I cannot remember a time in my childhood when I didn’t drink lemon cordial. My mother made it for every function in our community from scouts’ gatherings to school outings. Growing up on a farm, my brother and I gratefully gulped down gallons of this refreshing drink in summer after haymaking and milking cows.
As a child, one of my after-school jobs was to gather lemons or grapefruit (or both) for my mother who then made the fruit into cordial. I especially loved gathering grapefruit because the tree grew on a hill overlooking a race that led down from the milking shed. The race was rather steep and made of concrete, and was a perfect place to send rotten grapefruit flying. I enjoyed watching them splat with satisfying sound effects when they reached the far end.
My mother was very much a ‘make it yourself’ woman. She also believed that food was medicine, and when I learnt of the amazing powers of lemons to combat illness and disease, I was doubly grateful for her use of them in our diet. She encouraged us to eat whole lemons because the oil in the skin is known to have antibacterial, antiseptic and antiviral properties, and freshly squeezed lemon juice contains a high content of potassium that can assist in cleansing the entire body of impurities.
Lemons are one of the only foods on earth that have more anions (negatively charged atoms) than cations (positively charged atoms). Almost all the food we consume is cationic when it enters the body and has to go through a process to become anionic before it can be absorbed. Lemons are anionic and their effect on the body is alkaline which means that lemon juice can be absorbed immediately into the system. A simple yet highly effective daily internal cleansing routine can be made by squeezing a lemon into a glass of pure clean water. Taken first thing in the morning, it acts as a powerful stimulant for the liver and bowels, helping to eliminate any toxic build-up and uric acid. Lemon juice in water can also be an extremely helpful remedy for indigestion, constipation and diarrhoea.
If you have a surplus of citrus, why not make this fabulously simple cordial? It is guaranteed to be a welcome refreshment at any occasion, and will also save you money. Lemon cordial is very easy for children to make and you can employ the big kids to pick those lemons you can’t quite reach at the top of the tree. In summer, children can make their own deliciously refreshing cordial ice-blocks.
If lemon cordial turns out to be a big hit in your household, or you have a glut of lemons that need using up, turn to the freezer for help. Freeze the peel in one bag and the fruit pulp and juice in another. Tie the bags together to create a frozen store of readily available materials. It is the perfect beverage solution for those large community or sporting events where everyone needs a tangy thirst-quencher.
Lemon cordial
Ingredients
3 lemons
3 cups sugar
3 cups water
1 tsp citric acid (to act as a preservative and to add extra vitamin C)
Method
Wash and peel the fruit. Retain the peel. Pulp the fruit and set aside for later use. Put the lemon peel, sugar and water into a saucepan. Bring it to the boil, stirring so the sugar doesn’t burn. Simmer gently for 20 minutes, then allow to cool completely. Add to the cooled liquid the pulp and the juice of the fruit and the citric acid. Stir well. Strain though a sieve, and bottle the liquid. Refrigerated, this cordial will keep for up to three months. To use, pour a small amount into a glass and dilute with hot or cold water according to taste.
Hints
• For an additional zing, slice six thin wafers of fresh ginger in to the saucepan at the boiling stage.
• To make the cordial stronger, use more fruit and less sugar
(this cordial doesn’t keep as long).
• Use liquid honey (½ cup of honey to 1 lemon and 1 cup of water) instead of sugar for a delicious and different flavour.
• Decorate the cordial with ice and mint leaves.
• Lemon delicious is hearty when served hot on a chilly winter’s day.
