Lemon Jelly

1 kg lemons
4.5 cups water
3 cups sugar

Take 1 kg of the freshest lemons you can find, not overripe or stale. The younger the fruit, the more pectin in it.  Slice off the stem end of the lemons, but leave the blossom end intact, as that's the end with more pectin in it.  Using a food processor, slice the lemons as thinly as possible and put them into a large pot with 4.5 cups water.

Bring the lemon water to a boil, then reduce the heat and gently boil for 30 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let the mixture sit for 30 minutes.  You can leave it for longer, even overnight.  Strain the mixture to remove the seeds and pulp from the liquid.  This should give you about 3 cups liquid.

Put a small plate or saucer into the freezer.  Add 3 cups sugar and 1 cup lemon juice to the mixture, and bring to a boil.  Boil the mixture fairly hard ( but not so hard that it overflows or goes foamy), stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.  It should appear ever so slightly thicker on the back of your spoon.  Take your frozen plate out of the freezer, set a teaspoon of liquid on the plate and see if it sets up:  run your finger through the liquid, and if the two sections do not run back together, it is set and the jelly is ready.  Just make sure that you do not boil it for too long, as that will make the mixture bitter.

Be warned: it may look runny and watery, but it really takes only about 10 minutes to see a slight change in the consistency of the liquid.  When the 10 minutes have passed, immediately pull the pot off the stove and ladle the jelly into three or four waiting jars that have been properly cleaned and sterilized.