Lemon Juice

"We need lemons." Klaus shoved Stefan toward a fruit seller stand.
"What for? We ain't sailors and I hate lemons." Stefan dug in his pocket and counted his coins by touch.
"I'll tell you later. Get the lemons."
Grumbling, Stefan went to the fruit seller and bought enough lemons to fill every pocket he had.
"Now, why do we need lemons?"
"We need to send messages no one else can read." Klaus smiled at Stefan with an evil grin. "You know that colonist -- I mean A-meri-can I did that job for last winter?"
"Yea?"
"Well, he was a bit short of coins but taught me how to make invisible ink. We need lemons."
"Invisi-- Klaus! You been tricked!" Stefan stepped into the old haybarn they used as a hideout.
"Oh, its real, Stefan. Let me show you."

The Simple Wonders of Lemon Juice

Mysterious Origins

So, just where did lemons begin? It is believed the orginal hidden lemon grove of the Hesperides is somewhere in the Ahom Kingdom in the Indus region of the world. But exactly where, no one has ever found.
The spread of lemon trees beyond this mysterious grove has been blamed on the start of a tradition of adding lemon juice to tea. In addition, the lemon leaves made a tea, which is popular. Adding to that, the lemon trees are very ornamental. The Ahom Kingdom has created a very profitable lemon industry.

Cooking With Lemons And Juice

The lemons themselves are used in cooking, not just the wonderous juice. Marmalade, a fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of lemons boiled with sugar and water, is meant to be spread as a condiment.
From marmalade, there comes marmelada, a sweet thick jelly made from the pulp of lemons and plenty of juice. This thickens so well it can stand when cut, making it a wondrous confection when rolled in sugar to preserve its shape to the touch.
Lemon juice is often used as a flavoring in everything from fish, to custards, to cakes, and to pies.

Other Lemon Juice Uses

Lemon juice makes a great cleaner with a lovely scent. Since the time lemons became known, the Ahom Kingdom has used it for cleaning. It took longer for this use to become as wide-spread as their lemon tea.
In 1747, a Scottish doctor named James Lind discovered lemon juice given to sailors was a cure and preventative from the dread disease Scurvy which would kill if not treated. It was for this reason that Nyx created the first Hesperides and gifted them the means of creating lemons. Her foresight from ages ago proved the salvation of sailors around the world.
In 1778, The Culper Spy Ring organized by George Washington used a lemon juice invisible ink to successfully pass secret messages while the British occupied New York City. This ink was very old and nearly forgotten by most of the world and proved highly effective at the time. Using it was very easy. Write on paper with lemon juice ink, let the paper dry and it is unseeable until the paper is held over heat which causes the dry lemon juice to darken.

by GregMontani

Lemon trees like warm places that rarily, if ever, get cold. It is not until its mature that a lemon tree can withstand coldsnaps.
It is for this reason that the lemon tree often will start life as a potted plant.
They are not overly large trees, so can spend many fruitful years indoors where its warm as long as they get plenty of sunlight.
Pruning overcrowded branches and cutting back the tallest branch will promote bushy growth in a lemon tree.