Great balls of sunshine, polished chrome, and buckets of lemonade, too!

To be such a small thing, the humble lemon is a powerhouse. I must confess that one of my favorite things about lemons is their beautiful color. Artist = Color = Love. A bowl of lemons on my kitchen counter is like sunshine, even in the coldest days of winter. Second on list of reasons to like lemons is their ability to multi-task. They may have actually invented the word.

Sure, most people think of lemons as the main ingredient in lemonade. Nothing wrong with a tall, cold glass of sweet-sour deliciousness. I make it for my husband all the time. He thinks I’m being a nice wife, slicing lemons and stirring up a pitcher full for his drinking pleasure. What he doesn’t know, and I don’t bother to tell him, is I have ulterior motives. Lemonade is good for him.

The husband is a truck driver. This means, for two weeks at a time he’s out there on the road, cruising the interstate highways in a big ol’ truck. To look at him, you wouldn’t guess he’s a truck driver. He’s skinny. No truck-driver belly on my guy. He’s got a physique better suited to rodeo riding than truck driving. (And he’s from Texas!) Despite his small frame, he’s in that truck, sitting on his small butt, 14 hours a day. It’s hard on a body, even a small one. He’s 48 years old and has had kidney stones four times. Not a good thing.

Of course, it didn’t help that the husband was a Coke-aholic when I got him back in January 2000. Used to be a iced tea-aholic but his doctor made him stop drinking it because of the urinary tract problems it caused him. As if Coke was any better! I used to be a Coke-aholic, too. So I knew the dangers hidden in those bottles of fizz. Most of the tales about Coke dissolving nails and distributors of Coke using it to clean engines is urban legend. (Check out Snopes.com when you hear stuff like that.) Although, Coke will put a serious shine on an old penny.

Now, what I’m talking about is the fact there is nothing, absolutely nothing, nutritious about Coke. Published versions say it contains sugar, caramel color, caffeine, phosphoric acid, high fructose corn syrup, cocoa extract, lime extract, vanilla and glycerin. The original version had a higher content of cocaine from the cocoa leaves than today’s current version. Not only is it nutritionally useless, it swells your stomach, giving you the sensation of being full. This kills your appetite, as well as fills you up with more soda than food when you do eat a meal. Hard on your system.

I will never forget the day I told the husband he needed to stop drinking all that Coke and drink water. His words,  “No way! I ain’t drinkin’ no stinkin’ buncha’ water!” Today, nearly 10 years later, the husband usually only drinks Coke with a meal, and then only about a ½ cup full. He takes cases of water on the road with him. At home, he likes lemonade and I am more than happy to fix it for him.

Lemons are effective diuretics which help the body eliminate excess fluids. Beside cleansing the body of toxins and bad bacteria, the natural diuretics in the juice of lemons help prevent a host of problems associated with water retention, such as glaucoma, edema (swelling), high blood pressure and bloating. They are also effective in combating urinary tract infections and bladder disorders, as well as conditions associated with a high uric acid concentration, such as arthritis and rheumatism.

Wait, there’s more.

Although the lemon is often thought of as acidic, it is very effective in curing many digestion problems when mixed with hot water, including biliousness, nausea, heartburn, disorders of the lower intestines like constipation and worm infestations. It is even known to relieve hiccups. Lemon juice, when taken regularly in the morning, acts as a tonic to the liver and stimulates it to produce bile making it ready to digest the day's food. It is also thought to help dissolve gallstones. Because of its high vitamin C content, it is thought to help prevent and treat many infections, hasten wound healing and temper down high fever. Lemon juice also relieves symptoms of asthma, tonsillitis and sore throat. When lemon is mixed with coffee, it is thought to help treat malaria. This concoction is also effective for headaches.

Lemons help remove warts, relieve rough hands and sore feet, soothe poison ivy, disinfect cuts and scrapes, soften dry elbows, treats dandruff, freshens your breath, treats acne, cleans and whitens your nails, lighten age spots, highlights your hair, calms your nerves or gives you a pick-me-up when you need it.

That’s just a few health benefits. This is where a lemons’ multi-tasking comes in.

Around the house, lemons can be used for removing stains, neutralize cat box odors, clean tarnished brass and polish chrome, brighten dull aluminum, freshen the fridge, sanitize and deodorize cutting boards, keep insects out of the house, clean your microwave, deodorize your garbage disposal, bleach delicate fabrics and whiten whites, boost laundry detergent, rid clothes of mildew, used in dishwashing they are a mild de-greaser, get rid of rust, get rid of hard water spots, clean your drain – especially if you have a septic system, and a lot more.

What about with food? 

Oh yes, lemons keep potatoes and other fruits and vegetables from turning brown, keeps rice from sticking,  make soggy lettuce crisp and …

There is lemon sorbet, lemon pound cake, lemon icing, lemon- thyme asparagus, sautéed green beans with lemon, lemon butter, lemon anise bread, lemon salsa, lemon wild rice risotto, lemon vinaigrette, lemon gum drops, lemon tarts, lemon cookies, lemon sour cream sauce, mushrooms with lemon sauce, lemon drop martini, lemon chicken, lemon-dill grilled fish, lemon-garlic potatoes, lemon-poppy seed muffins, lemon-pepper chicken or fish, lemon-blueberry-walnut bread, lemon-berry trifle, lemon basmati rice, chocolate-lemon cream bars, lemon-zucchini bread, raspberry-lemon smoothie, lemon-shrimp linguini, lemon-dill cucumber salad, almond-lemon cake, baked lemon-basil pasta, lemon meringue pie, and of course, lemonade. Hundreds of ways to eat (or drink) a lovely, sunny yellow lemon.

Impressive for something that fits in the palm of your hand, isn’t it?

Namaste, y’all …

Carol