All Things Lemon at Tea Time

Lemon Accoutrements 

- Lemon Plate, Server, Tray or Nappy -

Take your pick which name you'd like to call the beautiful bone china dishes used for serving lemon at tea time.  Nappy was a new term to me:  "A shallow, open serving dish with no rim." Sometimes these beautiful dishes function as candy or nut dishes too.   I have six in my collection.

Five have the candle holder style handle and one has a center handle.  The center handled dishes are a bit harder to find.  The dish below is backstamped Meito China, Made in Japan.

These two are made by Noritake China, also from Japan.

The last three are hand painted and don't have a country of origin.

As I prepared for this post, I was amazed that neither the Internet nor my personal tea library provided any information about lemon dishes.   They are vintage, and I learned from E-bay and Etsy listings that they date back to 1890 up through the 1950's.   Japan seems to have produced the most [at least on E-bay], but other countries made them too.  A plate for lemons is a tea table accoutrement that is reasonably priced, and easily found in antique stores. They compliment any tea table - and we all know tea time is usually all about the details.

I'd welcome any additional information anyone can share about them, or the names of books that reference them.

- Lemon Forks and Lemon Squeezers -

Lemon forks are most commonly set out at formal afternoon tea parties.  They usually have flared tines, but not always.  I have three in my collection. The lemon squeezer is typically used when serving lemon wedges.

Lemon forks can also be used on iced tea trays.

I love  lemon tea bread or lemon desserts at tea time.  Today I made a  loaf of lemon bread with a yummy lemon glaze to go with my tea.  Lemon poppy seed bread or muffins are also great accompaniments to tea.

I prefer using loose-leaf tea, and Simpson & Vail carries a great green tea that I enjoy called, Lemon Jade.  However, St. Dalfour carries an organic Ceylon lemon tea that comes in bags, which I thoroughly enjoy.  When my son comes down with a cold, it's his tea of choice! ;-)

  

Here's some lemon trivia and lemon Faux Pas

• Add sugar to tea first before lemon or the citric acid will prevent it from dissolving.
• Don't add lemon if using milk in tea, or the milk will curdle.
• Lemon is agreeable with most black teas.
• Never put the lemon slice in the cup before pouring in the tea.  
• Never place a lemon slice on the edge of the saucer in anticipation of adding it to the cup later.
• Never transfer a lemon slice from the tea cup to the saucer.  Should you desire another cup of tea, the pourer will remove the slice from the cup before pouring a fresh cup.
• Never use the spoon to squeeze the juice from the lemon slice after it's been placed in the cup.  The lemon will yield its essence to the tea naturally.
• If serving lemon wedges instead of slices, provide a squeezer or wrap the wedge in gauze to prevent seeds and juice from squirting when lemon is squeezed.
• If no squeezer is provided, it's permissible to gently squeeze the wedge with your fingers and then place it on the saucer. 

Tips for lemon storage:

Purchase lemons that are heavy.  Heavy lemons have thinner skin and more juice. and they can be stored longer without drying out.

Room Temperature - Place lemons in a decorative container, out of direct sunlight.  Use within a week before they begin to dry out.  

Refrigerated - Remove from thin plastic produce bags and transfer to a large zip-lock plastic bag.  There should be no moisture in the bag.  Place in the crisper drawer.  Remove one at a time as needed, resealing the bag each time.  They will keep for up to four weeks.  This is the best way to store lemons if you need to keep them on hand for long periods of time.

Cup-up lemons - Store in a covered container and in the refrigerator for a maximum of 2-3 days.

To extract the most juice from a lemon, start with one at room temperature.   Microwave for 30 seconds, then gently roll the lemon on the counter to break up the pulp inside.  Cut in half and squeeze.

I've been on a roll with lemons today, haven't I?  ;-)  

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Today I'm joining Antiques and Teacups for Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday

Bernideen's Tea Time blog for "Friends Sharing Tea"