One of the most common fruit trees. Both savory and sweet dishes benefit from the tangy, refreshing flavor of lemons. The zest, the juice, and the fruit (sliced or quartered) can be used. Lemon juice poured over other fruits prevents discoloration of the flesh when exposed to air. The juice can be used as a substitute for vinegar if a lighter-flavored vinaigrette is desired

Lots of delicious Lemon Recipes.

Fun Facts About Lemons:

• The ladies of Louis XIV's court used lemons to redden their lips.

• Because of their high content of Vitamin C, the British Royal Navy loaded their ships’ stores with lemon to help sailors combat scurvy which is caused by Vitamin C deficiency.

• Lemonade is thought to be an Egyptian original-at least according to the earliest documentary evidence. Sources say that lemon juice mixed with sugar was sold around the year 1104 in a Jewish community in the Egyptian city of Cairo.

• The demand for lemons and their scurvy-preventing properties hit a peak during the California Gold Rush of 1849. Miners were willing to pay huge sums for a single lemon. As a result, lemon trees were planted in abundance throughout California.

• Although early U.S. lemon production centered in Florida, California is now the lemon state, ranking No. 1 in lemon production. (Arizona is a distant second.) The fruit came to Sacramento with the 49ers, who relied on lemons for Vitamin C while mining. Soon after, California farmers adopted lemons as a crop.

• Next time you have a sore throat, reach for a lemon! Add the juice of one lemon to an equal amount of hot water for an anti-bacterial gargle.

Lemon Equivalents:

1 medium-size lemon = approximately 1 tablespoon of lemon zest = 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.

Choose smooth-skinned lemons that are heavy for their size. The skin should have a fine grain and bright yellow color. (Streaks of green on the skin of the lemon usually indicate more acidity.)

Avoid lemons that feel soft or spongy with skin that looks or feels wrinkled, bumpy, rough or hard. Coarse, thick-skinned and light lemons have less juice.

Lemons can be kept indoors at room temperature for about a week before they tend to become soft or wrinkled. For longer storage, store lemons in the refrigerator.

Room-temperature lemons or limes will yield more juice than those that are refrigerated.

Microwaving the lemon or lime for a few seconds before squeezing will help extract more juice. Don't overdo it. You don't want to boil the juice.

Use your palm to roll lemon or lime around on the countertop a few times before squeezing.

If just a few drops of juice are needed, pierce the skin with a toothpick and squeeze out what you need. To store it, reinsert the toothpick, put the lemon or lime into a plastic bag, and refrigerate.
 

Freeze the juice: Instead of keeping whole lemons, store the juice. Squeeze lemons, pour juice into an ice cube tray and freeze. Once they're solid, transfer the lemon cubes into a freezer bag, where they will keep for several months. Each cube equals the juice of one medium lemon.

How To Zest Lemons:

Check out my web page on Lemon Zest and Lemon Zester

Zest is the outer colored portion of the citrus peel. Freshly grated orange, lime or lemon zest packs a flavor wallop no bottles dried zest can match.

Use a citrus zester (available in the kitchen specialty shops) to obtain long, thin strands of citrus zest. A zester has five tiny cutting holes that create threadlike strips of peel.

 

How To Use A Zester:

Press firmly as you draw the zester down along the skin of the fruit. For continuous strips of zest, begin at one end of the fruit, and cut in a spiral around and down.

If you do not have a zester, use a vegetable peeler or a small, sharp knife. You will also note that many recipes call for grated zest or peel. In this case, use a cheese grater to remove the peel.

When removing the skin from lemons or other citrus fruits, be sure to take only the thin outer zest or colored portion. The white pith will give your dish a bitter under taste.
 

Zesting & Grating Tips:

If you are using a lemon for zest and juice, grate the zest first and then squeeze the juice.

When grating lemon peel, use this fast and easy trick. Cover the zest side of your grater with plastic wrap and grate the lemon over the plastic wrap (remember don't grate the bitter white pith that's under the peel). Most of the zest will remain on the plastic wrap and thus can't stick in the holes of the grater. Just pull the plastic wrap off and shake the zest onto a plate.