My baskets are still filled with lemons. It’s unbelievable how much joy we can find in such simple things! This invigorating freshness that lemons have excites me and makes me want to stand there and look at them decorating the corners of our garden. At the same time, I crave to play and experiment with them! Their unique scent and color remind me of springtime amid winter. And I feel like I need that desperately!

As I’ve mentioned before, lemons are always present in our kitchen, just like in any other Greek home, I suppose. They’re in abundance all year long! The only difference in this case is that these specific lemons are homegrown by us. They are our beautiful, fresh, uneven and free of chemical fertilizers lemons! It’s true that when you grow and take care of something on your own, you appreciate it so much more and in your eyes, it’s the most beautiful thing ever created! Lemon trees are no exception; you observe them every day, admire their liveliness and freshness, you smell their flowers, you water them, feed them, give them life, take care of them when they’re sick, you cut their withering leaves off, heal them, take joy and pride in their fruits and flowers! And sometimes, when you feel like it, you take pictures of them under the bright sunlight, under the golden light of dusk or when the rain washes them out gently. There’s no particular reason for picturing them, you just want to capture their magical beauty! That’s the nature of the relationship between me and my lemon trees as well as the rest of my plants!

Gardening is indeed some sort of therapy; it can calm you down or give you energy, it can make you forget about the problems of the day, it can give you some relief and fill you up with strength and desire for life. Scientists say that what we’re missing the most is our connection with nature, the connection with life –since we’re talking about something so alive and humble- , the colors of nature that cure and revitalize us. Love and admiration for trees and plants, and anything else that nature offers us so generously. With these thoughts I’m closing this little parenthesis and I’m back to my beautiful fruits.

Once again I’m going for a recipe that I like to make every year, and not just with lemons. Aromatic flake salt with lemon zest. You might be thinking that there are so many being sold in delicatessen grocery stores already. But none of them has the scent that freshly cut lemon peels have, especially when lemons are still a bit green. I will never get tired of saying how much better homemade products are!

What I love the most about this process is the endless combinations of ingredients. You can add any aromatic, fresh herb you like, along with the lemon and the salt, to create the perfect blend! Whenever I make this and have it ready to be used in my kitchen cabinets, I feel like I’ve made something precious! I’ve drained wonderful oils and scents into small jars that I will later use to sprinkle onto my grilled vegetables, my salads, tagliata, baked potatoes or anything else!

It’s also ridiculously easy to make! Having lemon trees and not making this is almost unforgivable! The process is simple, clean and easy. I like doing this while enjoying my evening coffee, and I always have my beloved camera with me. Our kitchen gets filled up with incredible scents, I wish there was a camera that could capture them. Please invent one!

My only advice would be to use a mortar and pestle instead of a mixer. I believe aromatic herbs and lemons need some time to release their oils and scents, and salt needs time to absorb them. That’s why I prefer this slow process. One last thing; most of the time I choose to avoid grilling my mixture in the oven, not even in low heat. I prefer to let it dry naturally after stirring it really well in the mortar.

And another thing that I will never get tired of saying; whenever you make wonderful things in the kitchen, let your kids be a part of the process. It will be a great opportunity for them to learn new things about healthy eating. They’ll learn to tell scents apart, know the difference between rosemary and thyme.. They’ll appreciate the plants and trees that you have in your garden and in your pots, they’ll learn to take care of them, water them, love them. They’ll see how what we use in our dishes is made and why making it on our own is so much better than buying it from the super market. They’ll learn to love it and hopefully they’ll seek for this difference in quality later on, in their own kitchen.