Lemons Symbol of Early Rural Australian Resilience

Description

I was inspired to paint lemons because I love using them in cooking, especially for lemon cheesecake.  I grew up with a lemon tree in my backyard.

According to Whiteman and Mayhew (2012, p.74), lemons came from India or Malaysia and were introduced into Assyria, where they were discovered by soldiers serving Alexander the Great.  The soldiers returned to Greece with the lemons, which were used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes.  Eventually, lemons made their way into Europe from Palestine.  Lemons became invaluable, like limes, as a protection against scurvy and were carried by sailors on every sea voyage.   In the Mediterranean, lemons were considered a luxury and used more for ornamental purposes, perfumes and medicinal uses.  Today lemons are enjoyed globally for their tart flavour and various culinary, medicinal, and household uses (www.greenmap.org). In Australia, the imported Citrus lemon arrived with the First Fleet in 1788 to combat scurvy. There is also the Indigenous Backhousia citriodora (Lemon myrtle), which First Nations peoples have used for thousands of years (www.australiannativeproducts.com.au). The bush lemon is found in subtropical Queensland and northern New South Wales and has become a hardy symbol of early rural Australian resilience (www.sciencedirect.com).