meyer lemons
February 19th, 2007What’s a meyer lemon and how does it differ from an ordinary lemon? That’s what Sophie asked in the comments of my meyer lemon fettuccine post (Hi Sophie!).
The meyer lemon is a cross between an ordinary lemon and a mandarin orange, originating in China and imported to the United States by a guy named Frank Meyer. The meyer is a smallish, thin-skinned lemon that’s sweeter than than other lemons. The zest is more aromatic and easier to work with than an ordinary lemon, as the pith is quite thin. Meyer lemons are thus good for pickling, canning, and candying. Their thin, supple skins also make them easier to squeeze for juice. Given a choice between the thick-skinned lemons off the tree in the back yard and store bought meyers, I’ll take the meyers.
February 20th, 2007 at 3:06 am
thanks, Shelly.
I’ve never heard of them. Make sure you prepare a bunch for me in two months…
February 20th, 2007 at 5:47 am
Will do, Sophie :).
February 20th, 2007 at 9:42 am
I love Meyers! I was blown away by them when I first moved to California. I definitely prefer them as well for most applications, but there is still a time and place for the good old Lisbon or Eureka lemons. I recently inherited a big bag of them, and have been making good use of them — limoncello, conserved lemons (m’sir) and more than a few dishes. Sometimes the Meyers are too mild.
February 22nd, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Mmmm…. limoncello! I’ve been threatening to make a batch for a while now, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. There’s a lemon tree in the backyard and we can’t seem to use up all of them. Anyway, true, that. Sometimes plain old lemons are best :).