When life gives you lemons, you celebrate getting one of the most versatile, useful and delicious fruits that mother nature has to offer! Spring cleaning? Lemons disinfect and cut through oil, so you use less elbow grease. Cocktails on the deck? From bitters to booze, lemons are a must-have for any garden party. Let’s take a tour of the unexpected ways lemons can make your life better this spring season.
In the Kitchen
You already know that lemons are an essential part of your food and cocktail menu, but there are ways to use lemons in the kitchen that can make your life easy squeezy.
All you need to make your own homemade limoncello is a bag of organic lemons and some high-proof alcohol. Get the guide here.
If you have leftover lemons, use the juice to clean surfaces to disinfect and leave your kitchen smelling yummy.
If you have wine or food stains on your table cloths and napkins, dab with lemon juice and sprinkle with baking soda. Leave overnight and wash as normal. This works on carpet stains too, but here you can leave the mixture to dry and simply vacuum it up.
Don’t throw away your lemon skins; chop finely and place one part lemon rind to two parts kosher salt. The lemon salt is absolutely delicious and the perfect seasoning for fish, meat and salad dressing.
The pith (the white part between the skin and the flesh of the fruit) can be used to make excellent bitters. Fry the pith in a pan without oil until it burns slightly. Place in a mason jar and cover with overproofed rum. Leave to infuse for a week or two and then add bitters to cocktails or water for a lovely smoky citrus flavour. Get a citrus bitters recipe here.
Spring Cleaning
If you took all the cleaning products in your home, and put them in a pile, you’ll be shocked at just how many chemicals you have in your home. The manufacture, transport and use of these cleaners carries a huge carbon footprint. Cleaning products are bad for your family too. Offgassing makes your indoor air quality 3 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air quality can lead to ailments including respiratory problems, allergy symptoms, asthma, headaches, nausea, fatigue and neurotoxin reactions. Luckily, lemons can replace many of your traditional chemical cleaners for a healthier indoor air quality.
Toilet cleaner: Combine ¼ cup lemon juice and ¼ cup borax. Wipe over toilet and rinse. To remove stubborn stains, leave overnight.
All-purpose cleaner: Combine the juice of one lemon, one lime, a cup of distilled white vinegar and a cup of water. Strain the lemon and lime to remove any pulp so it doesn’t clog the nozzle. You can use this spray on all your surfaces to disinfect and clean.
Air Freshener: Fill a small pot filled 2/3 with water and add 2 teaspoons vanilla essence, 3 sprigs rosemary and 1 lemon (sliced). You can simmer this mixture on your stove for up to two days, adding water as necessary for a home that smells of spring.