National Lemon Juice Day

National Lemon Juice Day. Oh, the possibilities of lemon juice! Used for baking, lemonade, iced tea, or cleaning, lemon juice can improve your life. Ok, maybe not your LIFE, but definitely your cooking possibilities. So why don’t we take a look at some of the uses, popular and not-so-popular, of lemon juice?

Does anyone else remember when Jan Brady used lemon juice to try to rid herself of freckles?

What can we do with lemon juice?

• NOT get rid of freckles…..Jan 🙄
• Used in blueberry pie
• A great addition to water (don’t forget the mint!)
• Iced tea (I’ll get you that recipe soon! It’s my favorite.)
• Of course, lemonade!
• Cleaning stainless surfaces
• Boost metabolism (that’s why we add it to water)
• As a natural hair highlighter (I did this one a lot as a teen. just squeeze and rub in hair, lay in the sun with hair out flat on the deck or towel)
• Flushes kidneys and liver (again, add to water)
• Don’t forget it in your tartar sauce.
• How else will we know who got the diet soda at the table?
• And like every child can attest to….eat them!!!

#NationalLemonJuiceDay

It’s bright, it’s sour, it’s useful. it’s a LEMON!!! This versatile fruit originated in the Himalayan Mountains. I bet you didn’t see that coming! I know I didn’t. We think pf lemons as being a tropical fruit, but the Hilalayas? Not so much! The lemon is thought to have evolved on the lower slopes of the Himalayan Mountains in eastern India (Davies and Albrigo 1994; Morton 1987). Molecular research indicates lemon originated from a cross of citron (C. medica) and sour orange (C. aurantium) (Moore 2001).

Himalayan vegetation can be broadly classified into four types—tropical, subtropical, temperate, and alpine—each of which prevails in a zone determined mainly by elevation and precipitation. Local differences in relief and climate, as well as exposure to sunlight and wind, cause considerable variation in the species present within each zone. Tropical evergreen rainforest is confined to the humid foothills of the eastern and central Himalayas. 

https://www.britannica.com/place/Himalayas/Climate

So why all the hype surrounding lemon juice and National Lemon Juice Day? I think it’s obvious with all the uses. It’s a flavor enhancer, is packed with tons of health benefits, and is still so fun to watch babies scrunch up their faces at first taste.