I have a lemon tree growing in my front yard, that produces the most delicious lemons. These are a special breed of lemons called Meyer lemons. Aren't the blossoms lovely? The fragrance is intoxicating.
I love lemon in my tea. That's why I planted the tree! I am seldom without lemons. Sometimes I have so many, I need to squeeze them all and put them in a jar in the refrigerator. Some say to put them in ice cube trays, but then the resulting ice cube would be too much a dose of lemon for my individual 20 ounce tea cup. I mean mug. I have a collection of the most wonderful dainty porcelain and china tea cups, but only bring them out when friends come over. My tea pot only holds four cups, so my mug is for when I am by myself and can guzzle to my heart's content.
According to sources, adding a squeeze of lemon juice to black tea clears the liquid. It changes from a dark, opaque brown to a transparent deep red-orange in a matter of seconds.
The reaction makes the tea lose not just the brown color but also the astringency, so strong black tea can be made more drinkable this way - especially with the addition of a little sweetener to take the edge off the flavor.
Lemon tea made this way remains flavorful at any temperature, and recipes for iced tea often call for the addition of lemon. Incidentally, orange juice is also acid enough to remove most of the tea's astringency, as well as sweetening it; it sounds weird, but it's actually pretty good. Some call this Russian Tea.
Hi Elizabeth. A friend gave me this wonderful pitcher as a gift. It makes a wonderful chilled lemon water I drink all summer long!See: - Jen
ReplyDeleteLucky! I would love to have a Lemon tree in my yard to make fresh lemonade...my favorite in the summertime. The blossoms are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThat tree is wonderful. I'd love to grow my owm lemons but unfortunately the climate here would not be warm enough.
ReplyDeleteSo I buy lemons to put in my Earl Grey Tea.
I used to make lemon curd (many years ago) ~ it's a sort of sweet lemon preserve and utterly delicious. Have you ever made any? Also I would make home made Lemon Meringue. But now the boys have their own homes, I don't bother ~ as P hasn't got a sweet tooth.
Jan
I loved your description of Meyer lemons (intoxicating) which is exactly how I feel about their fragrance. Where I live we don't have easy access to fresh Meyer lemons, so what I do is just go online (http://www.buy-meyer-lemon.com/) and order from growers that pick them right off the trees and ship them direct — a tip I learned from my cousin in North Dakota. This way I get fresh Meyer lemons picked from the tree without all the time sitting in cartons, trucks and warehouses.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Lauren
Thanks, Lauren! Though my tree is prolific and produces fruit almost around the year, there are times when it is slim pickin's. I truly miss the Meyers.
ReplyDeleteJan, I use them in Earl Grey too. Yum!
My mother had one of these trees in her yard in California. She loved the lemons!
ReplyDeleteI, on the other hand, like my tea strong (minus lemon) as do most of Irish decent. But unlike them - I do not like cream in my tea, I drink it black. :-)
Your lemon tree and its blossoms are beautiful. I like lemon in my tea, too, but only iced tea. If my throat is scratchy, I will add lemon (and honey) to hot tea. Otherwise, I drink hot tea with milk. While in Hawaii I purchased passion fruit tea, mango tea and pineapple tea. All three have a delicious fruity taste.
ReplyDelete