Meyer Lemons for MMRuth

[JoanN]

UWS Fairway has had them steadily for about 5 weeks now. Sometimes they sell them loose, sometimes they only have them in plastic containers of 3 pounds each. Don't recall price. I've been willing to pay whatever they were asking. :-)

[JoanN]

As of 15 minutes ago, UWS Fairway had a large supply of Meyer lemons: $2.89/lb loose or a 2/lb box (ca. 12) for $4.99.

[idia]

I cannot believe what I saw at my market today. A thing called Meyer Lemons.
You see I have been on this kick about how difficult it is to find any lemons that don't have thick, rough skins instead of shiny smooth ones anymore.
What ever happened to those lemons??? Why can't they make them with the smooth skins?
So imagine my surprise when I saw all these beautiful SMOOOOTH skinned lemons and then to see that they were not "real lemons" at all but rather a thing called "Meyer Lemons."
Are they different in taste or have I simply finally found my smooth skin lemons again? (I'm willing to pay the $1.39 price)

[JoanN]

Very definitely different in taste. Much sweeter. You can, if you so choose, eat a Meyer lemon out of hand. It's a cross between a lemon and a Mandarin orange (or some other kind of orange; authorities differ). It's only recently that we've begun to see them in quantity on the East Coast. It used to be that unless you ordered them by mail or brought them back from California yourself, they just weren't available to us. But now, bless the powers that be, we're beginning to see them when they're in season.

They make lemon curd and marmalade to die for. You can also preserve them, as you can regular lemons. The zest is also sweeter than that of regular lemons and is a delightful addition to any dish for which you'd usually use zest, especilly fish.

[idia]

Aha! Then where can I purchase a "regular" lemon without the tough outside rind? I want it to look smooth and shiny.
Is that a thing of the past? Why can they not grow smooth lemons like they used to?
(And thank you for the Meyer lemon lesson. I now realize that these are the lemons my daughter brings us from LA from her lemon tree.)

[MMRuth]

I find that lemons vary - I tend to look for the thinner skinned ones but sometimes it's impossible to find them. I've been using Meyer lemons this week instead of regular ones though just because I'm so pleased to have them - a waste, maybe, but so be it.

[MMRuth]

I just bought 4 for $6 at Eli's - they were out at Whole Foods (Chelsea) and didn't have them at Jefferson Market. After dragging my husband all over town to run errands while he waited in the car w/ the dog, I didn't have the heart to try yet another place. BTW - Eli's also had something called "sweet limes" - yellow - I need to look those up.

[LNG212]

I saw those too at Fairway (the sweet limes) and didn't know what they were. If you find out, please let us know. The loose meyer lemons at Fairway were $2.59-ish a pound. They also had big boxes of maybe 6 or 8 but I didn't see the price for those. I have yet to try them but I'm looking forward to it -- all of you on CH always have such great recipe ideas.

[MMRuth]

Those sweet limes are, according to my husband, also called "limon dulce". I found one granita recipe on line and it seems to be used in Thai cooking as well. I'll post more on HC or GT once I learn more. But, I "zested" and squeezed a regular lemon, a Meyer Lemon and this Sweet Lime (yet another ingredient of which I've never heard that I was compelled to buy!), and the latter is definitely sweet. Lovely shape too.

[windycity]

Ugh, I just called Fairway and they said they didn't have any. I need my meyer lemon fix, and to make meyer lemon ice milk. I am generally willing to pay for my meyer lemons, but 4 for $6 seems ridiculous, when I used to grab them off the trees in California.

[MMRuth]

Well - Eli's is always ridiculous! But sometimes they are the only ones who have things that "I must have. Now!". And somehow they are always "on the way home" from whatever food shopping expeditions we've been on. And no matter what I go in to buy, I always spend at least $40 - this time partly on a $13 melon - "Merengue"! Better be good.

[LNG212]

Are you sure the person knew what you were talking about? I was just there on Friday (the 74th St. location) and they had a ton and that's where i got mine. I guess it's possible that they were all purchased, but that would really be astonishing, wow.

[MMRuth]

FWIW - at WF Chelsea on Sunday, someone in the produce department told me they had had a lot of them, had 10 left when they opened Sunday morning, which were gone by the time I was there at 11.

[kayonyc]

Do you recall if the the WF ones were organic?

[MMRuth]

There weren't any left when I was there and I didn't ask, so I'm afraid I don't know.

[windycity]

No, I am not sure that the person knew what they were talking about. It would have been nice to go and get meyer lemons when it was warmish, and I could have pretended to be living in California as I drank my homemade meyer lemon spritzer. Instead I will now have to settle for dredging myself up to Fairway in the cold, windy rain and bringing back a taste of sunshine.

[jessesgirl]

Just saw them last night at Whole Foods Chelsea - don't recall price.

[MMRuth]

Thanks everyone - I'll have to get some this weekend. This is the thread on the Home Cooking board that prompted my question:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/475220

[RCC]

Last week, the wife bought a few at Whole Foods Houston Street East.

[kobetobiko]

I just saw them today at Whole Foods TWC location. They are sold in 3 or 4 per package on plastic trays. Sorry didn't see the price.

[Ora]

Just curious, what do you make with all those lemons?

[small h]

I make this:

http://nymag.com/listings/recipe/spag...

Which will only get rid of one lemon. But it's good! And cinchy!

[LNG212]

Thanks for that link. I made it this week and it was quite tasty.

[small h]

You're welcome! I'm a big fan of recipes that a) require very few ingredients and b) are hard to screw up.

[JoanN]

I made an oustanding Meyer Lemon Curd Tart from "The Sweet Life." I made a whole batch of candied lemon peel and used some to decorate the tart and the rest to just nibble on. I made a couple of pints of preserved lemons. And I canned about 5 half pints of Meyer lemon marmalade using the recipe in the big yellow Gourmet cookbook.