Week of December 5, 2021

An important role for citrus fruit in cooking is their contribution of acidity and zest to various entrees, salads, and desserts. Many Florida citrus, such as oranges and grapefruits, can contribute, but the ACID CITRUS fruits are usually confined to lemons and limes. The Florida Garden has five acid citrus trees, only three of which have contributed fruit since being planted. A finger lime was planted this year and is growing well, with tiny, glossy leaves and formidable thorny spines. It should produce little finger nail-sized limes in a year or two. A Persian lime has grown well along the drive but has been fruitless since it’s planting in 2014. It may be too cold in Gainesville for this tree to fruit. More successful is our Meyer lemon which is commonly planted this far north and has been more fruitful with each year, starting two years ago. This tree is rather gangly, with long, thin branches producing one or two lemons at their ends. It’s leaves also turn yellow and fall of in the autumn. This lemon has been a favorite sliced on baked or grilled fish and provides lemon zest from its peel. A real producer has been a Key Lime tree planted in a large pot that can be dragged inside or covered during a frosty night. It has been the subject of a number of blogs about Key lime pie, which requires about 25 Key limes for enough juice for a pie. It also is nice for slicing for iced tea or a mixed drink. Our limequat tree has put on significant growth next to the driveway. Limequats are a hybrid between Key Limes and kumquats, and tolerate more cold than the Key limes. Their yellow fruit are sightly larger than Key limes, but have the same uses. Acid citrus are not as showy as the other citrus trees, but are very appreciated in the Florida kitchen.