I’m obsessed with lemons – I think it’s the colour and the fresh idea of healthiness as the golden fruits turn yellow during the dark winter days! Every year I make plans to pick all the juicy fruits and use them in the many ways the stylists show us pictures of!! The reality is grim and I usually end up standing them in a bowl on the benchtop, where they go soft and rot!!!
So, this year I decided to look for easy and practical, everyday ways to use them up and to store them.
The truth of it is, lemons and their juice are an acid, a natural disinfectant, and a nutritional superfood. So, take as many lemons as you can get your hands on and slice them up or halve them. Seal them in an airtight container or snap lock bags and freeze them! That way they will always be on hand when needed.
Here are my favourite uses that really work (ie they don’t actually kill weeds, even though blogs tell you they do ☹ #triedandtested)
1. Add zing to your summer fruit salad or smoothie - Remove the rind and chop roughly! Goes especially well with blueberries and it’ll stop your apples or pears going brown!
2. Reduce your salt intake – salty and sour use similar taste buds, so it makes sense to add them to food instead of overdosing on salt! Sweet or savoury dishes, there is always room for lemon slices.
3. Add a teaspoon to your green pesto to keep it green!! and make your cheese platter zing!
4. Squeeze or juice them and add them to ice cube trays - Lemon ice is especially beautiful mixed with fresh garden mint in a glass of cold water and a great way to up your water intake!
5. Clean off your chopping board – get rid of smells of onion and garlic - slice a lemon in half and rub all over your wooden chopping board. Don’t rinse and leave it to dry.
6. Freshen the waste – use a half-chopped lemon still slightly frozen to remove odours and sharpen the blades of your wastemaster!
7. Clean the inside of your microwave EASILY– add 5 slices of lemon to a cup of water in a microwave safe bowl and ‘cook’ on high for 6 mins, remove the bowl and wipe away food scraps. Repeat if necessary.
8. Add to a spray bottle with water - easily clean counter tops and keep cats from wandering!
9. Gin and tonic with a twist – my favourite is a stick of cucumber and a slice of lemon – try it this summer!
*This blog pairs well with our coconut zest candle and wax melts!
Have you got any top tips I could use for next season? Would love to hear them!
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