Herb info 02/2017: Citrus fruit.

Oranges, lemons, grapefruit and similar citruses are often sour, sometimes sweet, and grapefruit in particular is quite bitter, which you can't taste over its sourness. The taste is:

• sour, that is, cooling
• bitter, that is, cooling and drying.

Citruses are often used in cooling summer drinks. A prime example is adding a slice of lemon to a jug of water in the summer heat.

Storebought orange juices are quite often everything but orange juice. That goes especially for the very expensive ones. And let's face it: orange juice concentrates aren't very tasty. So make your own! It's bound to be better than anything you buy (although most oranges aren't sold for juicing), it's fresh, and it's nothing but orange juice.

I've taught for years that sour covers bitter, but did you know that salt covers sour? Try sprinkling some salt over your halved grapefruit instead of sugar, then taste it. The result is quite intriguing.

When I buy a lemon, I use one or two slices right away. The rest goes in the freezer, in slices. Frozen lemon slices are dandy in various herbal teas.

Try this flu tea: add a chopped-up garlic clove or a few thin slices of fresh ginger, a teaspoon of honey and a slice of lemon to a cup (200 ml) of boiling water. Drink as hot as you can, whenever you have a flu or feel one coming on.

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