lemon // fruit

🌱🍋🤔 Did you know there is no part of a lemon to go to waste? Well, maybe the stem, even that goes into the compost! The zest, skin, pulp, pith, and seeds are all edible. Grandma Sita is lucky enough to have some lemon trees in her garden and pick homegrown lemons all year round. Gigantic or small varieties are always welcome in her kitchen!

Lemons are a rich source of vitamin C and antioxidants, supporting immune function and overall health. Lemons also contain other important nutrients: fructose, fiber, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and copper, as well as vitamins B1, B2, B6, folate, and pantothenic acid. 

You will never get bored with this versatile citrus. It can be roasted, boiled, steamed, or pickled and is most often used raw for lemonades/juices or garnish for food and drinks. Then when life gives you lemons, bake Grandma Sita’s plant-based lemon cake! Easy, light, and so lemony this cake is an all-time classic.

👵💛 Grandma Sita’s tips: 
*The lemon flavor is not as concentrated as lemon zest, so you’ll want to keep this formula handy: 1 teaspoon of lemon zest = 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
*Whole lemons are best kept in the fridge submerged in a water bowl, at room temperature lemons like any fruit, will start to go bad quicker.  
*You can freeze peels and zest from lemons, or simply put the whole citrus fruit in a freezer-safe container, remove as much air as possible, and freeze for up to 6 months.

The average lifespan of lemon trees is over 50 years, but a vigorous tree can live over 100 years! The leaves of the lemon tree are used to make tea, deep-fry sweet treats, or prepare cooked meat and seafood.

😆 Fun fact, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” is a proverbial phrase to encourage optimism and a positive can-do attitude in the face of adversity or misfortune. Lemons suggest sourness/difficulty in life; making lemonade turns them into something positive/desirable. 

All of us can act at home by making lemonade when life gives you lemons 😉 Let’s unite to raise awareness of this global crisis and make small but significant changes at home in how we care for our food. Food waste is a problem we can solve together!