Home / August

A little reason to celebrate

National Lemon Juice Day

Food · August 29

A look at lemon juice, the sharp, bright liquid that seasons, preserves and freshens food in kitchens across the country.

National Lemon Juice Day falls on Sunday, August 29, 2027. That is 306 days away.

Lemon juice is the tart liquid pressed from the inside of a lemon. Its sourness comes mostly from citric acid, which is why a few drops can wake up a dish that tastes flat.

Cooks reach for it constantly. It brightens soups, sharpens salad dressings and cuts through rich sauces. A squeeze over sliced apples or avocado slows the browning that sets in once the flesh meets air. Bakers fold it into glazes and curds, and bartenders treat it as a basic ingredient rather than a garnish.

Fresh juice and bottled juice are not quite the same thing. Fresh juice tastes livelier and a little floral, while bottled juice is steadier and keeps longer in the fridge. Many cooks keep both, using the bottle for everyday jobs and a real lemon when the flavor needs to stand out.

Getting more juice from a lemon is mostly about warmth and pressure. A room temperature lemon gives more than a cold one, and rolling it firmly on the counter before cutting loosens the inside. Cut it crosswise, squeeze over your hand or a strainer, and the seeds stay out of the bowl.

Then there is lemonade, which is just lemon juice, water and sugar in whatever balance tastes right to the person stirring it. The zest, the thin yellow outer layer of peel, holds most of the lemon's scent, so grate it before you squeeze if a recipe can use it.

Ways to celebrate

• Make a pitcher of lemonade with freshly squeezed juice.
• Whisk lemon juice, oil and salt into a simple salad dressing.
• Squeeze lemon over roasted vegetables just before serving.
• Taste fresh and bottled lemon juice side by side.
• Zest a lemon before juicing and save the zest for baking.

Dates

All national days on August 29

Also on August 29

• National Chop Suey Day
• More Herbs, Less Salt Day

Categories: Food days