The importance of Bobby Flay (dishes) and ripe lemons

I want to share some of my new things with you. The lemons are completely ripe now and ready to pick. This is the last picture of the only fruit I've been able to harvest from a tree I've grown. I am a fledgling fruit harvester. It might seem silly but I have babied this tree and these lemons since early last spring. They are very special to me. I'm turning them into Limoncello this morning. It is a 60-80 day process so the rewards are still to come much later. I only need the zest for that so I will have lots of juice to use in the next few days. I have new dishes!I have searched everywhere for some dishes that were not made in China. My new project is to research products and their origin of manufacture. I want to only support buying products from countries that do not sell leaded or poisoned products (China!). I most want to support manufacturers that actually produce their products in the USA, but that is a rare thing. I found these Bobby Flay dishes at Kohls. They are not produced in the US, but in Portugal. The most important thing is that they are not produced in China. I wish China the best, but I wish America the best MORE! The dishes I first picked out a few months ago are expensive so I have asked for them for Christmas. Yesterday I happened to stop at Kohls and found this less expensive line. The plates were regularly $9.99 but everything in this line was 50% off so I bought a few things. I still am asking for the other style for Christmas though-they are very beautiful. I haven't heard any negative things about the merchandise from Portugal so I am very happy right now.
On a side note, I spent a couple of hours in HEB yesterday also looking at where the things I buy come from. I stopped buying produce from most foreign countries if I possible. I like to buy organic, American produced food. Sometimes you just can't. The American laws for organic produce are broad enough to worry me already but I don't know how strict other countries are about what is applied to their produce. Therefore, I was pleased to find things like packaged salad, fresh fruit etc. that were labeled "produced in the USA". I was horrified though to find out that other things, like my favorite Central Market brand of frozen green beans were produced in China. I'm going to have grow more of my own stuff!

My lemons and garden vegetables are completely organic. Of course, that is why some of my lemons have spots on them. What insect or animal nibbles on lemon skin? The good news though is that all I have to do is rinse the dust off and eat.

My lemons look beautiful in my favorite gazing spot-my kitchen window.

They look really lovely against my new Bobby Flay dishes. Something made with lemon juice is for supper. Pie? Lemon chicken? Both?