Meyer Lemon Tree

This post may seem to be jumping the seasons a bit since Meyer lemons are considered to be a winter crop. But my Meyer Lemon tree is incredibly happy right now. It could be because of all the amendments that I dug into the soil this spring when I attempted to grow some strawberries in the same bed. Or perhaps it is because I repaired the drip system in that area and it's actually getting enough water for the first time in I don't know how long. It certainly can't be because of the unusually cool summer we've had. Although, this tree seems to be quite tolerant of cool and shade, it's growing on the north side of the house where it gets sun for maybe half the day.

Blossoms galore,
they perfume the air when the day warms up.

Have you ever eaten a lemon blossom? The petals are delicious, perfumy and sweet.

The bees have been collecting every bit of pollen and nectar.

There are lemons in every stage of development on the tree right now.

Small and green, these should ripen this winter.

Sized up and starting to ripen.

Fully ripe and ready to harvest.

Old and thick skinned but still sound and juicy.

Barring an unusual freeze this winter it looks like I'm going to have bumper crop of lemons so I'm tempting fate and gathering together some of my favorite recipes that use Meyers. Here's some of the posts that I've published in the past:

Lemon Curd and Candied Peels
Meyer Lemon Marmalade (Spicy or not)
Smoked Trout and Meyer Lemon Pizza

And some other easy uses for Meyers:

*Salami, Arugula and Meyer Lemon sandwiches, yes, just put thin slices of lemon right in the sandwich.

*Fried lemon slices, good with any kind of lemon but Meyers are the best. Thinly slice the whole lemons, pick out any seeds, dredge the slices in flour and deep fry until golden and crisp. Fabulous paired with deep fried fresh anchovies and/or thin sliced zucchini, or even potatoes. Or just serve with some grilled fish.

*Lemon-honey-mustard salad dressing - juice of half a Meyer lemon (or any kind of lemon), about a teaspoon each of honey and mustard, salt and pepper and perhaps a bit of truffle oil, whisk in as much extra virgin olive as you like.

*Preserved lemons, there are recipes available in lots of books and online like this one.

Some favorite recipes from my cookbook collection:

Meyer Lemon Tart with a Layer of Chocolate from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin
Green Olive-Lemon Relish from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers
Meyer Lemon Semifreddo (more like a trifle) from Room For Dessert by David Lebovitz

And here's a few recipes from the SF Chronicle that I have in mind to try:

Portuguese Minted Chicken Soup With Meyer Lemon
Miso Meyer Lemon Chicken Thighs
Risotto With Meyer Lemon
Meyer Lemon Panna Cotta
Meyer Lemon Salsa
Meyer Lemon and Ricotta Puffed Pancake With Macerated Strawberries


What are your favorite ways to use Meyer lemons?

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And to replace the strawberry plants that the rats liked to munch on are some seed propagated Paragon rhubarb plants. The rats don't seem to like to munch on rhubarb, but to my surprise the deer do, and no surprise, the gophers. Neither the deer nor the gophers are likely to get to these plants so perhaps next spring I'll finally be able to harvest some home grown rhubarb.