Question about the 'shelf life' of limes

[Midlife]

We have a wonderful lime tree in our yard and the limes from it will last weeks on our kitchen counter after picking. They will eventually turn yellow and soften up, but it takes a long time. When the tree isn't bearing fruit I buy limes at a number of nearby by produce markets but most of these last only a week or so before turning brown.

Is this about chemicals and storage during shipment............. or what?

[cstr]

I've kept limes in the frig for well over a month with no browning.

[fourunder]

Regardless of type of citrus fruit, the outside skin browning may or may not affect the inner pulp. If the skin dries out, yes, the amount of juice in the pulp will be less, but it is still good for over a month in my experience, i.e. unless the fruit has mold and rotted.

when I purchase citrus fruit, I try to pick them with bright & shinny skins, without blemishes. Their shelf life exceeds my expectations and needs..

[ediblover]

Total time.
You pick it and store it.
They pick it, pack it, transport it, stock it, you buy it and store it.

[ferret]

It would really depend on how quickly they got to the produce market. We have a higher-end produce market near us with larger-size fruit and it keeps very well after purchase. Another produce market in the area is known for low prices but their fruit is generally smaller, occasionally imperfect and will not last more than a few days at home. It's only a bargain if you use it immediately. So if your store-bought limes don't last it's because the store picked up "older" limes from their wholesaler.

[Midlife]

I understand the time factor but what I find a bit odd is that the store-bought limes don't seem to go through a yellow phase the way the ones from our tree do. They mostly are green when bought , then turn hard and/or brown after several days.

[BobB]

My go-to site for how long you can keep foods: http://www.stilltasty.com/

They say a week on the counter, a month in the fridge.

[Midlife]

That's a very useful site....... thanks. It just doesn't answer my specific question. about the possible DIFFERENCES between limes picked from my own tree and those I've purchased............. especially in what specifically happens to them over time. The ones from my own tree will last 3 or 4 weeks on the counter and go through a yellow phase before they start to turn brown.

I'm now guessing the store-bought limes are older fruit so they don't last long once bought. It may be possible that they are stored in cold temp in transit so they never go through the same yellow phase.

[ferret]

I can't comment on your experience, but some of my purchased limes go through a yellowing while others do not. As far as I can tell, yellow is a ripening phase while brown is a sign of decay, so I guess it depends on when you catch them and how you store them.