# Uses for lemons?



## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

Our lemon tree was outrageously fruitful (no pun intended) this year!  We have given bags upon bags of lemons away to friends, relatives, the local firehouse, and neighbors.  We've used lemons to bake and to marinate, to freshen the micro and the garbage disposal, to scent the bathrooms or kitchen.

Is there anything else we can do with them?

Most lemon recipes only call for a tiny bit of lemon and/or zest, so we don't use up that much cooking.


----------



## nickih75 (Dec 17, 2008)

Juice them and freeze the juice.  That way when it's not lemon season you'll still have the fresh juice for lemonade and such..


----------



## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

Try preserved lemons, they are great in food.

http://mediterraneancuisine.suite101.com/article.cfm/preserved_lemons_moroccan_style


----------



## Michael R. Hicks (Oct 29, 2008)

You can also use the juice as a cleaner:

http://housekeeping.about.com/cs/environment/a/alternateclean.htm


----------



## Guest (Jan 27, 2009)

Limoncello


----------



## chocochibi (Jan 2, 2009)

Bacardi Jim said:


> Limoncello


mmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmm mmmmmmmmm!!!


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

We have a small little lemon tree in a big pot in our 'sun room'.  This year, finally, it produced 2 real lemons!  It's been flowering for the last 3 or 4 years, and the last 2 or there it's gotten 'starter lemons' but they never got big enough to actually eat.  But this year, we have 2.  DH has already picked one. . .used it in his tea or coke.  They are really good too. . .very lemony but not at all bitter.

Sorry, no other use suggestions, though. . .just felt the need to share.  

Ann


----------



## chobitz (Nov 25, 2008)

Shaker Lemon Pie:

INGREDIENTS 
2 lemons, thinly sliced 
2 cups white sugar 
4 eggs, beaten 
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie 


DIRECTIONS
Slice the lemons and combine in a large bowl with the 2 cups sugar. Let stand for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. 

Add the beaten eggs and mix well. Pour into an unbaked 9 inch piecrust and cover with a top crust. 

Brush the top with milk and sprinkle granulated sugar on top. 

Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the pie comes out clean. 


I love this pie and unlike other lemon pies this one used 2 whole lemons


----------



## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

Love Shaker Lemon Pie. How about Lemon Chess Pie? Yum!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bill-Clintons-Lemon-Chess-Pie/Detail.aspx

This one is close to my great-aunt's recipe.


----------



## Lotus (Oct 31, 2008)

Freeze the juice in ice-cube trays for future use.

One of my favorite treats is candied lemon peel. It can be chocolate coated, too. There's a recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Candied-Lemon-Peel/Detail.aspx


----------



## Guest (Jan 27, 2009)

If life hands you lemons, make kitschy posters about them.  You don't have to be crazy to do it, but it helps.

And hang in there, baby!


----------



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Veal (or chicken) piccatta made with lemon
Watercress salad with lemon-dijon dressing
Steamed lobster with wedges of lemon

I love lemons....

L


----------



## Neversleepsawink;) (Dec 16, 2008)

libro said:


> Our lemon tree was outrageously fruitful (no pun intended) this year! We have given bags upon bags of lemons away to friends, relatives, the local firehouse, and neighbors. We've used lemons to bake and to marinate, to freshen the micro and the garbage disposal, to scent the bathrooms or kitchen.
> 
> Is there anything else we can do with them?
> 
> Most lemon recipes only call for a tiny bit of lemon and/or zest, so we don't use up that much cooking.


I wish you lived near me. I eat them with a little salt on top. My favorite fruit by far


----------



## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

Maybe this can help you get rid of a few. 

Readers Digest...34 uses for lemons.

http://www.rd.com/advice-and-know-how/extraordinary-uses-for-lemons/article23881.html


----------



## Vegas_Asian (Nov 2, 2008)

I couldn't help it.


----------



## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

Lemon & Vodka.


----------



## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

Vegas_Asian said:


> I couldn't help it.


LOL. So cute!

N


----------



## Mollyb52 (Jan 4, 2009)

chobitz said:


> Shaker Lemon Pie:
> 
> INGREDIENTS
> 2 lemons, thinly sliced
> ...


As I was reading this my mouth started to water. I am going to try this recipe for sure!


----------



## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

Bacardi Jim said "limoncello." BrassMan says "limoncino!" They'e the same thing. Here's how:

Take a potato peeler and peel the yellow (the zest) off ten or fifteen lemons in long strips. Put it all in a pint jar and cover it with vodka. Seal and let infuse for a week or two. 

Strain through a coffee filter. 

Make syrup: dissolve a cup of sugar in a cup of water, boil until clear, and let cool.

Now the tricky part: add the syrup to the lemony vodka until the sweetness balances the sharpness of the lemon. When you have it like you like it, rebottle if you like and keep in the freezer. A shot of that is like a lemon nuclear bomb going off in your head!

Squeeze the juice out of the zestless lemons and do what you will with it.

Cheers!
Al


----------



## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

These are all fantastic suggestions!  Should keep us very busy here   I appreciate all the ideas and recipes.  I never thought of freezing the juice, how silly.  I wonder about lemon zest.  A lot of recipes call for only a bit of zest.  I wonder if I can freeze the zest.....


----------



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

libro said:


> These are all fantastic suggestions! Should keep us very busy here  I appreciate all the ideas and recipes. I never thought of freezing the juice, how silly. I wonder about lemon zest. A lot of recipes call for only a bit of zest. I wonder if I can freeze the zest.....


Yes, you can.

L


----------



## sharyn (Oct 30, 2008)

I just picked another half-dozen lemons off my tree.  (It's a Meyer lemon, not a regular one...the regular one isn't in fruit yet.)  It is still filled with a ton of green ones and partly green ones, along with blossoms galore!

The Key lime is also chock full of blossoms and many tiny green fruit.  Unlike the ones you buy in the store, mine turn yellow when they are ripe.  (Probably the ones in the store would, too, if left on the tree long enough.)

I have a half-acre orchard with five different kinds of oranges, two kinds of grapefruit, two kinds of lemons, two Hass avocados, a Key lime, a mango, a jaboticaba, and a Barbados cherry.  I told the landscape architect I wanted something in fruit all year round.  But we just planted it in May, so some things haven't fruited yet.  Next year will be tres bountiful! 

Sharyn


----------



## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

I live in a high rise so have no space for any living trees.  I love Key Limes and Meyer lemons, when I lived on the west coast of Florida I had both in a yard.  I envy you....


----------



## sharyn (Oct 30, 2008)

Gables Girl said:


> I live in a high rise so have no space for any living trees. I love Key Limes and Meyer lemons, when I lived on the west coast of Florida I had both in a yard. I envy you....


Do you have a porch/patio? Key limes are very easy to grow in a pot. I don't know about Meyer lemons, but it wouldn't hurt to give them a try. Kumquats also are easy to grow in a pot. I'll have one by the front door (feng shui for abundance) one of these days...just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Sharyn


----------



## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

Leslie said:


> Yes, you can.
> 
> L


Great news. Sometimes the zest is as frequently used in recipes as the lemon juice itself. Thanks!


----------



## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Gables Girl said:


> I live in a high rise so have no space for any living trees. I love Key Limes and Meyer lemons, when I lived on the west coast of Florida I had both in a yard. I envy you....


You travel a lot, so you've probably seen the miniature orange and palm trees in the airport souvenir shops. The orange is a calamondin and grows really well in a container. The fruit is sour, and I used it in place of lemon or key lime in pies or even in iced tea.


----------



## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

We have a calamondin tree that still has oodles of marble-size fruit on it. Here's another thing you can do with them: don't peel them, but just fill up a pint jar with them (after washing them), cover it with vodka, and then proceed as with limoncino, back up this thread a page or two. 

I swear I'm not a lush. I trot this stuff out when we have company. They think it's neat to have an exotic liqueur made from fruit from a tree growing right outside.

/////Al


----------



## chobitz (Nov 25, 2008)

We have a huge fig bush in our backyard. By the beginning of fall I am soooo sick of figs!


----------



## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

gertiekindle said:


> You travel a lot, so you've probably seen the miniature orange and palm trees in the airport souvenir shops. The orange is a calamondin and grows really well in a container. The fruit is sour, and I used it in place of lemon or key lime in pies or even in iced tea.


I'm gone too much, they would die for lack of water. If I did get something it would be a Key Lime. Love the juice in practically everything.


----------



## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

BrassMan said:


> We have a calamondin tree that still has oodles of marble-size fruit on it. Here's another thing you can do with them: don't peel them, but just fill up a pint jar with them (after washing them), cover it with vodka, and then proceed as with limoncino, back up this thread a page or two.
> 
> I swear I'm not a lush. I trot this stuff out when we have company. They think it's neat to have an exotic liqueur made from fruit from a tree growing right outside.
> 
> /////Al


I like that idea! Since we don't use any pesticides on our trees, our lemons will just need a nice washing and they'll be set to go. Yum!


----------



## Glynnis (Nov 25, 2008)

sharyn said:


> I just picked another half-dozen lemons off my tree. (It's a Meyer lemon, not a regular one...the regular one isn't in fruit yet.) It is still filled with a ton of green ones and partly green ones, along with blossoms galore!


Oh, you lucky, lucky person - Meyer Lemons are just wonderful! We had one growing outside in a very large pot for about 15 years. Unfortunately it's just too cold in our area of Northern California and I haven't been successful (yet) in my campaign for a greenhouse. Despite using little christmas lights, a wooden frame and plastic sheeting, we weren't able to protect it well enough last winter:-( I especially miss sweet potatoes baked with very thin lemon slices and a delicious lemon and brown sugar syrup, sugar-preserved lemon slices, fresh wedges to squeeze on vegetables and salads ... lucky, lucky you!


----------



## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

libro said:


> I like that idea! Since we don't use any pesticides on our trees, our lemons will just need a nice washing and they'll be set to go. Yum!


It's really delicious--light and citrusy-floral. Just be careful when adding the syrup. You don't want the liqueur too harsh, but if you add too much syrup and make it too sweet, the only way to undo that is add more vodka, which makes the flavor weaker. Taste little wee bits between additions and have a friend with good taste taste it with you. And stop when it feels right.

I take a picture of the calamondin tree and print it and make a label for the bottle. Purty!

Cheers!
/Al


----------



## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

Al -- Look out or Martha Stewart is going to steal that idea from you!  

Am I or the taster going to get significantly tipsy during the mixing phase of this cocktail?


----------



## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

libro said:


> Al -- Look out or Martha Stewart is going to steal that idea from you!
> 
> Am I or the taster going to get significantly tipsy during the mixing phase of this cocktail?


She might steal it. I've seen her tipple. She probably already has! But if it were up to me, I'd rather Oprah stole my book....

Just taste a half teaspoon at a time, slowly. Wait for the afterglow. If it's edgy, kinda too sharp, then it needs a little more syrup. (That scene is already in Distant Cousin volume 4, by the way.)

I've also made a grapefruit liqueur, using the potato peeler to strip off the zest. The best I ever made had basil in with it. That was exotic!

Would anyone like my recipe for Drambuie?


----------



## Guest (Jan 29, 2009)

Scotch + Honey = Drambuie


----------



## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

Bacardi Jim said:


> Scotch + Honey = Drambuie


Close! You left out the sprig or two of fresh rosemary, steeped in the scotch overnight, then strained out. THEN add the honey, about a cup, but always to taste.

I don't much care for scotch, but I happened to have a wee bit of real Drambuie on hand when I last made my own, and mine was better. Sez me, of course.


----------



## thejackylking #884 (Dec 3, 2008)

You could also make Yukkas:

1/5th Vodka
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup water
6 Limes
8 Lemons

Mix all ingredients in a large glass jar w/ a lid
Put in some ice
place lid on jar and wrap jar w/ a damp towel
Shake until towel freezes to glass add ice as needed
Serve
Stumble around helplessly as all of your friends laugh at you


----------

