Last year the search was on for Lemon Juice.
Every summer at home I plant basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme in pots and use them almost daily for one thing or another that's going on in the kitchen. This year, I'm attempting to track down herbs to plant here, but so far it has not been as easy as I had thought. We did find a lovely bunch of oregano which is thriving on the terrace and I have a lead on basil. As for the rosemary and thyme ... well, 'thyme' will tell if I ever find live plants! Sorry, that was pretty weak but couldn't resists it!
In the meantime, I looked up the words for basil, rosemary and thyme in Spanish and headed to the market to see what I could find. It was a successful trip and a very economical one. The bags were large - about 2 cups of dried herbs in each - and each bag was 10 pesos. As our dollar is currently worth more than 12 pesos, that's almost free!
So, I now have some dried herbs and will continue the quest for the fresh, green variety.
Oh, on the subject of lemons, I got really excited one day last week when I popped in to say hi to Alfredo, the owner of our local tienda. I was astounded to see a large crate of lemons in the corner of the shop. I did bring down a small bottle of juice with me, but this was a gold mind - I could squeeze them and freeze the juice - I was set for the season! Alfredo even cut one open for me, so that I could check to see if it looked like a 'real' lemon. It was perfect. Lemons, at last!
However, I should have reminded myself that this is Mexico, and we have learned many times not to get too excited about anything until it's a done deal. These lemons were not quite what I expected. They looked like lemons, they smelled like lemons, but unfortunately, they did not taste like lemons. The juice is very mild tasting and has a much sweeter taste than the lemons we are used to.
I now have 2 frozen ice cube trays of this juice. It's wasn't what I expected, but I'll find a use for it somewhere. It might be good to add to iced tea, along with the regular ice cubes.
And, I will continue the on-going quest!
Can't you grow your Lemon tree in Mexico? I found this at http://www.plantea.com/lemon-tree-indoor.htm
ReplyDeleteQuestion is, if you plant the seed, will produce fruit someday?
Here's the deal: As long as the seed is not damaged, and it didn't dry out while you were doing the dishes, the odds are good that it will produce a plant. The plant will have oval, shiny green leaves, fragrant winter flowers, and a better chance at usable fruit than sweet citrus like oranges, which need hot summers to develop sugars and seldom bear fruit in confinement (potted, indoors).
That's a great idea, unfortunatly we juiced the lemons and tossed away the seeds, etc. We had a friend go to Tuscon this week and bring us back a large bottle of lemon juice to use. Maybe next year we'll bring a couple of lemons with us and give it a try.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment.
Sandie