Is this the year of the lemon? My tree is laden and so are the trees of all our neighbours. Gifts of our lemons are being refused - for the first time in my lemon-growing life.
Mine are the Meyer variety which do not have the same tartness as the firmer Lisbon lemons. However, they do juice easily. Store these beauties in the fridge to keep them firm but return the lemons to room temperature before use so they juice more readily. Pop them briefly in the microwave or warm them in hot water.
Lemon juice is an excellent substitute for vinegar in dressings. Many people swear by a squeeze of lemon in warm water first thing in the morning to aid digestion and others wipe juice on their faces to enhance their skin. Lemon juice is high in vitamin C and combined with warm water sweetened with honey is the old-fashioned remedy to keep colds at bay.
Lemon juice and finely grated rind can be frozen separately in ice cube trays for addition to dressings, sauces and bakes. But it's not just the lemon that can be enjoyed. Young lemon leaves can be added whole or shredded to rice, casseroles or soups to enhance flavour, or threaded on skewers with lamb and courgettes for Greek-style kebabs.
Gluten-free lemon cake
This is similar to the wedding cake I made for my son and his wife.
Lemon gin and ginger marmalade
A delicious way to use up an excess of lemons.
Prawn salad with lemon dressing
A delicious and easy starter to dinner.
