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Hi, for several years I have made preserved lemons, using Serious Eats' recipe. Then one year, mold appeared on top of the liquid and the lemons also at the top of the jar. This happened to several jars and not others. I switched recipes, thinking perhaps the lemons were not submerged in enough liquid. So next time, I used Nik Sharma's recipe. I boiled the jars. scrubbed the lemons, and, following the recipe, covered the lemons in lemon juice. I still got mold on top. After doing some research online, I read that the mold is harmless, but I would be afraid to take a chance, so I tossed more lemons once more. Can anyone tell me how to avoid this? Is there a fullproof recipe? TIA.

Do you keep them in the fridge? I've made preserved lemons for years and never had mold, even when a piece of lemon sticks above the liquid. But I do keep them in the fridge after they have done the initial stage.

It may be that there is not enough salt in the mix. When I top my jars with more juice, I usually add some salt too.