Meyer Lemon Facts

Meyer Lemons Lend Unique Tang, by Liz Caesar The Press-Enterprise

"The Meyer lemon is different from the common commercial lemon. It has a much rounder form, smooth unpitted skin, and takes on a deep yellow to orange color when mature. Meyer lemons have a wonderful tangy aroma and are sweeter and less acidic than the standard lemon. The juice of Meyer lemons is a fine substitute for vinegar in salad dressings."
 

The Utilitarin Lemon
Why Meyer Lemons are Uncommon
Uses for Meyer Lemons
 
 

The Utilitarian Lemon

Using Lemon Juice to Remove Stains

Removing Pantry Moths
 
Place herbs that have insect-repellant qualities on pantry shelves or even in stored grain. U.S Dept. of Agriculture has found this to be effective. Try bay leaves, coriander, dill, cinnamon, lemon peel, black pepper. Vacuum and wash down pantry shelves to kill eggs. Dust shelves and cracks with a dehydrating dust. If moths persist, try non-toxic, sticky, meal moth traps with pheromones. Store grains and flours in pest-tight containers (e.g. a glass jar with a rubber seal and a metal spring clamp; zip-lock type bags are not adequate). Freezing newly purchased bulk grains for a week will guarantee no new moths.


 
Do you know of any recipes for earth-friendly cleaning supplies that can clean and disinfect my home? You can create your own cleaning supplies using essential oils.

Citrus Furniture Spray

10 drops lemon
5 drops lime
5 drops bergamot
2 teaspoon light olive oil
1/4 cup white distilled vinegar
purified water

Put olive oil in 16-ounce spray bottle. Add essential oils and vinegar. Fill the rest of the bottle with purified water and shake well. Also works on hardwood floors.

Lavender Lemon Cleaning Powder

10 drops lavender
10 drops lemon
1/4 cup baking soda

Add essential oils to baking soda and mix. Works as a grease cutter, natural deodorizer and mild abrasive. It can also be used as a carpet deodorizer and toothpaste. To remove mineral deposits in a tea pot or burnt spots on a coffee pot, put some ice cubes, cut-up lemon, and salt with a tad water and swish around and let sit overnight. To whiten an old stained sink , poor a half cup of salt in it and then scrub it with a lemon. Let it stand for a few minutes and rinse. Garbage Disposal: If you've got a lemon that's a little past its prime, cut it  in quarters and run it through your sink disposal to freshen your drain.
 

Why Meyer Lemons are Uncommon

The Flat-Topped Tree Syndrome


Figs, lemons and peaches have all become somewhat standardized in todays marketplace. Certain varieties of fruit become standardized because the trees on which they grow could be flat-topped and then mechanically harvested. It was cheaper to mechanically harvest the fruit than to pick them by hand. But only certain varieties of peaches, figs, and lemons were candidates for this treatment because other varieties of each wouldn't conform to being to being flat topped. So they were discarded. Many were more flavorful, and more distinctive. But they are now heirloom fruits, grown only by home growers who revere great taste. It is once again becoming possible to purchase these non-standard varieties of fruit because small growers who don't use mechanical harvesting methods have revived these varieties.
 

Uses for Meyer Lemons

When a recipe calls for the juice of one lemon,  be very careful, because you can get about 1- 1 1/2 cups of juice from a large lemon.  You can make Lemon & Orange Marmalade, Three Citrus Marmalade (lemons, oranges, & grapefruit), lemon curd, lemon chutney, basil conserve, preserved lemons, and Bahamian Old Sour (a mixture of lemon juice, salt and hot chilies).