to see if it impacts the flavour of the cedrello. It is a nice aromatic aperitif and will make an interesting mixer for cocktails.

Other Citron Recipes

Citron Preserve
Candied Citron Peel
Cedrata - Citron Syrup

Insalata Di Cedro - Citron Salad