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How I Squeeze the Beejeesus out of a Single Lemon
Ahhh, those lemons! They are always available in markets and are inexpensive. Lemons can do much more than flavor water, a condiment for fish or used in salad dressings. Here are beneficial ways that I squeeze the life out of a lemon.
First I zest it, even if I don't need fresh zest because it easy to dry by putting it on a paper towel lined plate. To keep it clean, cover loosely with another towel. After a few days it should be dry. I like to use dried zest in "melt and pour" soaps. I love the baby buttermilk formula that I buy from Planktown Hardware and More.
Now I am ready to use the lemon.
Body Scrub
After zesting cut the lemon in half. We only need
one half, so put the other half in the fridge. Juice the half that you kept out.
Put about half of the juice in a glass
of water to sip while you work. Put the remaining juice in a small cup and mix
a few tablespoons of granulated sugar until you get the consistency that you like.
This makes a delightful sugar scrub. Since it has no added oils, it is perfect
for use in the shower. Believe me, you will feel SO refreshed, and your skin
will be so silky smooth you’ll wonder if you somehow grew new skin because
lemons are a natural source of vitamin C, is a natural astringent, and is a natural exfoliant
since the citric acid acts as a gentle "skin peel" that removes the
top layer of dead skin cells. The
natural qualities of sugar are glycolic
acids which are used in many cosmetics. If your skin is sensitive or dry,
dilute the lemon juice with water before adding the sugar.
The sugar scrub in itself is plenty wonderful, but wait! We aren’t nearly done with this lemon just yet.
Kitchen Cleaner
To clean the kitchen sink, turn the lemon half
inside out after you’ve juiced it. Dampen the sink with water and sprinkle salt
over the bottom. Then simply use the lemon half as a scrubber, going up the
sides of the sink, too. Lemons have anti-bacterial qualities that make it a
natural disinfectant, and the salt acts as a mild abrasive. *BONUS*…before
rinsing the sink rub the salted lemon over your damp hands…Viola! You’ve just
given your hands a lemon salt scrub treatment on top of cleaning the sink. Now
rinse out the sink, dry your hands. Your sink and hands are now lemony-fresh.
And, There’s More!
What about your microwave oven? It wants to be clean, too. Take the same
half lemon, salt and all, and place in a bowl of water. Place in the oven and
microwave on high for about two minutes. Remove the steaming bowl with an oven
mitt and wipe down the inside of the oven with a kitchen towel or paper towels.
Isn’t this nice?
One Final Thing…this lemon has practically given its
life for us: lemon water, lemon body scrub, cleaned kitchen sink and microwave
oven. Let’s give it a proper burial, one that will keep on giving. Since I live
in the country and have gardens, I cut what is left of the lemon up into large
chunks (so that it will break down faster) and toss it in the compost.
I do not have a garbage disposal, but I have heard that putting the lemon down the disposal last will help clean it and make it smell as nice as the rest of your kitchen.
I believe that these tips give specific meaning to
the lyrics, Lemon Tree, Very Pretty
because *W*O*W*! That’s a lot of uses for one half of a lemon, isn’t it? The
added, extra bonus is that I feel so thrifty after I’ve had this date
with one of my favorite scents. And, I still have the other half to repeat the
process in a day or so.
Marcheta *Sweet on Lemons (who says they’re sour?)
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