When I was a tiny baby, I’m told that one of my uncles decided to be mischievous with me.
“I’m going to make the baby make a face,“ he determinedly said.
He cut a lemon and put it in my mouth.
Defying expectations, I just smiled.
And thus began a life-long love affair with lemons.
The only time lemons make me cry is when I run out. They are really my top condiment, improving almost any vegetable dish. And fish, of course.
lemons as medicine
Lemons are also good medicine. They can:
- 🍋 Stimulate digestion by just thinking about them.
- 🍋 Help you absorb iron from your food [PMID: 3593665]
- 🍋 Reduce risk of calcium kidney stones [PMID: 17919696, 16482864]
- 🍋 Are rich in compounds that fight oxidative stress, inflammation and cancer while also protecting the heart and nervous system [PMID: 31963590, 30842523, 26705419]
Remember to use the clean peel and zest, not just the juice!
loving lemons from afar
I’ve always lived in northern areas where lemon don’t grow. (Yes, I know you can grow them indoors in a sunny spot, but my house does not have one of those.) So even though I understand intellectually but lemons grow on trees, actually seeing that abundance in person always blows my mind.
I regularly appreciate how lucky I am in my friends. At this time of year, one tangible manifestation of that luck is lemons.
In February 2021 I got to pick a bagful from a friend’s Meyer lemon tree in Woodland, California. And a couple of weeks later a friend in Southern California shipped me a box of Meyer lemons from her tree. I felt both wealthy and loved.
What is your favorite way to use lemons? Shoot me an email and I’ll add your ideas below.
Salúd!
—Dr. Orna
2026 update
On New Year’s Day I had one last chance to pick from my friend’s lemon tree, bringing home 30+ pounds of amazing fresh lemons.
That’s a lot of lemons!
My favorite way to preserve this harvest is to puree the lemons whole, and then freeze in large icecube trays. I’ve done several batches that way now. But given the bounty, it was a great opportunity to seek out other savory options.
Four batches of perserved lemons. From left, just salt, salt/saffron, salt/saffron/fresh turmeric, and salt/saffron/mint.
Here are a couple of the recipes I’ve found:
- Preserved lemons: This uses whole lemons, squished into a jar with a salt brine. I looked at several recipes (here, here and here), and then kind of winged it. I made versions with just lemons and salt, one with added saffron, one with saffron and mint, and one with saffron and fresh turmeric. I’ll keep you posted on the results.
- Roasted lemons: I haven’t tried this one yet, but it’s next on the list. Bonus points for not taking up freezer space. Recipe with and without sugar. I’ll be doing the latter.
- Lemon pesto: This one’s a big winner! I substituted pecorino for Parmigiano, local hazelnuts for pine nuts, and made one batch with a bunch of parsely added. And for those of you not blessed with friends who grow their own, you only need three lemons for this recipe. So good! Here’s the recipe.
Header photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash.
Lower photo by FOODISM360 on Unsplash
