Growing at the Speed of Life - A Year in the Life of My First Kitchen Garden

Lemon

Citrus limon

W

hen it comes to finding the very best in­
gredients to use as alternatives to those
high in saturated fat, refined starch, and sodium,
the list begins with citrus and then goes directly
to the herb garden and on into the kitchen gar­
den. Each of these choices is full of fl avor, pri­
mary taste, and aroma, as well as texture. No
wonder that recipes treated to such adjustments
often wind up actually improved!
Unfortunately, the idea of TACT (taste,
aroma, color, texture) replacement isn’t well
understood; after all, it’s taken me more than
20 years to begin to fully appreciate its value!
Because of this lack of understanding, most
of the efforts made to lessen risk begin and end
with cutting things out, which leaves an oft en
tasteless vacuum. What should happen is to
add before you subtract!
The perfect example is to add lemon—
preferably freshly squeezed—to a dish like
mushrooms sautéed in butter. You will then
be able to reduce the amount of butter because
the lemon will provide the enhanced fl avor,
without the drawbacks.
I heartily recommend (and am growing ) the
Meyer lemon, as it is easy to grow and has a

remarkable almost sweet-and-sour taste and a

truly floral fragrance—well worth the eff ort to

include in a sheltered sunny spot, or perhaps a

greenhouse?

As the fruit matures (in its second year), it

moves from the typically acidic to a sweeter over­

tone. As it sweetens, the rind gets a slightly or­

ange blush and the flesh turns a very light

orange.

I ordered my lemon as a 2-year-old dwarf

bare-root tree. I received it in April and imme­

diately transplanted it in well-drained sandy

loam in a 15-inch pot, with holes drilled in the

bottom to allow for drainage. I set it on a drip

tray and kept it indoors in a sunny spot until the

daytime temperatures went above 65ºF. Th en it

went into a wind-sheltered sunny spot. I hope

to see fruit next year.

The Numbers

For each 100 g with peel (3.5 oz ; ½ cup): 20 calories,

11 g carbohydrate, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 1 g

protein, 5 g dietary fiber, 3 mg sodium

172 • GROWING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE