Tu Bishvat which is on Shabbat is the time to pray for a good etrog. An etrog, the citron, the Biblical “fruit of the goodly tree” is one of the four species used during the holiday of Succoth and finding a good one is no simple matter. As there are an almost infinite variety of specks and blemishes that can degrade an etrog or even render it possul, ineligible for ritual use, pious men spend hours picking over the fruit, often equipped with magnifying glasses and jeweler’s eye pieces to aid them in the task.

Even after one has found a perfect specimen, the question remains: what to do with this fruit once Succoth is over. Since an etrog is a holy object, it’s a violation of Jewish law to throw it away. Some people stud their old etrogim with cloves to create a natural besamim (spice) box for the havdala ceremony but how many besamim etrogs does one really need? And what is one to do when one has several -perhaps even a half dozen etrogim in need of repurposing?

My neighbor Gislaine Assouline large numbers of etrogim and cooks them into jam which she makes as a segula, a talisman for fertility and easy childbirth. Because of this, she only uses etrogim which were blessed during the holiday (possul or ritually disqualified etrogim don’t cut it with her) .At my son’s bar mitzvah Gislaine distributed her jam to an entire table full of pregnant cousins. Within the next few months they all gave birth to healthy babies .

The jam, it’s really a confit, isn’t hard to make but it’s a project which requires some advance planning. The results are scrumptious and you can bake the jam into a cake if you like.

• Etrogim
• Sugar
• Water

Clean etrogim well with soapy water. With a grater or microplane scrape the peel lightly to dislodge any dirt or insect remains.

With a sharp knife, slice the fruit into rounds and then into smaller rectangular pieces. Discard the fruit.

This jam is made from the peel.

Cover the slices with water and one tablespoon kosher salt. Cover jar

Let sit for a day, then pour off salty water and replace with fresh water.

Change the water once daily for the next two days.

By day three, the soaking water will have turned a bright yellow.

Then cook the etrog pieces together with water on a low flame for 40 minutes and drain.

Then add sugar to fruit. For one cup of etrog slices add ¾ cup of sugar and ¼ cup of water.

Simmer together in a covered pot checking every so often to see that the sugar is melting.

You goal is to create a syrup. Test to see that jam is ready by removing a drop of the syrup from the pot. If the drop widens on a plate and is sticky to touch, then it’s ready.

When it’s ready, close the flame and leave the mixture in a covered pot on the stove for 12 hours. Then store in glass or plastic jars and refrigerate.