"Gather ye rose-buds while ye may." Robert Herrick

"Gather ye rose-buds while ye may." Robert Herrick

Hello Friends!

Friends, Romans, countrymen...y'all. Foodies, gardeners, artists and collectors - let's gather together to share and possibly learn a thing or two in the mix.

Donna Baker

Friday, November 21, 2014

Lemonade


In case you missed it, this year is my first crop of a citrus called Buddha's Hand.  It is the oldest known citron and has been propagated for over 3000 years.  Pretty incredible.  This wee, inch long babe, started in May of this year.


And this is the whopper it became.


Tried to scale it with an egg.  It is so ugly, it's beautiful and it smells of heaven; a fruity, perfumed scent.


This is the dicey part.  It has no pulp and thus is used for a candied peel.  I tried it like this, but it had too much moisture.  A fail or perhaps a learning curve.  Then I decided it would have to be stripped as peel without the pith which would work much better.  So I tried it and bleck.  If I want something sugary, I'll have a Snickers instead. I'll just enjoy smelling and growing it. 


This is one of my Meyer lemon trees.  I have a greenhouse full of them and other types of citrus.  Now comes the hard part, juicing all of them and most are ready to go.

14 comments:

gésbi said...

If you can't make candied Buddha's hand, it is still a knockout fruit - so decorative and quirky! I bet you will figure out something edible next year. (Have seen this in exotic markets, but have no idea what is done with them.) I wonder if you could dry the entire thing slowly like a pomander made from a clove studded orange?

donna baker said...

Perfect idea, Gesbi. I used to make pomanders for the holidays.

Doc said...

Beautiful, that has always been on my "plants to get list". Not able to find it here in Oregon so will have to order one.

RachelD said...

Aabsolutely beautiful, and much like finding out that a friend had a peacock for a pet---I'd never seen one that actually BELONGED to anybody.

I second the pomander idea, and would hope that it would dry with cloves simply pierced up and down the length---I don't think I could do all that fiddly-poo work of sticking them in in an absolute cover. 'Twould be like the carapace of a glorious beast in your garden. What would one call such a being, I wonder?

Setting out to find Aunt Ursula's Magical Bestiary for a comparison. And kinda hoping there isn't one.

r

donna baker said...

Look on the Logee's plants site. That's where I ordered mine. They have so many tropical plants, even vanilla beans and cinnamon plants. They are in Connecticut.

donna baker said...

And each one is shaped differently. This 2 year old plant produced 6 large fruits this year. My greenhouse smells wonderful.

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

WHAT A WILD THING! I have never seen the likes of this, but I am sure that your description of it smelling of heaven is accurate! How I love citrus...I am a California girl by birth and the smell of lemons really brings back those sunny days. Thank you Donna, for your visit tonight. Anita

Amanda Summer said...

That is so cool - Buddha's hands are fascinating to look at but I've never heard exactly how you would eat one! You must live somewhere very temperate to be able to grow lemons - lucky you ;))

Debbie Nolan said...

Oh Donna - never saw this type of citrus before. Bet it does smell wonderful - can you use the peel and simmer it on the stove to scent the house. Do you juice your lemons all by hand or do you have a juicer? I love the smell and flavor of lemon - a very favorite of mine. Well take care and have a great Thanksgiving.

prairiegirl said...

Hey! I hopped on over here via Milla's blog page.
You look like someone I'd like to know. ;)
I'm intrigued by your horse statue. Seriously, it's life size?
And do you have a horse named Gracie?
Enjoying scrolling through your world, Donna.
Just wanted to say hi!

donna baker said...

Amanda, you can even grow lemons in Canada, but you have to put them inside for the winter months.

donna baker said...

Debbie, depending on the type of lemon, for most I use a juicer, but some have to be done by hand. I've got to get going on them. Too many things keep coming up. Sister is scheduled for surgery next week and Thanksgiving this week. Hope yours is great too.

donna baker said...

Prairie Girl I'm glad you came by too. Girl who married a Bear blog? Horse statue is a life sized yearling and yes, I do have bad girl Gracie the horse. I say bad because she bit me. Thanks for stopping by.

Anonymous said...

The things you learn on the Internet. I just read this about your life-sized horse in the dining room, and now I'm having giggly visions of reaching around her withers to pass the gravy. Perhaps you could stash the bread in her saddle-bags, or balance a tray on her back? What a convenience!

Says giddy rachel, too full of Mr. Clean and Clorox fumes to be serious.