I thought coming to Auckland I would be in the land of lemons. Lemons I consider an essential in the pantry but I am surprised to find out that if I regularly consume lemon water I could also become more shapely – now that is good news!
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| A particularly healthy lemon tree in my niece Francie’s backyard in Hawkes Bay |
Here in Ponsonby people don’t seem to have the citrus trees they do in Hawkes Bay. But it’s early days here and I will do more walks and keep peaking over fences.
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| The view overlooking part of the extensive garden at Waiheke – look at the colour of that sea! |
We enjoyed some slices of a delicious Japanese fruit called Yuzu. I think it tastes a little like a cross between a sweet grapefruit and a lemon. Its bumpy skin is similar to someone suffering from an acne attack. If you want to learn more about how the Yuzu is used in Japanese and Korean cuisine click here:
Wikipedia on Yuzu
Preserved Lemons
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| A preserved lemon is usually ready to eat after 2 months in the jar |
Preserving lemons is easy and to buy them is costly. They look good in the kitchen as well as being a wonderful addition to dishes. Anna Gare who is a household name in Australia from her series “Quickies in the Kitchen” has one of the best recipes. She explains everything you need to know…about preserving lemons. I liked the way she stuffs the “nearly” quartered lemons with rock salt. Click on this link below:
When I did my first preserved lemons I was a little unsure how to use them. My son Gus came to the rescue and showed me. My sister Kerry during a break while helping me clean up my Dunedin pantry turned the process into an artwork.
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| 1. scrape away fruit and pith scraping as much of the white pith off as you can, 2. wash to get rid of the extreme saltiness, 3. slice or use as you like. See more of Kerry’s work on her Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com /theartdept.dunedin |
Using just the skin seems a dreadful waste at first but consider that the skin is supposed to have 5-10 times the vitamins of the juice. By making that skin delicious you not only have lemons on hand all year but you are using the most beneficial part of the lemon.
Oven Baked New Potatoes with Lemon and Garlic
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| Potatoes ready to go into the oven a mix of Swift and Red potatoes |
Delicious Lemon Pickle
Robyn gave me a jar of her Delicious Lemon Pickle. The recipe came from “The Second Black Dog Cottage Cookbook” by Adie McClelland who will be a tutor at this years Wanaka Autumn Art School. Unfortunately Adie’s class is full but look out for the 2014 programme for next year’s cooking tutor. If you are interested in other artistic pursuits take a look at the programme on www.autumnartschool.net.nz
DELICIOUS LEMON PICKLE
Adie’s receipes are Mediterranean and Asian inspired and you can find out more about the cookbooks and Adie on www.blackdogcottage.co.nz
Lemon Water
If you take lemon, sweetened with a little honey in warm water morning and night :
– your skin will improve
– it will aid your digestion and eliminate waste products from your body easier
– helps promote your immune system
– it purifies the blood
– gargle it to help a sore throat and cure bad breath
– the high potassium will benefit those with high blood pressure
– it can work wonders on the shape of your body by working on the body’s accumulated fat.
– it’s a fabulous antiseptic bestowed on us by Mother Nature.
For more info go to this blog: The Top 10 Benefits of Lemon Juice
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| Francie picking lemons for me |
Today I got lucky. I found a 1 litre French preserving jar with a glass lid and rubber seal in a junk shop on K Road. The seal was stuck so I was given the jar for free. This weekend I am off to one of the Auckland markets to see if I can find the last of the season’s lemons at a good price to preserve in my jar.
After reading up about the health benefits of the lemon, especially working wonders on the body shape, I truly cannot understand why everyone up here in the sunny north doesn’t have at least one lemon tree in their garden.
