Make all the delicious things! Your first thought might be to juice the lemons for lemonade, and that’s a great start. Today, however, we are going to use the whole lemon. So, first thing’s first, we are going to need 10 lemons. 

Next you will need to peel them, but make sure to leave the pith (that bitter, white stuff) on the lemon. To do this, you can use a vegetable peeler and then use a sharp knife to get any of the pith off. 

Now for the juicing, if you have a juicer then go ahead and pop those lemons in there, or you can cut them in half and squeeze by hand (an arduous process, but you can feel morally superior to the rest of us). 

With the juice, you can make lemonade, of course, or a delicious lemon sorbet. It’s the peels we want for this recipe. Which is…..

Homemade Limoncello 

A refreshing drink for the summer, it can be sipped on it’s own (recommended to be very cold) or added to mixed drinks. 

(If you aren’t a fan of alcohol, you can always dry the peels and make your own seasonings!)

INGREDIENTS

The peels of 10 lemons 

1 (750-ml) bottle vodka 

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1. Place the lemon peels (any kind will do, meyer lemons will create a sweeter drink which might result in not needing as much sugar) in a 2-quart container. Pour the vodka (100 proof is best, but 80 proof will work alright as well) over the peels and cover with an airtight wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days (although you can let it steep for longer to get a more lemon-y flavor) at room temperature.
2. This step creates a simple syrup to sweeten the alcohol, I recommend starting with one cup of water and one cup of sugar, stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Taste to see if it needs more syrup. This is simply to your own taste level, so feel free to create and add more simple syrup if you need it. 
3. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month. You can also store it in the freezer in order to last up to a year. 

Further Environmental Justice Reading

Why Detroit Residents Pushed Back Against Tree-Planting

Intersectional Environmentalism: Why Environmental Justice Is Essential For A Sustainable Future

Soul Fire Farm’s Food Justice Reading Recommendations

We Can’t Talk About Farming Without Talking About Race