Undiscovered Ingredient: Meyer Lemons

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I'm a lemon lover through and through. I love lemon desserts better than (dare I say it?) chocolate ones. So maybe I'm unconventional in that respect, but I know there are other lemon lovers out there just like me.

I'm always on the lookout for lemons. Just a few years ago I discovered Meyer lemons in my local supermarket. I had heard of them some years earlier, but no matter how hard I looked I could never find them. These pretty orange-hued lemons eluded me. But once I did find them, I couldn't stop using them in everything from desserts to roast chicken recipes. So what are Meyer lemons?

You've probably heard of them before (Martha Stewart uses them a lot!), or maybe even seen them on display at the farmers' market with other citrus fruits. Meyer lemons are unique lemons -- they're slightly sweeter than regular lemons, and they have a thinner skin with an orange hue -- and they turn more orange as they ripen. You can almost eat them as is because they're not as tart, but they're still very much tangy. Before you'd ever even pick up a Meyer lemon, the first thing you'd notice is the aroma. Meyer lemons have an exotic fragrance unlike any other citrus fruit. It's almost hard to describe, it's just so perfumed and wonderful.

Meyer lemons are thought to be a cross between lemons and possibly tangerines or mandarin oranges, but they date back so far to ancient China, that no one really knows their gene pool for sure. In 1908 the Dutch agricultural explorer Frank Nicholas Meyer, who worked for the USDA, introduced the lemons to the United States. The citrus fruit was named in his honor.

Ever since the 1940s, Meyer lemons have been widely grown in California. They became very popular in later years with people like Alice Waters and Martha Stewart advocating their use. Meyer lemons are relatively easy to grow by home gardeners too. The lemon trees are small and can be grown as ornamental trees in pots. Meyer lemon season stretches from November to April. The height of their season is in the winter, so check your supermarkets and farmers' markets now.

Many recipes benefit from Meyer lemons, the best being desserts. They're great in pies, tarts and cakes. Savory recipes, from chicken to fish, also are great with Meyer lemons. Feel free to replace any recipe that calls for regular lemons with Meyer lemons. You'll be surprised at how appealing the result will be.

Have you used Meyer lemons before? Leave a comment.

Recipes

Chicken Under a Brick with Meyer Lemons
Yucatan Lemon Soup
Creamy Split Pea Soup with Meyer Lemon Zest and Thyme
Individual Meyer Lemon Pudding Cakes
Citrus Ginger Cake with Spice Orange Compote
Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Comments

[misterstudebaker]

02:46 PM on 02/21/2012

This is off topic, but it is VERY important - there is a major typo in a previous blog I believe you authored that has been linked back in a recent post on huffpo. If one follows the advice as written, it can have VERY deleterious effects on one's health. I ma posting here because I can't find a proper feedback system.

The URL for the post is:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/14/refrigerator-rules-when-to-toss-leftovers_n_963393.html

The problem is "The Refrigerator Rules, #1. Temperature
Keep your refrigerator's temperature set to at least 40 degrees. Bacteria loves to grow between 40 and 140 degrees."

One should not keep it set "to at least 40". One "must keep it set well below 40".
Please fix that. Last thing we need is someone who doesn't know what bacteria is and thinks "cool - I'll set it to 50" and then dies of salmonella...
It's an otherwise useful list!, cheers, S.S.

[Tabbykitten13]

09:25 PM on 02/20/2012

Growing up there was always a Meyer lemon tree in the yard, and one at my grandma's. I remember being surprised and dissapointed the first time I ever had a grocery store lemon, they were so sickly looking and one dimensional in flavor. I really miss the giant tree in my grandma's yard now that I'm stuck in the midwest with decent citrus being such a rare find...

[pain312]

09:07 PM on 02/20/2012

Walmart carries them in a bag.
They are not too expensive. Got some sitting on my table right now

[EdwardNOLA]

07:53 PM on 02/20/2012

A friend gave me a Meyer Lemon tree two years ago. I wasn't certain what to do with all the lemons.
This year I learned how to make Myer Lemon Marmalade.
I've never loved Orange Marmalade but, Myer Lemon Marmalade is amazingly
delicious! Its hard to stop eating it. Its a great way to preserve your lemons because
if you can it properly, it will keep for up to a year.

[sdshell140]

07:15 PM on 02/20/2012

When I was little I lived in Santa Cruz County, California. I used to sneak around my neighborhood stealing these off of all the neighbors bushes. I would eat them until by teeth felt like chalk. I am so pleased to see these sold in stores (finally).

[howlar2]

04:28 PM on 02/20/2012

They are not really lemons, they are a different citrus altogether and cannot be a substitute for lemons in many recipes.

[hilndpuppy]

08:32 PM on 02/20/2012

I would never use a Myers lemon in my Lemon Pie. They just don't work in any of my lemon recipes. To sweet and the flavor is different.

[SmurphIt]

03:59 PM on 02/20/2012

I love Meyer Lemons! I grow my own & there is such a difference! You can find them somethimes at the Whole Foods or Central Market stores, but be prepared to pay an arm & a leg for them. They are worth it though! The slight hint of orange really makes every thing taste good!
They grow so big that one lemon is enough juice for any receipe, about 1/3 cup. Be sure & use the zest too!

[healbaum]

03:49 PM on 02/20/2012

Had my first Meyer lemon this December in Hawaii. I've lived many places in the U.S. and in Europe and had never heard of them. I'm sure glad I took a chance and used it over my fresh Ono--it was the best fish dinner I've ever cooked! I'll have to take a look in my grocery stores and see if I can find any Meyer lemons. Now--if only I could get Ono in Colorado. :-(

[AbsoluteTruthiness]

03:02 PM on 02/20/2012

I prefer Meyer lemons in cocktails, such as my beloved Grey Goose Citron Martini. Their flavor is more delicate and doesn't overwhelm. BUT you can't beat the Empire's for lemon merangue pie (which I make only very rarely since the sugar is so toxic to everyone.)

I also prefer to squeeze lemons into my water regularly. They're very cleansing to the system.

[AbsoluteTruthiness]

05:08 PM on 02/20/2012

BTW, it's very rare to find a bar that uses Meyer lemons in their Grey Goose Citron martinis but if you find one, rave about them, heap praise upon them, and patronize them. Those who do this well DESERVE to prosper!!!!

:-)

[Almanor John]

02:06 PM on 02/20/2012

I grow both Meyer and Empire lemons in my yard in Diamond Bar, California. Each has its uses in culinary preparations. I use Meyer lemons in fish dishes which allows the flowery accents to add to the delicate flavor of the fish. Empire lemons are yellower in color and have a taste which is more tart and less sweet. I use them in sauces, especially for plum pudding and poppy seed cake. Their flavor is very "lemony" and both the juice and the zest are useful in baking and cookery.

[SmurphIt]

04:02 PM on 02/20/2012

Must be really nice to grow them in the yard. I have to drag my Meyer in the greenhouse in winter here in North Texas.

[maryk4d4]

05:35 PM on 02/20/2012

They are grown in practically every other yard in Sacramento. Looking out my living room window I can count 5 front yards with Meyer lemon trees that are over 50 yrs old

[gleitz05]

01:59 PM on 02/20/2012

I have a Meyer lemon tree in my yard. I noticed that if the fruit is picked when the skins are yellow, it has a lemony taste with a bit of orange in the flavor. If the fruit is left on the tree until the skins are very orange in color, then it has a stronger orange taste mixed with the lemon flavor. Either way, they are quite tasty.

[AbsoluteTruthiness]

03:03 PM on 02/20/2012

If I'm not mistaken, Meyer lemons are said to have originated in China where they're thought to be a sort of hybrid of a lemon and mandarin orange.

[SmurphIt]

04:04 PM on 02/20/2012

I believe that the Meyer is grafted. A lemon cutting is grafted to a Trifoliate (sp) orange.

[gleitz05]

05:16 PM on 02/20/2012

I think it must be true that they are a hybrid. Their flavor is unique to any other type of lemon and I noted the difference in taste corresponding to the length of time the fruit was left on the tree. A lot of people mistakenly think it's an orange tree in my front yard!

[dickn2000b]

01:38 PM on 02/20/2012

If you use these lemons in place of key limes you no longer have a key lime pie...you have a Meyer lemon pie, and as good as it might be it isn't a key lime pie...PERIOD!

[onlyway2goisup]

01:56 PM on 02/20/2012

cool

[hilndpuppy]

08:36 PM on 02/20/2012

You do not use lemons of any sort in a Key Lime Pie. You use limes, preferably Key Limes. They are very small.

[dickn2000b]

07:00 PM on 02/21/2012

Duuuhhhh...YA THINK? Thanks for the tip...idiot. I live in Florida. I have two key lime trees in my back yard.

[HRH]

09:28 PM on 02/29/2012

I've found that key limes do not make a good pie. They are much too tart for us.

I use Persian limes (the common ones) and they make a great pie, using the old-fashioned recipe with sweetened condensed milk and eggs. NO GREEN FOOD COLORING!

[andrsncw]

12:49 PM on 02/20/2012

I have a myers lemon tree about 15ft tall. It's about 20 years old. My favorite uses for the lemons are as a substitute for key limes in pies(dont forget the zest) and taboule salad. Fantastic flavor, They are susceptible to hard freezes and were damaged in 2010 and 2011 in Jacksonville.

[onlyway2goisup]

02:02 PM on 02/20/2012

cool...i'm from the city....never fruit on trees....made me cry when i saw an apple grown on the tree...then pears...lemons especially the myer, which i had seen used in cooking... would be another treat for me to see...you're fortunate

[AbsoluteTruthiness]

03:05 PM on 02/20/2012

I have a key lime tree and a meyer lemon tree in huge pots (grown organically) but then, we never get close to freezing temps here where I live in S. FL. They keep us well stocked. And when they're not producing, I can scrounge a Whole Foods and often find organic Meyer Lemons.

[seabeeutcn]

12:33 PM on 02/20/2012

Wow, heard it here first. Never heard of these little gems before. Cutting edge stuff, keep up the good work.

[gehrig1b]

11:48 AM on 02/20/2012

Life is not worth living without Meyer lemons. I love those juicy little b-st-r-s!