Hello Friends! Today I want to show you how to make decorative flower and sun slices out of lemons. Last week after the Tea Party hop, I had a new blogger friend Lora B. Create and Ponder, tell me she didn’t understand what I meant by “score and slice“, so I’m going to fix that.
Decorative Flower and Sun Slices Out of Lemons
To make the flowers you’ll need a lemon zester/channel knife. Here’s the one I have. Actually, it’s a newer model that is better because you can hold it sideways. Kind of like when you peel a potato which I think will be more comfortable when holding the lemon. Also, using lemons that are firm is easier to use because they’ll sit on the glass better after being sliced. The first time I made the flowers I cut them too thin and they were warm which made them floppy. Not a pretty look.
It’s up to you whether or not you cut the ends off the lemons first. If you cut them off, the lemon gets a little squishy as you grip it tightly and start scoring. If you don’t cut off the end, you’ll tend to drag your channel knife at an angle and it won’t come out looking like a flower. I suggest testing it both ways and see what you like better.
Start by pulling your channel knife from one end to the other to make the lines or “channels” down the lemon. Leave some room in between channels.
Once you’ve gone all the way around the lemon, simply cut the slices to your desired width. After that, cut a small slit in the lemon so it will fit over the glass. I like to put them in the freezer for a short while. Like maybe 15 minutes. They will come out looking frosty but, no worries, they’ll turn glossy in just a few minutes and the freezer helps them hold up longer on the glass.
Look how cute that is. Fancy Shmancy!
Sun Shape Lemon Slices
For the sun shape slices it takes a teeny bit longer but once you get the hang of it, it goes by quickly.
I got a little confused the first couple of times I went to cut the sun shape. So for the purpose of saving your lemon budget, I’ve drawn lines on the lemon slices. Of course you won’t want any lines on your finished slices. That’ll just look moldy.
Slice the entire lemon first. The thicker the slice the easier it is to make wedges or peaks at the ends of each juicy section. Take a sharp knife and cut where I’ve drawn the lines making sure you meet in the middle so the pieces fall off easily. See the little peaks? I just thought of something – You could call them crowns too!
Don’t get frustrated if the lemon isn’t perfect and your sun looks wonky. Most lemons aren’t perfectly symmetrical and you can’t tell when you buy them what they’ll look like inside. This is probably why I like making the flowers over the sun shapes. 😉
There you have it – easy peasy lemon squeezy slices in flower or sun shapes!
When you have friends over, you’ll look like you went all out and your guests will feel extra special!
Or you can invite me and I’ll bring all the lemon slices for you and we’ll share a glass together and no on will be the wiser! 😉
That is super cute, Cindy! I love lemons, and they are a required staple in my house. I use them in my water all day, every day. I’m gonna get all fancy schmancy now and cut mine like flowers. I have the tool, thanks for the idea!
Author
Thank you Rita! I need to drink more lemon water. That little tool is handy dandy!
This is a cute idea and think they are so happy. Add with water, tea or cocktail and makes them pretty and fun.
Thanks for sharing. Pinning for later.
Have a super weekend
Cindy
Author
Thanks Cindy. Love the Pins! Hope you enjoy your weekend as well.
Hi Cindy! Unfortunately, I’m not sure if it’s on my end or yours, but now I can only see the first picture of each post. The pictures that follow are just blanks spaces. Any idea how I can fix this?? I miss seeing what you’re doing!
Author
Hmmm. Not sure. I think it maybe your upload. But I’ll show this to my IT genius hubby. Maybe he can help. Sorry you can’t see it!
Cindy, nice how to. We have separate channel and zester tools in Sweet Shark’s. You can do all sorts of things with both of them. The lemon slices add such a pretty garnish for drinks. The sun is really cool.
Author
Thank you Carol. I bet you do stuff like this ALL the time with your amazing chef skills! Maybe you should invite us over for a class?! 😬
These are adorable! I wonder if a sharp edged cooky cutter (like the tip of a Christmas tree) would cut those sun rays? I honestly don’t think I have that much patience. I do score my European cucumbers with fork tines but that’s about as fancy as I get around here!
Author
Hello Kathy, thank you! I’m not sure about the cooky cutter. It is a bit time consuming on the sun cut outs so try it and please let me know! Would love to see how you score the European cucumbers too!
Those are so cute, i might make some just for me,lol!!
Author
LOL. Do it Marlene! You are worth it. 😄
That is such an adorable project! I love easy tips that I can make with sweet tea!
Happy day friend!
karianne
Author
Easy is my middle name. Or is it lazy? I forget. 🙂 Glad you liked them KariAnne – Thanks!