LEMONS May 21, 2003 Susan Noble Family and Consumer Science Extension Agent

Here's a fact for your trivia bank -- 40 percent of all lemonade is sold from June through August. Perhaps the hot, summer months are peak lemonade times, because we like to cool off with cold drinks. Or it could be that most of us love a bargain; though available year round, lemons peak during the summer months.

Whatever the reason, we're not the only ones who indulge in lemons. Throughout history our predecessors have used lemons. They've been used as toothpaste, invisible ink, bleach, and medicine. Another prime use was in witchcraft.

Now take note -- I'm not promoting lemons for any of these uses. (Well maybe for bleaching certain stains; those old guys and gals did know something.) I'm promoting the culinary uses of lemons. Few foods add such flavor magic as lemons. Lemons add zest (no pun intended) to dishes and drinks ranging from sweet to savory. Due to their acidity, lemons are often used in marinades to tenderize meat. Lemon slices and curls of lemon rind make great, low-cost garnishes for food.

We get all this with a nutritional bonus. Lemons are high in vitamin C. Their sour juice makes a surprisingly good alternative to salt.

When purchasing lemons, select ones that are smooth, firm, heavy, and bright yellow with no tinge of green (which signals under-ripeness). Lemons can vary in size from a large egg to a small grapefruit, but size has no affect on taste.

Depending on their condition when purchased, lemons will keep about two weeks. They may keep for a longer time if refrigerated in a plastic bag.

With fresh lemons, get all the juice you can by bringing them to room temperature before squeezing. Another juice-getting trick is to roll the lemon with the palm of your hand on a hard surface (such as the kitchen counter). Be sure to apply ample pressure. This will soften the lemon causing it to release more juice.

Lemon juice is also available bottled and frozen. While very convenient in these forms, I find that freshly squeezed lemon juice has a brighter, fresher twang.

Some food preservation directions, such as for tomatoes, call for lemon juice. In these cases, do use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh. Commercially bottled juice has been standardized to a set point of acidity needed in the preservation process.

As summer and lemon season approaches, check out these recipes.

This is my favorite way to cook green beans. They taste great and the addition of lemon allows me to omit salt -- a bad habit of mine.

Rinse fresh green beans; remove strings and stem ends. (I do leave the pointed tips as I've heard that the vitamins are concentrated there.) Cook the beans in boiling water about 6 to 8 minutes till tender but still slightly crisp. Leaving the lid off the pan while the beans cook will result in a brighter green color. Drain beans. Season with just a touch of margarine and a good squirt of lemon juice. For color and more nutrition, stir in halved cherry tomatoes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8- x 8-inch pan with nonstick spray. Using a food processor, mix flour (1 1/4 cup), oats, and brown sugar. Transfer the flour mixture to a bowl and cut in margarine with a fork or pastry cutter till the mixture becomes grainy. (You can also do this step in a food processor.) Pat mixture into prepared baking pan; bake 15 minutes.

While crust is baking, combine all other ingredients except powdered sugar. Mix with a mixer or food processor till thoroughly mixed and smooth. Pour over baked crust and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until filling is firm. Cool completely and dust with powdered sugar. (I find the powdered sugar absorbs into the filling so wait till just before serving to add the sugar.)

Yields 32 (1- x 2-inch) bars.

Slice lemon in half; squeeze juice and reserve. Use lemon halves to rub all sides of chicken. Mix together oregano, salt, and pepper; sprinkle over chicken. In large fry pan, place olive oil and margarine; heat over medium temperature. Add chicken, skin side down. Sprinkle celery and reserved grated lemon peel evenly over chicken. Cook about 5 minutes, turn chicken and cook 5 minutes more, until brown on all sides. Arrange chicken in 2-quart baking dish that has been coated with nonstick spray. With slotted spoon, remove celery mixture from pan and arrange around chicken. Add potatoes around chicken. To fry pan, add reserved lemon juice and water, stirring and scraping up pan drippings. Bring to a boil over high temperature; pour over chicken and potatoes. Bake chicken and potatoes uncovered at 300°F (basting occasionally with pan juices) for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until fork can be inserted in chicken with ease.

Yields 4 servings at 478 calories.

Source: The Chicken Cookbook--A Del Premium Book

Veal piccata is one of my favorite eat-out dishes. The traditional version contains lots of butter. This version cuts the fat and keeps the flavor.

Bring water to a boil; pour into large, heat-proof bowl. Add tea bags to water and let steep for 10 minutes. Carefully remove tea bags (water may still be hot), squeezing excess liquid from bags into bowl. Discard bags. Add chicken and garlic to tea; marinate for at least 20 minutes in the refrigerator. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a large plastic food bag. Remove chicken from marinade and place in bag. Shake bag till chicken is well coated with flour. Melt margarine in large skillet over medium heat. In skillet, cook chicken on both sides till golden brown and done. Garnish with lemon wedges if desired.

From Cooking With Tea, Siegel.

Since I started this column with lemonade, to finish here's a lemonade recipe with a twist. As above, this recipe uses tea bags. I had a new tea cookbook when I discovered these two recipes.

While lemonade is low in fat, it is high in calories when sweetened with sugar. To reduce calories, I tried using the sugar-free lemonade mix in this recipe but did not care for the results. In another experiment, I used the regular frozen lemonade with artificial sweetener instead of sugar and was pleased.

Serve this in clear glasses to enjoy the pretty rosy color.

Place tea bags in half-gallon pitcher and add the warm water. Place pitcher in refrigerator and let bags steep for one hour. Remove tea bags from pitcher. Add remaining ingredients and stir well.

Recipe from Cooking With Tea, Siegel.

The use of brand names in this column does not imply endorsement by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service of the products or services named or criticism of similar ones not mentioned.

E-mail address: Susan_Noble@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 5/21/03