Mother’s “Hot Lemon”

Since I’m 20-plus years beyond the age of majority, it’s likely the statute of limitations will clear my mom of any wrong doing. But, be warned, this is a story about Mom’s homemade elixir – good to cure what ails you (or at least give you a few hours of sleep). Do not take this as an endorsement to medicate your kids, or yourself for that matter; I’m just recalling a childhood experience that your mom may have used on you too!

Natural remedies have been around since the beginning of time. Survival depended upon learning the value of the foods, spices and herbs, so it’s no surprise that many of the healing potions used long ago were derived from natural ingredients. It’s nature’s way of healing - that’s how I like to think my Mom was caring for her family. When you were sick with a cough or congested and couldn’t breathe or sleep, Mom would whip up a cup of “Hot Lemon.” As a kid, it really didn’t taste good, yet somehow it made you feel better, and gave you and everyone else in the house, a night’s rest. The ingredients were simple – freshly squeezed lemon juice, pits and pulp included, honey, boiling water and a shot of some clear liquid she would get from a fancy bottle stored in the highest kitchen cabinet. Along with Vicks Vaporub smeared on my chest, I would slowly sip my cup of “hot lemon” until it was gone or I fell asleep. 

Certainly, I don’t endorse this practice and never used it on my kids, but I can’t deny that it worked. There is some validity to the ingredients, particularly the lemon juice, known to be high in vitamin C. Citrus like lemons, limes, grapefruits, and tangerines are some of the best known varieties of fruits and highly consumed around the world. Each with their own unique flavor profile like sweet, sour, tart, and bitter they can be enjoyed alone or in combination with other ingredients, and the entire fruit has value from the peel all the way to the seeds. Have you heard of grapefruit seed extract? It is an extract derived from the seeds, pulp and white membranes of grapefruit and is reported to have antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties according to Wikipedia. In addition to the medicinal qualities, lemon juice is used as a food preservative, and is also used in commercial products for its cleaning and deodorizing properties. 

Many people are not familiar with zesting citrus. Are you? Please share a favorite recipe using citrus and next time we’ll talk about how and why you want to zest.