The Goods
 Lenny's Favorite TODAY!
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| Let the Meyer lemon sun shine into your kitchen this winter! |
Having moved to Northern California from points less bountiful in the fruit department, we were amazed by the abundance of glossy dark green citrus trees laden with cheery golden orbs in every neighbor’s yard. The Meyer lemon, actually a mandarin-lemon hybrid brought from China in 1908 by a USDA scientist (can you guess his name?), does particularly well in the Napa, Sonoma and San Joaquin Valleys. Commercial Meyer lemon cultivation has only been successful since the 1950’s when a disease-free clone was produced by the University of California. Meyer lemons are now grown in Texas and Florida as well as California, and they are in peak season January through April, just in time for some sunny lemon cheer to shine through the winter grays.
Since Meyer lemons are sweeter than regular lemons, their juice makes great lemonade with less sugar, and it is also nice in cocktails. The really special part of the Meyer lemon is its peel, or zest, which is smooth, thin and extremely fragrant, reminiscent of the lemon blossom itself. We like to infuse sugar syrup with some of the zest and mix it with the juice for a fantastic sorbet or granita. The Meyer lemon flavor goes well in savory dishes as well as sweets. We think it’s great with black pepper, rosemary and black olives, so add the zest and juice to vinaigrette or compound butter for fish or vegetables for aromatic dimension.
Order fresh Meyer lemons from:
Buy your very own dwarf Meyer lemon tree from:
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