Don’t Waste Precious Limes in Margaritaville!

When I heard about the lime shortage that’s hitting the U.S. this month, I got a little panicky! And no, it’s not because I run a restaurant or bar that uses the little green citrus fruits as garnish, or splashes of flavor in mixed drinks.

Don’t get me wrong—I love an occasional margarita as much as the next gal, but I like my limes for more than flavor. I love them for their health and beauty benefits. So splurge on a few the next time you go to the grocery store, and then squeeze some good health out of them. Here’s how:

• Stop a throbbing headache. Instantly! How? Slice a lime in two, and rub one of the cut surfaces across your aching forehead. Zap—end of pain!
• Sip a sore throat away. There are scads of sore throat remedies, but this is one of the best tasting that I’ve ever found: Mix the juice of 1 freshly squeezed lime with 1 tablespoon of pineapple juice and 1 teaspoon of honey in a glass of water, and wash it down.
• Moisturize while you sleep. Lime and milk team up in an overnight whole-body moisturizer that can’t be beat. Just before you go to bed at night, bring 1 cup of milk to a boil, and mix in 1 teaspoon of glycerin and the freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then massage it into your face, hands, and feet, and hop under the covers. Store any extra moisturizer, tightly covered, in the refrigerator, and use it within a week or so.

Some say by the time the shortage is over, the cost of a case of limes will quadruple. How will the lack of limes affect you?