After weeks of relentlessly warm and sunny days, it’s easy to forget we’re supposed to be in the midst of winter here in LA. But take a look around your street — maybe even your backyard — for undeniable proof: citrus fruit, heavy on the trees, the ultimate winter treat.

Did you ever read the Little House on the Prairie books when you were a kid? Remember when Laura and Mary were so excited to reach into their Christmas stockings and pull out an orange? Just one orange. And maybe as a kid you were like, I know I said I wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder and play with a pig’s bladder on slaughtering day, but I changed my mind. Life was too tough back then, because the thought of being so worked up over a plain old orange was just really depressing.

But times have changed and now I find myself intrigued by all the citrus I see growing on the trees in my neighborhood at this time of year — plain old oranges, lemons and grapefruits. Maybe it’s because, like any good Little House on the Prairie fan, I love the idea of foraging for my own food. And thanks to Fallen Fruit, an organization dedicated to mapping public fruit trees, I know that in the City of LA, fruit hanging over public property is fair game for anyone who wants to pick it. According to their map of my neighborhood, the hills around my house are dotted with lemon trees on public land. I think it’s time for a lemon-hunting expedition.

And what will I do with my foraged lemons? Make them into lemon vinaigrette, of course, my new favorite kitchen staple which takes approximately five seconds to whip up, yet somehow makes everything it touches taste a million times better. It’s humble, yet oddly exciting. Like getting an orange in your stocking on Christmas morning.

Lemon Vinaigrette

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Makes about 3/4 cup

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Whisk all ingredients in bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator, where it will keep indefinitely. Bring to room temperature before using (the olive oil will solidify slightly when cold). Toss with salad greens, pasta, roasted potatoes, cooked grains — basically anything you can put in your mouth.