Lemons have so many uses in the kitchen from flavoring tarts and pastry creams to simply providing a refreshing splash of sunshine in your water or tea.  It can also make you feel better during the winter season.  When in the US, we are blessed with organic lemons that are kindly picked for us from an abundant lemon tree in California so we don’t often buy lemons at the store but when we do, we follow the Art of the Home kitchen tips below to pick the best lemons we can.

4 Tips to Choose Juicy Lemons

Art of the Home Tips on How to Choose Lemons:

1. Color – think bright sunshine when picking a lemon.  It should be bright yellow.  And keep in mind that lemons ripe very slowly so it is best to pick them ready to use (same things goes for apricots for example).
2. Weight – hold the lemon in your hand and pick the heaviest one, a heavy lemon is a sign that it holds lots of lemon juice goodness.
3. Texture – look for lemons that have a smooth and shiny texture.
4. Type of lemons – if your budget allows, opt for Meyer lemons (some warehouse stores such as Sam’s Club even carry them now) or organic lemons.  The are more expensive up front but they are more flavorful and juicy so you use less of them.

And for more ideas on what to do with lemons, check our article on 11 Ways to Use Your Microplane Lemon Zester.