Either my allergies or a summer cold — I’m not sure which — is making me miserable, so I’ve made myself a big pot of té limón. I learned how to make it when I lived in Jersey City, and I’m not sure it really has any medicinal value, but it always makes me feel better.
To make this batch, I quartered five lemons, threw them in a one-and-a-half quart pot, and covered with water. Brought that to a boil and then simmered for hours. Mashed the lemons, strained the whole contents of the pot and threw the pulp away, then added two big soup spoons of honey, and simmered some more. Since té limón is made with the whole lemon, pith and all, it’s bitter. You really need that honey.
I’ve used sugar when I didn’t have honey, but honey is better. I’ve heard of people adding garlic, but that’s not té limón as I was taught to make it. I have been known to add a shot of Tennessee whiskey to the cup, but that’s just good sense.
I don’t know whether it’s the té limón itself, or the psychological effect of making and drinking it, but it always seems to help what ails me. I’ve just drunk a cupful and put the rest in the fridge for tomorrow. I feel a little better already, I think, and now I’m going to bed.
Home remedies, if nothing else, are comforting.
