Lemons to Lemonade

Lemons to Lemonade

As the earth brings forth the blooming of Spring with its annual flowering show I can't ignore celebrating it. This is one of my favorite times of year because the climate is perfect and the blooms and colors are spectacular. The phrase of turning lemons into lemonade is literally and symbolically. I know we are in the middle of a pandemic, so I am going to share some simple and environmentally friendly ways to incorporate lemons in your daily life.  Many of  the products we use for cleaning  have lemon or are lemon scented.  Here are a few good uses for lemons:

Lemon  is a great disinfectant for its citric acid and antibacterial properties.

Most stains such as red wine, grease, mildew, or berries can be removed with an application of lemon juice and salt. Add baking soda to create a paste and let it sit for awhile on tougher stains.

Infuse your water with lemons. It's a rich source of vitamin C, it can boost the  Immune system, help maintain pH balance and acts as a detoxifying agent of the body.

Spray fruits and vegetables with lemon juice before rinsing to remove pesticides.

Soak your apples or cauliflower into a bowl of water with a few drop of lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.

Spray your windowsills and  baseboards with a mixture of lemon juice and vinegar (no water) to discourage insects like ants, spiders and cockroaches from entering.

Most stains like red wine, grease, mildew, or berries can be removed with an application of lemon juice and salt. Add baking soda to create a paste and let it sit for awhile on tougher stains.

Add a few drops of lemon juice to the boiling water before you put the rice in, and it will prevent the grains from sticking together, or to the pot. 

Grind lemon peels in your garbage disposal occasionally to prevent it from smelling and building up gunk. Run water through your faucet as you're grinding. 

Hopefully some of these uses will be useful to you.  

My visit to the Philadelphia Flower Show, the largest flower show in the nation captures the gardens of the Mediterranean with beautiful plants, flowers, water features and sculptures.

The show transported and captured the allure of this part of the world's captivating costal region with sculptures, water features, tablescapes. The beauty of it all, is you don't have to go there to get great ideas for your garden. I am going to share a few quick tips I observed.

If you don't have a lot of space potted plants and flowers grouped together will create a beautiful display.

Create a raised plant bed in confined and poor soil conditions areas. Build up with new soil for optimum growth.

Add wrought iron or ornamental sculptures to your garden to give it character.