Hi Mamta

Firstly I would like to say that I have tried lots of your recipes ( main meals, raitas, chutneys etc ) and every one has been delicious. I have just made a couple of jars of Lemon Pickle - 1 in oil which has been maturing now for about 5 weeks and I was wondering if it would be ok to add some grated Jaggery to one of the jars so I could get a bit of a sweeter taste. Also once I have opened the jar to add the Jaggery ( which obviously will let air in ) will the Pickle still be safe to carry on maturing ? Also will it still keep for a number of years?

I had never done any real cooking until I came upon your site so believe me if I can do it anybody can. Thanks for your patience.

Hello Jevman

I am happy to hear that you have been helped in learning to cook by my website :-) and you are most welcome!

It is okay to add jaggery/sugar once the lemon skin has softened. Adding sugar too early makes the pickle take longer to mature.

Yes, it should keep for a number of years, even after opening, as long as jars were sterilised, the spoon you use are clean and dry.

Yes, it will keep on maturing for as long as you have it. They say in India that lemon pickle gets better with age. I have some oil free one that is 7-8 years old and it is lovely

Thanks a lot for your quick reply Mamta. I will leave it a couple of more weeks just to make sure the lemon skin is soft enough before I add the sugar.Thanks again.