Baby, it’s hot outside…
Here are a few more ways you can use your freezer to help beat the heat.
lemon cubes
As I wrote earlier this spring, lemons have been my favorite fruit since I was a tiny baby. And I was lucky enough this spring to have a couple of friends in California gift me with Meyer lemons from their backyard trees.
Wanting to preserve the harvest, I figured the easiest thing would be to purée the lemons — rind and all — and freeze them in an ice-cube tray.
On hot days, I drop one or two frozen cubes into still or fizzy water. It adds flavor, cools the drink and reminds me of my awesome friends.
frozen cherries
Another easy, fun favorite is frozen cherries. As with the lemon cubes, you can add them directly to your water. (Ditto many frozen fruits.)
But I’ve also found that cherries, unlike berries and other frozen fruits, are surprisingly squishy even direct from the freezer. That means you can snack on them right out of the bag. (Chew carefully in case of errant bits of pit.)
Cherries are also a natural source of melatonin, which helps promote healthy circadian rhythm and sleep. [PMID: 11600041] That makes frozen cherries a handy treat on nights where temps make rest harder to come by.
I hope you find these ideas helpful, as well as those the ones I mentioned in part 1 and part 2 of this series. Here’s to staying cool and safe.
Salúd!
—Dr. Orna
