Lemons. Amazing. Everyday

image via Pinterest, via abi porter

LEMON TRICKS IN THE KITCHEN

STORING YOUR LEMONS

Lemons can be stored in the refrigerator for about three weeks. I like to keep some in the fridge and some on my counter in a pretty room. They liven up the atmosphere. Out in room temperature the pretty yellow fruit will keep for a week or two. However, we use them a lot in our home and rarely do they have a chance to go bad on us!  

LEMONS FOR FLUFFY RICE

If you have a problem with your rice being too sticky a teaspoon or two of lemon juice added directly to the water will do the trick. Your rice will have the slightest lemon flavor to it. We liked it so much that we now add lemon as a seasoning to our rice at the table. I find it cuts down some on our salt intake!

LEMON JUICE IN SALAD DRESSING

I love to replace the vinegar in my salad with lemon juice. You’ll want to play around with the measurement, keeping in mind the 1 part acidity to 3 parts olive oil ration. A pinch of sea salt, a dash of fresh pepper and you have a perfect dressing! Now add some fresh Parmesan… Delissimo!

LEMON IN FRUIT SALAD

Adding a little lemon juice to your fruit salad will not only add a lovely flavor but will. The lemon juice will keep fruits like bananas and apples from turning brown.

GETTING THE MOST JUICE FROM YOUR LEMONS

To get the most juice from a lemon it is better to choose lemons with thinner skin. Wash the lemon in warm tap water. Then roll the lemon on a flat surface like your kitchen table. The inner membranes should break at this point. This will allow you to get more juice from the lemon.

LEMONS FOR A CRISPIER PIE CRUST

Rumor has it that by simply adding a tablespoon of lemon juice to your dough by replacing tablespoon of cold water with one tablespoon of lemon juice makes a taster crispier crust.

LEMON JUICE AND POACHED EGGS

By adding little bit of lemon juice to the water before boiling your eggs should end up whole and unbroken.  A drop or two will do the trick

LEMON AS A MEAT TENDERIZER

Lemons are often used by chefs to tenderize meat. Marinate the meat with about ¼ cup lemon juice to each pound of meat, leave in refrigerator overnight.  

CLEAN YOUR KITCHEN WITH LEMONS
Instead of harsh cleaners that often leave you gasping for air, that aren’t environmentally sound wipe down your kitchen counters and cupboards with a solution made from lemons. Fill a mug with hot water and about half a cup of lemon juice. Soak your towel or sponge in the mixture and wipe away the grime!

CLEAN YOUR MICROWAVE WITH LEMONS

Place half a lemon in a bowl of water in your microwave. Cook it on the highest level for five minutes. With a damp rag simply wipe away the food, grease and grime!

CLEAN YOUR WINDOWS WITH LEMONS

Cut a lemon into four pieces, using one piece at a time; rub the fruit directly on to your window. When you are done wipe your window down with a damp cloth, then with a dry cloth. This works like magic! Alternately, you can wash your windows with water containing a few tablespoons lemon juice. This is a great alternative if you happen to have some lemon juice on hand but no fresh lemons.

CLEAN YOUR CUTTING BOARDS WITH LEMONS

Chopping blocks harbor all sorts of bacteria and it’s vitally important to keep your chopping board clean and free from bacteria. By scrubbing lemon, a natural antiseptic, you’ll not only rid your chopping board of harmful bacteria but you’ll be able to remove those stubborn stains as well. Sprinkle some coarse salt, if you wish, for a deeper clean.  Naturally this is a great non-toxic solution. I do suggest tossing your chopping boards into the dishwasher as often as possible as well.

LEMONS AS INSECTICIDE

Lemons are a natural insecticide. Pesky house flies and mosquitoes do not like lemons! Lemons can help reduce those annoying flies and mosquitoes. Look around for places you suspect those nasty insects may try to enter your home and pour some lemon juice around those spots and cracks. It has been suggested that lemon juice is also effective for keeping ants away. Be sure to squirt some lemon juice around your window sill.

LEMON COPPER POLISH

A half a lemon dipped into salt and baking powder should clean your copper beautifully. It is important to rinse well with water and dry with a dry rag.

LEMON FURNITURE POLISH

You need to polish your furniture from time to time if you want the wood to stay fine-looking. An easy way to make homemade furniture polish is to mix olive oil with lemon juice. Use twice as much olive oil as lemon juice. Your homemade furniture polish will work beautifully and help your furniture last longer. (If you have any leftover you can pour it onto your salad for lunch!)

CHROME AND ALUMINUM POLISH

Lemons are perfect to clean chrome. Rub with lemons. When you are done rinse with water and finally wipe with a dry rag.  The result will absolutely amaze you.

LEMONS AND CRYSTAL

Use half a lemon and rub it on the stains on your crystal vase or crystal glasses. Wipe off the lemon with a damp cloth and finish up using a dry cloth.

Remember to rinse with a rag damp with clean water and wipe dry.

GARBAGE DISPOSAL FRESHENER

Use your left over lemon peel to freshen up your garbage disposal. Throw in the lemon peels, add some ice and grind. The lemon rind will leave your garbage disposal smelling fresh and the ice will clean the blades. (This works well with all citrus fruit!)

LEMON IN YOUR VACUUM

The next time you need to change your vacuum bag be sure to place a cotton ball, dipped in lemon, juice inside the bag before you use it. Your room will smell lovely!


LEMONS FOR BEAUTY...

Lemons are great for skin. Lemon is a natural remedy. One should remember that Lemons are very acidic and therefore you should do a patch test on an area of your skin to be sure that you are not overly sensitive or allergic. Lemons also increase photosensitivity, so do keep away from the sun’s harmful rays after you have applied lemon juice to your skin.  

LEMONS FOR YOUR NAILS

For soft and pliable cuticles soak your fingernails in warm water containing lemon juice for a few minutes. Do not ever cut your cuticles. 

LEMON FOR YOUR FEET

After soaking your feet in warm water, give your feet a “lemon treatment”. Dip a half a lemon into some coarse sugar and massage all over your feet. When done rinse your feet in lukewarm water. Lemon squeezed onto a cotton ball and dipped into sugar will work as well.

LEMON JUICE FOR AGE SPOTS

Age spots are simply pigment left in the skin. You can use lemon juice to make these age spots fade some. Dip a cotton ball in some lemon juice and pat it on the age spots once a day. Continue this process until you notice the age spots fading. Because lemon is very drying, you may want to mix some lemon juice with some grapeseed oil. The mixture should be three parts lemon juice to one part oil. This will hydrate your skin beautifully.

LEMONS ON YOUR BLEMISHES

Dab lemon juice on the blackheads every evening before going to bed. Rinse off the lemon juice in the morning. You may have to do this for a few nights, but it is well worth it. It is a natural, cheap and easy way to get rid of blackheads. If you find this leaves your skin excessively dry, rub a few drops of vitamin E oil into your skin. Massage well.

THE HEALTH BENEFIT OF LEMONS...

LEMONS FOR DIGESTIVE HEALTH

Lemons, when mixed with hot water, can help relieve many digestion problems. These include, but are not limited to nausea, heartburn, indigestion, bloating and gas. Lemon water can keep you regular, and can cure constipation. Lemon juice acts as a liver tonic and helps you digest your food by helping your liver produce more bile. It is also thought to help dissolve gallstones.

LEMONS FOR SKIN CARE

Lemons can cure skin-related problems. Rich in vitamin C rich lemons are a citrus fruit that enhances your beauty, by rejuvenating skin from within and thus bringing a glow on your face. Daily consumption of lemon water will not only keep your digestive system on track but can make a huge difference in your skin’s appearance.

LEMONS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

 One of the major health benefits of drinking lemon water is that it paves way for losing weight faster, thus acting as a great weight loss remedy. Lemon water is known to aid in weight-loss.

LEMONS FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
The high potassium content of the lemon makes it a perfect natural solution to help with the control of high blood pressure, dizziness,  and nausea.  The wonderful aroma released by the lemon provides mind and body relaxation and can reduce stress and depression.

LEMON AS A FEVER REDUCER
Lemon water can treat a person who is suffering from cold, flu or fever. It helps to break fever by increasing perspiration.

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MY FAVORITE LEMON WATER RECIPE

image via Pinterest

I drink a lot of this in the summertime and during the rest of the year when I feel like I need to lose a couple of pounds. I started off drinking lemon water, but then wanted some more flavor. I now add lime, cucumber and when I have it around, mint.

In a 2 quart pitcher I squeeze the juice from a lemon, slice it and toss it in. I add 1 sliced lime, 1/4 of a thinly sliced cucumber and some mint springs. I bruise the fruit with a wooden spoon and add water. If you want a slightly sweetened drink you can add a couple of tablespoons of honey to your mixture (which also has purifying qualities) or a non-calorie sweetener such as Truvia or Splenda. I keep this in the fridge all day. However, if you want to keep this in the fridge overnight, I might suggest you remove the limes as they can make the beverage rather bitter over time. Also make sure the pitcher is filled to the top.

Enjoy!

Information culled from MarcusSamuelson.com and Lemonmania.com