sarah in nyc

 One traditional thing to do after Sukkot is to make etrog jam. During non-pandemic years I can ask my friends after services if they are willing to give me their etrogim which have outlived their ritual purpose. This year I posted my request on Facebook. A dear friend responded with alarm. She noted that etrogim are sprayed with lots of pesticides because their only job is to look pretty.  She was worried that eating the etrog jam might be a risky thing to do. I thought about what my wise friend said and I thought about old etrog jam recipes. They usually have you soak the etrogim in water, and changing the water for several days before making the jam. Two friends gave us their etrogim. I put all three etrogim into a big bowl with water.  I noticed that the water smelled a little like gasoline and not citrussy. I changed the water every time I walked past the bowl. The water smelled like gasoline for several days. I figured that the bad stuff was leaching out of the etro...