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My Favorite Lemons

My favorite lemons of all time come from my father's trees in California.  I eagerly anticipate these winter trips to the west coast not only to see the extended family and good friends, but to partake of the bounty of lemons at mom & dad's.  For dad to climb up a ladder and pick the best lemons for me to take home is all in a day's work, but to me, it really is something special.  It means everything in the world to be able to bring these fruits back to Pennsylvania. 


Although I have to have lemons in my kitchen at all times, with no exceptions, there is nothing like having dad's lemons sitting in one of my bowls or platters. Thin-skinned and very juicy, the lemons get used for both savory and sweet preparations.  

With stems and leaves still attached to some of these fruits, I absolutely love the variety of sizes.  It's not like what one finds in the stores; all the same size, the same color and perfectly waxed until they shine.  These lemons range from tiny kumquat-size to larger-than-an-egg in dimension and have textured skin which may or may not be blemished.  Don't let the small ones fool you, because they too have a lot of juice in them.

I compiled a sort of inspiration board of lemon cakes from online sources.  In the near future I am going to make a lemon cake for a birthday celebration, so I'm gathering ideas.  

Lemon desserts are my all-time favorite.  
As a kid I used to drool at the lemon jelly rolls 
and the lemon meringue pies 
whenever we'd visit one of our local bakeries. 
Nothing has changed!  


Lemon curd will undoubtedly get made with dad's lemons.  Tangy, sweet and infinitely delicious are just some of the strong points of lemon curd.  Rest assured that I will find a way to incorporate it into something very soon.  Stay tuned!

Comments

  1. It's so great that your Dad has lemon trees! I would love to be in a climate that would allow for fresh lemons!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kenn, I wish I could have citrus trees. I'm so envious of people that have them in their yards!

    ReplyDelete
  3. There's nothing better than going home again... And I'm thrilled that your homecoming was made even better by bringing back such wonderful things as your father's lemons!

    xo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Isn't it the best, Janet? I didn't want to leave California and come back to the frigid weather here on the east coast, but alas, my babies needed me!

    Have a great one!

    :)

    ReplyDelete

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