Meyer Lemons

  Meyer Lemons are a great citrus fruit that is truly seasonal. With a limited commercial harvest running from December or January through April and sometimes early May.

  They are from China where for more than a century they were raised for their looks and sweet smelling flowers and were primarily a decorative houseplant.

  A cross between a lemon and a Mandarin orange, though some say just a regular orange, they were brought to this country by one man, Frank N. Meyer. He was sent by the US Department of Agriculture as an Agricultural Explorer, really that was his title, to find new plant species. Among the more than 2,500 new plant species he introduced was the Meyer Lemon.

  They are mainly grown in the Citrus Belts as they are so fragile to ship. Even today they are hard to find in most grocery stores. Their thin skin and high juice content makes them great to eat as you can cook with them rind and all. Very little bitter white pith on them.

Cut open to show white pith. they are lemons

  Martha Stewart is considered the person to give the credit to for their wider usage. She began featuring them in her recipes such as her lemon-pine nut tart. Because of her we can now find them at some specialty stores and occasionally at a supermarket. I have gotten them from our local HyVee and a large Target store.

  Meyers may be used anywhere you want to add pure lemon flavor without the bitterness. They are superb in desserts, great over risotto or steamed vegetables. They make marvelous marmalades. Dreaming up ways to use them is much easier than finding them.

  You can find them on line, or raise them as a houseplant. They are sold as plants on line and in many greenhouses. Here in the North, they must be kept indoors in the winter. I have a Meyer lemon tree that lives at Bettie office, thanks to her boss. They have lovely east facing floor to ceiling windows where it gets sun and thinks it is down south. We have had lemons from it and are thinking about getting a second tree.

  We are going to feature some recipes using Meyer Lemons and I think the ice cream is one of the very best I make. Enjoy your find and maybe find a new way to use them.