Lemons

The Lisbon is the most common variety

Lemons have so many wonderful uses, especially in cooking. The juice, the zest, peels, slices, wedges and disks are everywhere. From the simplest wedge squeezed into your tea or over fish to grating the zest into an Epicurean delight.

Well you might ask, why spend so many words on this lowly yellow orb? I'll tell you, simply that I have found so many uses for them that I planted a Lisbon Lemon tree in my yard several years ago. Now I have fresh lemons from mid-November through the early part of June, depending on the temperature.

Take a gander at the picture, The two in the back were picked an hour ago fresh from my tree. They weigh in at a pound each and about 4-1/2 inches long. The two in front were purchased at a local grocery. Though by some standards they may seem huge, but not all of them grow this big.  My point is, they are there when needed. These two will become a "from scratch" Lemon meringue pie tomorrow.

Another use I have found is making garnishes for drinks. I fashioned a sort of peeler from a stainless steel tube many years ago, and with it I can remove a long strip of the outer skin leaving the bitter white pulp behind. I enjoy tying the strips in a knot and dropping them in various drinks that call for a "twist" as the garnish. 

OTHER USES:

Mixing a spoonful of lemon juice into boiling water will prevent rice from clumping up and sticking to the pot.

A teaspoon of it will also keep boiling potatoes and cauliflower from turning brown.

Adding a teaspoon of lemon juice into the water when boiling eggs will make them much easier to peel them.

To transform limp greens to their previous more palatable state, simply squeeze a halved lemon into a bowl of cold (but not freezing) water. Then, refrigerate the lettuce in the bowl for about an hour, dry it off.

Grating some of the rind into marinades adds a surprising zip to sometime bland preparations. Try it with Sautéed  asparagus.