Lemons-How To Make Baby Boomer Queen’s Southern Summer Lemonade

Lemons are natural refreshers and all year round there are many ways to take advantage of their native natural properties.

Lemons have long had a prominent place in history. According to lore, the ladies of Louis XIV”s (1638-1715) court loved to bite lemons to keep their lips seductively red and the Romans, in their vast knowledge, valued lemons as an antidote to all poisons.

Here are some ways to take advantage of the fact that lemons are available year round.

Baby Boomer Queen’s Southern Summer Lemonade Recipe

There is nothing better on a hot summer day or night than to serve homemade lemonade, Southern style, to your guests. So, here is how to make fresh lemonade, the Southern way. It has to be fresh lemonade not frozen (that is how Maxine would make it).

First compile all of your ingredients together so you don’t forget an ingredient.

• 1 1/2 cups sugar

• 1/2 cup boiling water

• 5 cups water

• 1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (8 to 9 large lemons)

• 1 TBS grated lemon rind

Directions:

• Stir the sugar into the 1/2 cup of boiling water, dissolve.

• Add the rest of the ingredients and refrigerate. I put mine in the freezer…I have to have mine really cold, even icy.

THEN…To Serve It…

Take a good size watermelon, cutting a small slice (make a wavy cut and the lid will stay on better and be more attractive) from the narrow end to act as a lid or cover. Hollow out the inside, like a pumpkin, saving some slices for drink decorations…save the rest or make my famous Watermelon Sorbet.

Place on a platter on the counter and surround with shaved or cracked ice; then fill with lemonade. When serving, fill a glass full of shaved ice.Southerners use lots of ice because it is stinkin’ hot down here!

For Garnishes:

• Add one or two pieces of the melon taken from the inside.
• Lemon and/or orange slices
• Apple and/or pears.
• Pineapple slices
• Mint sprigs

Additional ways to serve lemonade:

You can boil some ginger in your water that you are going to make your lemonade with. I love ginger. OR you can adding enough extract of Jamaica ginger, to get that tropical taste.
Pineapple, grape juice, raspberry, strawberry, kiwi fruit, can all be added to make it that tropical festive flavor.
Add seltzer to your lemonade, drink it at night and it will help get rid of your night leg cramps.
Add at least 90% alcohol, tequila or rum to give it a bite…the Baby Boomer Queen reminds you…”do not drink and drive.”
And ALWAYS serve with a Southern smile.
Drink more fresh lemonade! The same recipe is good in the winter, just warm it up and serve like hot tea.

Other Lemon Uses:

Squeezing lemon juice into your water can make it taste and smell better. Adding a little natural sweetener,which will cut the tartness, if desired.

Freeze lemon juice in ice trays and add those to your water, tea or favorite cocktail.

Liven up your vegetables. After you saute your vegetables, squeeze fresh lemon over them to bring out the color and flavor. With out the calories!

Thin your salad dressing. Cut your salad dressing portion by thinning it with fresh, squeezed lemon juice. The dressing will spread more uniformly throughout your salad so you’ll use less. OR, just use lemon juice, mustard and honey, it is one of my favorites.

Highlight your hair. When I was growing up, we were not allowed to dye our hair or lighten it. Chemicals were not allowed. So my sister and I would lemon juice and water, then go out in the sun, to naturally “streak” our hair. Being a darker blonde than my sister, her hair always worked the best!

Lemon is also a good to strip your hair of built up natural oils, waxes and chemicals. Remember, it is a natural acidic acid and it cause drying, so I don’t recommend using it not too often.

Remove cooking odors. Rubbing your hands with lemons dipped in salt can help to remove cooking odors such as garlic, onions, fish, and more. Who wants to smell like fish?

Use as a face cleaner. I never had a blemish when I was a child. I would take a lemon or lemon juice, if there were none and clean my face with it. In “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” the girls Dad used Windex to solve everything. Me, I suggest lemon and/or lemon juice.

Roll a lemon so that it is nice and juicy, cut in half then take 1/2 of a lemon use it to lighten and clean your elbows. Just rub it right on your elbows. Anyone having dark elbows this will help . Then squeeze the rest in your bath water.

Got greasy hard stain, like spaghetti sauce? Squeeze some juice on it, rub your lemon on it and place in the washer. You can even throw the used lemon in the wash cycle…you will make your clothes smell lemony.

Take a peppermint cane (candy cane) and stick it in a lemon and suck the juice through the candy cane. I had some kids that used to work for me that loved their lemons that way.

Do not let your children or grand children grow up with out making them a lemonade stand!

Sometimes the simplest things can bring beauty and enjoyment to your life. Lemons are just that, a natural surprise.
The next time you go to the produce department, take a more serious look at Lemons! They are the natural way to go.

If life hands you lemons…just make some of The Baby Boomer Queen’s “Southern Summer Lemonade!”

I had fun writing this article. I hope you had enjoyed reading it and making.
~The Baby Boomer Queen~

Related Posts:

• Baby Boomer Queen’s Watermelon Sorbet
• Baby Boomer Queen’s Pickled Watermelon Rind Recipe
• Baby Boomer Queen’s-Green Mean Recipe
• What was George W. Bush’s Final Thanksgiving Day Meal as President At Camp David in 2008
• Heart Healthy Recipe-Fresh Fruit Kebabs With Lemon Lime Dip
• Summer Super Easy Strawberry Kiwi Pie-Low Fat
• Baby Boomer Queen’s-Quick And Easy Sugar Free Lemon Ice Box Pie Recipes


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