Citrus Storage … or what to do when your citrus trees are overly abundant!

October in south Louisiana: football is heating up, cooler weather is finally here, and citrus season is just beginning.

LIME ON YOUNG TREE AT CURRENT HOUSE

AMAZING SATSUMA TREE AT OLD HOUSE

When a citrus tree is first planted, it takes a while to produce, maybe two limes the first year or five satsumas the second.  But anyone with a mature tree knows the real problem: too much citrus for one family to ever possibly eat during the season!  And much like zucchini in the summer, there's usually too much to share with friends and coworkers.

LIMES FROM JULE AND LEE

So what to do?  How to store all that excess citrus?  And then, what to do with it later?  So far this year, I have only limes, but all of these ideas work for limes, lemons, satsumas, oranges, and grapefruit -- I've never tested this on kumquats as we just eat all of those!

BE SURE TO WASH ALL CITRUS BEFORE USING

First option is an easy one, but the one I least prefer.  You can juice all the citrus, freeze the juice in ice cube trays, then move the frozen cubes to containers so that you have readily available, like-fresh juice to use all year round.  It's my least preferred option because I'm an optimizer of resources, and I don't want to do any extra work now that may never benefit me in the future.  (In other words, I'm unlikely to use all that juice before next citrus season, so I don't want to put in the effort to juice everything only to toss it next year.)

ORANGES, LIMES, AND LEMONS AFTER JUICING

Second option is my favorite.  Wash the fruit, slice it in half, freeze the halves on a tray, and - when frozen in an hour or two - toss all the halves into a large plastic freezer bag or other container.  When you are ready to use them, there are a couple of options: (1) if tossing the entire half of the fruit into something, say for a pot of boiled crawfish, simply wrap the fruit in cheesecloth, allow it thaw a bit, then proceed normally, or (2) allow the fruit to thaw (about 20-30 minutes on the counter or microwave on low for 30-second intervals, up to about 90 seconds) then juice in your normal fashion.

WASHED, HALVED, AND READY FOR THE FREEZER

LIMES AFTER FREEZING

TOSS FROZEN CITRUS IN BAG UNTIL READY TO USE

Third is a variation on the second: wash, slice in quarters, remove all seeds, THEN freeze.

Fourth is another of my favorites: slice the fruit for future use as ice in a pitcher of sangria!

SLICED AND READY TO FREEZE FOR SANGRIA

I serve my own recipe for sangria at nearly every party I host.  One of my tricks is to make the sangria a day in advance, add all fruit, and let it sit overnight.  When it's time to serve, I place frozen citrus in a clear pitcher, then pour just the sangria (straining out the marinated-for-a-day fruit!) over the frozen fruit.  This keeps the sangria cold for a long period of time without watering it down.  (Another clever alternative is to freeze grapes and use them as ice instead, but we're talking citrus here, and I almost always have a bag of frozen citrus on hand for just such an occasion.)  Here, I added my limes to some oranges that I froze this summer.

FRESHLY SLICED LIMES ADDED TO PREVIOUSLY FROZEN ORANGES

THE END OF A PITCHER OF SANGRIA

Fifth, make things with your citrus!  Right now, I have a lime liqueur resting for about five more weeks (rum, sugar, lime peels), and I am going to make some pineapple-lime curd next time I have a fresh pineapple (use within three weeks or freeze for up to six months for freshest flavor).  Key lime pie (with regular limes instead of key limes) is currently on my short list of upcoming desserts.

When I get lemons in a few weeks, I'll freeze some (as above), and I'll also make limoncello and lemon curd.  For the holidays, I bake lemon pound cakes, lemon pies, and all kinds of citrus treats.  (Lemon curd is a great filling for lemon pound cake, especially when topped with a yummy cream cheese frosting!)

LEMON CURD, READY TO TOP ANGEL BISCUITS, WITH A SIDE OF SATSUMAS

When I have multiple types of fruit at the same time, I'll mix them for things like a delicious tangerine-lime curd, or maybe a fresh lemon-orange syrup for crepes, or I'll add a bit of zest from various fruits to a cream cheese frosting for a refreshingly light topping for cupcakes or cakes.

LEMON POUND CAKE WITH DRIZZLED LEMON FROSTING AND STRAWBERRIES

 (Thanks to my friends Julie and Lee for letting me pick limes from their tree … PICTURES: the lime on the tree is from my own very young lime tree, the rest of the limes are from Julie and Lee!  All others are from years past and are making me ready for the rest of citrus season!!)

The Parks of London

When we think of huge cities, like New York or London, we don't often think of green space.  I've posted about New York before, both parks on the ground and green spaces on city rooftops, and it's high time that I share my love of London's parks.

While the English countryside has immeasurable green space, London proper boasts several royal parks, open spaces, and smaller garden squares.  London's royal parks occupy approximately 5,000 square acres inside the city limits ... that's the equivalent of almost 4,000 American football fields of green space right inside the city!

These parks are perfect for long walks, picnic lunches, and people watching.  But they are also perfect for so much more!

ROSE GARDEN

For instance, Hyde Park hosts dozens of games like softball, soccer, or tennis throughout the park each lovely summer day.  

WILDFLOWERS

Those not involved competitive sports can hike or bike the park, and rental boats are available for enjoying time on the water.  

BOATING ON THE LAKE

Kids can play in and around the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, and anyone interested in subjects of import can share views at Speaker's Corner. 

PLANNED LANDSCAPING ... BUT APPEARING WILD

PRINCESS DIANA MEMORIAL WALK

SERENITY
in bronze, by Simon Gudgeon

The very southeastern corner of Hyde Park houses the impressive Apsley Gate, near Apsley House and almost across the street from Wellington Arch.  The balcony of Wellington Arch happens to be the perfect viewing spot for the Horse Guards Parade as it exits Hyde Park through Apsley Gate and proceeds under the Arch.

APSLEY GATE WITH HORSE GUARDS PARADE

THE QUADRIGA
(as seen from the Wellington Arch balcony)
in bronze, by Adrian Jones

HORSE GUARDS PARADE

Kensington Gardens includes formal gardens, the Princess Diana Memorial Playground, the Albert Memorial, and so much more! 

ALBERT MEMORIAL

KENSINGTON GARDENS

  It's a perfect place to see swans and other water fowl.

KENSINGTON GARDENS

KENSINGTON GARDENS

KENSINGTON GARDENS

You might even see a real-life Superman there!

SUPERMAN

St. James's Park also hosts lots of water fowl.  My favorite one had the most interesting feet!

ST. JAMES PARK

There are several more Royal Parks, all offering beauty throughout the middle of the city.  And if those aren't enough, the literally hundreds of garden squares and other open spaces may be enough to feed your natural soul.

ENJOYING THE PEACEFULNESS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CITY

Mexico City (Five): a smattering

We loved Mexico City so much that I could write a never-ending series of blogs about it.  But I'll stop.  I have to move onto to other things, other cities, other countries.

But first ... here's a smattering of the rest of March in Mexico City:

We visited Teotihucan:

Early morning balloon rides over Teotihuacan.

We climbed to the top of Pyramid of the Sun.

Perfect day at Teotihuacan!

We toured Templo Mayor:

tzompantli, or skull rack

Chacmool on Tlaloc temple 

We relaxed in Chapultepec Park:

Ice cream FTW!

Alas de México (sculptor: Jorge Marín) 

Of course we ate and drank our way around La Roma, our delightful little part of the city.

Our first meal in Mexico City!

Boozy ice cream: YUM!

Churros and Hot Chocolate

Limantour, #11 of the 50 Best Bars in the World

And for our final breakfast, we found the tallest restaurant so we could see the city from above.

Brunch at Miralto

If I could go back tomorrow, I would.  We both would.  It was a perfectly wonderful place for a honeymoon for two foodies who love walking, exploring, and enjoying the local culture.  

Mexico City (Four): Street Art Speakeasy

Mexico City has lots of fabulous street art. Everywhere you look, there's street art.

But one place has a street art speakeasy, where guests can enjoy works from many talented street artists without actually having to wander the streets of the city.

Where is this hidden gem, you wonder?  The Museo Juguete Antiguo, or the Antique Toy Museum.

Entrance Tickets

The Antique Toy Museum is filled with several floors of all kinds of toys: anything from a childhood can be found here.

This was in the middle and covered several floors.

All the Snoopy!

Lucha Libre: very popular in Mexico City

Utterly bizarre ... and I love it!

But the street art speakeasy is on the roof.  It's accessible to anyone who visits the museum, but you have to know it's there - and intentionally set out to see it - or you'll likely miss it.  It's not readily apparent that the roof access also includes this amazing amount of art.

All the street art in this post is from this museum.  If you're ever in Mexico City looking for an entertaining way to enjoy a couple of hours, this museum - and especially its rooftop street art speakeasy - should be high on your list.

This is one of my favorites.