When Life hands you lemons…
Make all kinds of things!
My parents were born in Germany, where vinegar was commonly used to make salad dressings, so when they came to California in the 1950’s it was vinaigrette they were used to.
Ironically it was a German couple, living in Oceanside, California, distant relatives of my father’s, that introduced our family to the lemon. Living only a block from the beach, we visited the Wilhelm’s throughout the year, making what seemed to me as a young child the long trek from Los Angeles to Orange County. But mostly we celebrated holidays and special occasions at their house. Being about their parents’ age, the Wilhelm’s were likely surrogate parents to my mom and dad in those early years after arriving in California.
At the Wilhelm’s in Oceanside, California. They are on either end and the couple to her right are my paternal grandparents, visiting from Germany.
Yes, that’s me in the blue dress, next to my chic mama.
I’m certain that Mrs. Wilhelm cooked traditional German foods at many celebrations but I know she also took on some American traditions, as old photos recently unearthed revealed pictures of Thanksgiving turkey. But what both my dad and I remember vividly is Mrs. Wilhelm’s liberal use of lemons. He recalls finding her salads so refreshing that he became a huge fan, and my parents began replicating them at home. Strangely, there must be a genetic component to this lemon thing, because I took to them, too, and have loved lemons for what seems like all my life.
As most southern Californians know, this part of the world has been home to the citrus industry for a long while. Lemons, oranges and grapefruit have been grown, packaged, and shipped from southern California all over the country for over 220 years!
We enjoyed our share, as well as so many other “treats” my parents had probably never known, growing up in Germany in the 30’s and 40’s. I have no idea what it’s like having to grow up during a World War, with the lack of fresh produce. Once in this country, I can only imagine how they must have enjoyed having access to citrus and other fruits, dates, avocados and nuts. But the thing I will always associate my dad with is lemons! We put the juice on so many things, using it mostly with olive oil to make salad dressings (I really do recommend that you make your own). Bottled dressings contain a lot of questionable ingredients. Poor quality oil chiefly among them. Making dressing is so easy! After following a few recipes to get the hang of it (2-3 parts oil to 1 part acid), dust off your blender and get creative. You’ll be doing your health and your wallet a big favor.
Lemons have a surprising number of health benefits, such as:
Improving heart health
Blood sugar regulation
Fighting kidney stones
Containing Vitamin C for cold prevention and an immune system boost
Protection against anemia
Aiding digestion
Flushing out the system
How to use the juice:
In your daily water. Add a few squirts of liquid stevia and some ice to make a no calorie, no sugar lemonade. I do this almost every day. Sometimes I use my fizzy SodaStream water
Squeeze some lemon into iced tea
Drizzle garlic butter with lemon over steamed veggies or fish
Perk up dishes that need a little “something”. Sometimes just a little lemon adds an element that finishes the dish.
To acidulate cut veggies and fruits to keep them from oxidizing (browning)
To lighten blond hair! We used to do this when I was a kid. We’d wash my hair, rinse some lemon juice through it, then I’d go sit in the sun to let my hair dry. Today, I’d need a LOT of lemons to take on the gray!
Since its winter and citrus is “in”, I encourage you to add the vibrant flavor of lemon and orange to your cooking right now. Start with a simple Lemon Vinaigrette to get you going:
Ingredients:
2 parts good quality cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), (2/3 cup, for example)
1 part juice of several lemons, (1/3 cup, for example)
Dried herbs of choice: chives, dill, basil, oregano, thyme (1/2 tsp of each to start). Any of them, or a little bit of all of them, will do. If you prefer to use fresh herbs, which I highly recommend, use less, as fresh herbs are more potent than dried. Start with smaller quantities. You can always add more. Note that the dressing won’t last as long if you use fresh herbs, because they spoil eventually.
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey or sugar, or a few drops of stevia
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
Sea salt (I prefer Himalayan pink salt) and freshly ground black pepper
Put everything in a small Mason jar, add the lid and screw the ring on, and shake to mix. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Use on green salads, or grilled or steamed vegetables.
#thingstodowithlemon #lemoninsteadofvinegar #saladdressing
