There’s that old saying about taking lemons and turning them into lemonade and while I’m all in favour of the sentiment of it – making something sweet out of a sour situation – around here, the lemons go into hot water and start our day. And we’re thrilled that they grow on a tree near a house that’s undergoing renos, so we’re helping ourselves to the dark yellow, sweet fruit that would otherwise go to waste.
 

 
The above are Meyer lemons – thought to be a cross between a citron and a mandarin/pomelo hybrid. They’re sweet enough that they can alter a lemon meringue pie recipe (cutting the need for sugar) and they make for a lovely morning drink. (While the jury of internet know-it-alls seems to be out on whether lemon juice is a good cleanse, Rob and I figure it can’t hurt and it’s a great way to prime our taste buds for a great cup of coffee!)
 
Yesterday, our dog walk came after quite a ferocious wind storm. We were delighted to come across an orange tree that had shed so much fruit (the origins of the word “windfall,” I’m told) that the cloth bag we’d brought (for just such a possibility) came in very handy. 
 

 
But right next to that tree was one bearing the strangest looking fruit I’ve seen down here in California. What on earth was this bumpy mess?
 

 

 
We assumed it was probably a grapefruit; they grow plentifully on neighbours’ trees as well. So when I got home, I had no hopes that it was something I’d be able to eat (a prescription I take forbids grapefruit) and Rob was resigned to having to eat one of his less favourite fruits. 
 

 
Imagine our delight when I cut it open and tasted it: this was no grapefruit! It was indeed a lemon. A great big, sour lemon. In fact, it is a citron – the very fruit used in making a Meyers lemon. When I looked up the Meyers lemon online for this journal, there it was: a picture of the bumpy yellow fruit that had made us scratch our heads.
 

 
We were able to get quite a bit of juice from this bitter baby and we’ll be having some first thing tomorrow. 
 
In the meantime, while I’m always glad to learn new things and experience new foods, I still wonder who the first person was to crack open an oyster and say, “Hmmm…I bet this will taste good.” Ugh. It’s a wonder people have survived, huh? 
 
Here’s to taking lemons – or citrons – and making, not just lemonade or pie, but a journal. You have a great day and we’ll be back with you tomorrow. Pucker up!