The Ingredient Martha Stewart Missed Most While In Prison

Martha Stewart is a woman of many talents and surprises. Who would have thought she'd forge a close friendship with Snoop Dog or imagined she'd be posting teenage dirtbag photos to Instagram at 81 years old? The Domestic Goddess does it all, and she keeps finding new things to add to the list.

But even a can-do, self-made millionaire like Stewart has seen difficult days. Her 1990 divorce was one of the low points of her life (by her own estimation), and her prison sentence wasn't a cakewalk either (via Daily Mail.com)

Optimistic Stewart takes a decidedly stiff-upper-lip approach and looks back with gratitude for the good that has emerged from the challenges in her past. While being in prison wasn't easy, she got crafty while behind bars and upped her crocheting and ceramics game, producing a glorious caftan (via Today) and an entire Nativity set that you can even buy replicas of (per Town & Country).

The entrepreneur received a number of visitors during her time in prison, including Rosie O'Donnell, whom Stewart had specifically invited to come to see her (via People). O'Donnell — always one to cut to the chase — asked Stewart what she missed most in prison, aside from her favorite people and pets, and her answer may surprise you.

"The flavor of lemon." It's a poetic and appropriate answer from a woman who made her fortune by highlighting and perfecting the pleasures of home and garden. The flavor of lemon is important in cooking and is also evocative of sunny climates full of gorgeous lemon groves and miles of neatly planted countryside. Over the years, Martha Stewart and her brand have highlighted lemons in dishes from classic lemon bars to preserved lemons (via Martha Stewart), and even pizza with lemons (per YouTube). Lemons are prized for their versatility and usefulness; their flavor provides a bright burst of freshness that is the antithesis of the stale air and stale food standard in prison life. It's no wonder that it was lemons Stewart longed for. 

Rosie O'Donnell hadn't seen that answer coming, and joked with Stewart that if she'd known, she would have found a way to sneak a lemon into jail (per People). While it was too late for that, O'Donnell sent Stewart a little something special when she was released. As O'Donnell told Howard Stern, "I flew in a lemon tree from Capri because it was the winter — and I had it on her front porch for when she came back. And I never heard back from her again."