I promised some occasional poetry on this blog, but what I did not promise is that it would all be serious or polished! February’s poem is 100% factual, but just lent itself to some silly verse!
The Lemon Tree
In the middle of my garden grows a gnarly lemon tree.
It produces pounds of citrus gems,
Twice yearly just for me.
I am not the greatest nurturer and don’t water all the while
But it keeps on bearing yellow spheres
Like they’re going out of style.
I’ve made jars of jam and pots of curd and meringue-topped pies for dinner.
And last month tangy lemon mousse
Was a truly gastric winner.
Lemon cake and lemon tart and even Limoncello
I’m running out of new ideas,
No wait, there’s always jello!
In my 20's, with only my guitar and a rucksack, I wandered the continents, immersing myself in the lives of some wonderful people, projects and stories, which changed the way I view my responsibility to others and this earth. Right now I'm a European transplant in the US who writes books for children and young adults. Stories can help us not only navigate our world but can connect us to others, and allow us to inspire and help each other. I believe that equity and empathy should be at the core of our all actions, words, and stories.
I am also a school librarian and I get a kick out of book-matchmaking! And I use the pronouns she/her.
🙂
Amelie liked it too! And I remembered the infamous moment when her 4 year-old self picked the one and only precious lemon from that very same tree – aaagh! Must have been a bad year, I suppose?! But thank goodness for the good years and the way we have profited from them in YUMMY lemon curd – mmm.
hahaha I remember well. Tell Amélie that she has magic fingers, as ever since she plucked than one lonely lemon, the tree hasn’t ceased to produce!
Mmmm, all those delicious lemon creations — *Beth holds out a plate, and waits… and waits…* Cyber-dining isn’t as satisfying as the real thing, but there are far fewer calories! (That mousse is what I’m particularly interested in, although I wouldn’t say no to the others!)
Loved the poem, too!
Here’s a recipe to add to your lemon-delights. My grandmother’s lemonade syrup:
Ingredients:
6 1/2 cups white sugar
2 oz citric acid (we used to buy it at the drugstore)
4 lemons (just the juice)
3 oranges (the juice plus grated rind, if you like, but none of the white part)
Method:
Pour the sugar into a large ceramic bowl, add citric acid and orange rind.
Pour 2 quarts of boiling water over the sugar, acid and rind, and allow to cool
Add the juices, cover with a cloth and set aside overnight.
In the morning, strain and put in jars.
To make lemonade:
Put a small amount (maybe 1.5 cm or so) into the bottom of a drinking glass, fill with cold water. Adjust the amount of syrup to your own taste. Enjoy!
Now, I was hoping the poem would provoke a few more culinary ideas!! You see, I hadn’t thought of lemonade syrup. Real lemonade is sooo refreshing. ’tis a shame that I can’t send you a jar of lemon curd via the interwebs. But here is the lemon mousse recipe. It appears rich but is actually pretty light and fluffy. I have indicated here only 60g of sugar, which is 1/3 the original amount, but I like things tart.
the finely grated zest of 3 lemons
1/4 cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup (60g) caster sugar
4 large eggs, separated
5 1/2 ounces unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Place the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and egg yolks in the top of a double boiler, over simmering water, and cook over a low heat. Stir constantly, cooking for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture coats the back of a metal spoon. Whisk in the butter, piece at a time. Remove from the heat and cool.
Whisk the egg whites in a clean and grease free bowl, until stiff.
Fold half of the egg whites into the lemon mixture with a metal spoon, then fold in the remaining egg whites. Divide amongst 4 serving dishes and chill until firm.
Mmmm! Thanks for the recipe! I’m glad you cut back on the amount of sugar — not only do I like things tart, but I’m not supposed to have much sugar, due to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
Grandma’s original lemonade recipe called for EIGHT cups of sugar — Mum cut back on that, to the 6 1/2 cups I quoted.
Liked your poem. It’s silly and sweet — but a poem a child would enjoy.
A lemon tree in your backyard — how wonderful to live in such a wonderful climate. The lemon meringue pie — my favoite! As a child I loved to suck on lemons – not now. But, I do like lemon in my water. And I have a favorite lemon bar receipe. 🙂
Pat, it is most definitely a children’s poem, which is why I thought Amélie, who is 7, might like it. I guess the problem is I am so immersed at present in: picture books, early chapter books, middle grade books, that I can’t seem to break out of the kid-mindset 😉 I too like water and lemon.