MARCH | 2019 all about lemons...lemons HealtH beneFIts Lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C....

leMons

health benefitsLemons are an excellent source of vitamin C. Research shows that eating fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke. The fiber and plant compounds in lemons could also significantly lower some risk factors for heart disease. The citric acid in lemons acts as an antioxidant and helps protect the body against free radicals.

WHat are lemons? Lemon, is a small tree in the flowering plant family Rutaceae. The tree produces an edible fruit that is oval with a broad, low, nipple. The outer rind, or peel, is yellow when ripe and rather thick in some varieties. The inside pulp is pale-yellow and split into 8 to 10 segments. Some fruits are seedless though most have a few seeds that are small, oval, and smooth. Due to the lemon’s acidity level, they have a distinct sour taste.

selecting and storing

• Whenselectinglemons,lookforclear,blemish-freerinds.Itshouldbeheavyforitssizeandhaveapleasantfragrance.

• Athinner-skinnedlemonwillyieldmorejuice,whileathicker-skinnedonemaybebetterforzest.

• Usewholelemonswholeforwithinaweekortwo

• Refrigerate/freezelemonjuice,lemonzest,orlemonslicesseparatelyforlateruse.note:Theflavormaybelessstrongthanfreshlemons.

Culinary uses

• LemonJuice:isusedtomakelemonade,softdrinks,andcocktails.Itcanalsobeusedtomarinatefishandflavordessertssuchaslemonmeringuepieorlemonblueberrymuffins.LemonjuiceisfrequentlyusedintheUnitedKingdomtoaddtopancakes.

• Lemonpeel/zest:Lemonzestisusedinbothsavoryandsweetdishessuchaspastasormarmalades.Thelemon’speelcanbecandiedwhencutintostrips.

• LemonLeaves:Leavesofalemonstreeareusedtomaketeaandforpreparingmeatsandseafood.

fun facts

• Thehighacidityoflemonsmakethemgoodcleaningaids.

• In1747,JamesLind’sexperimentsonseamensufferingfromscurvyinvolvedaddinglemonjuicetotheirdiets,thoughvitaminCwasnotyetknown.

• InFebruarytoMarch,aLemonFestivaliscelebratedinMenton,France.

• Eachlemontreecanproducebetween500and600poundsoflemonsayear.

Presented by American Culinary Federation Education Foundation. More tools and resources available on www.acfchefs.org/ccf

march | 2019IngredIent of the month

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