When Life Gives You Lemons…Say Thank You!
March 31, 2008
Our vacation is over and I’m trying to catch up on all my chores before beginning to create some art again. One of the chores I have to complete is not so much of a chore. We went to visit my in-laws in California. They have a lemon and an orange tree. They were both packed with fruit. My husband picked oranges and brought them home to eat. I decided to take some lemons home. We don’t grow oranges and lemons in Oregon, so citrus is a real treat for us.
Since they won’t last long unless I do something with them, today I’m doing my best to preserve my lemons. My house smells wonderful.
I’m peeling off the skin (zest) of the lemon. A lot of recipes call for lemon zest and peeling it off now. I’ll probably freeze or dry it.
The lemon juice I’m getting from the lemons amazes me. It is more orange than the stuff we get in the store. I’m definitely freezing some of it. My kids were hoping for lemonade…maybe later.
I’m sure my in-laws think we’re nuts. They have lemon trees throughout their neighborhood. When you have something in abundance, I think you fail to really appreciate it. It had me thinking about our home in Oregon. We have berries and tree fruit instead of olives, almonds, oranges and lemons. Next time the in-laws come to visit, I won’t roll my eyes when they decide they want to pick berries for the 3rd day in a row.
March 31, 2008 at 6:46 am
Was just checking to see if you were back from vacation. Hope you had a great time. Your pictures are sooo clear. What camera do you use?
March 31, 2008 at 7:13 am
I’m back. I’m trying to catch up with the house and shop.
I use a Cannon PowerShot G3 for most of my photos. Cannon has much better cameras out now, but this one works fine for me. I take the photos in good light so that I never have to use a flash.
I don’t consider myself a great photographer. When I’m taking pictures of small things, like jewelry, I often have to take many photos before I get a good one. I could go on about my photo-taking adventures, but maybe I’ll save it for a full post.
March 31, 2008 at 7:05 pm
I know what you mean about when things are in abundance you take them for granted. When I was a kid, my neighbor had a large peach tree. I didn’t like peaches then. Now, I think about that peach tree often (I love peaches now) and all the peaches that rotted on the ground. That said, there’s nothing better than homemade lemonade.
March 31, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Those lemons look wonderful, Plum! I love lemons in iced tea, although homemade lemonade sounds pretty good, too. There is no doubt that it would taste much better than the stuff you buy at the grocery store.
March 31, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Breathing deep….ooohhh those lemons smell so good! Thank you!
March 31, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Hi Paul! We have a few peach trees. They aren’t that abundant yet. They magically disappear without ever touching the ground.
Hi Belinda and RW! It’s good to be home. I did make lemonade and lemon chicken last night. The lemons did smell wonderful. Thank you for stopping by.
April 1, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Going to checkout that camera. Thanks!!