MARCH | 2019 all about lemons...lemons HealtH beneFIts Lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C....
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LEMONS HEALTH BENEFITS Lemons 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 • When selecting lemons, look for clear, blemish- free rinds. It should be heavy for its size and have a pleasant fragrance. • A thinner-skinned lemon will yield more juice, while a thicker-skinned one may be better for zest. • Use whole lemons whole for within a week or two • Refrigerate/freeze lemon juice, lemon zest, or lemon slices separately for later use. Note: The flavor may be less strong than fresh lemons. CULINARY USES • Lemon Juice: is used to make lemonade, soft drinks, and cocktails. It can also be used to marinate fish and flavor desserts such as lemon meringue pie or lemon blueberry muffins. Lemon juice is frequently used in the United Kingdom to add to pancakes. • Lemon peel/zest: Lemon zest is used in both savory and sweet dishes such as pastas or marmalades. The lemon’s peel can be candied when cut into strips. • Lemon Leaves: Leaves of a lemons tree are used to make tea and for preparing meats and seafood. FUN FACTS • The high acidity of lemons make them good cleaning aids. • In 1747, James Lind’s experiments on seamen suffering from scurvy involved adding lemon juice to their diets, though vitamin C was not yet known. • In February to March, a Lemon Festival is celebrated in Menton, France. • Each lemon tree can produce between 500 and 600 pounds of lemons a year. Presented by American Culinary Federation Education Foundation. More tools and resources available on www.acfchefs.org/ccf MARCH | 2019 INGREDIENT OF THE MONTH ALL ABOUT
Transcript of 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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