# Meyer Lemons



## starlady

The Meyer lemons are starting to come in on my parents' tree and I will have a few boxes for sale/barter. 

*Meyer lemons* are much juicier and slightly sweeter than the standard lemons you get at the grocery store. They also have much thinner peel, so are less suited to zesting than other citrus. 

We spray _NOTHING_ on this tree -- no pesticides, fertilizers, anything. The tree is older than I am and has lived through multiple hurricanes, so we figure it's best to leave it alone and let it do its thing. The lemons are as close to organic as you can get without certification  As a result, though, some of the fruit might show a little insect damage on the rind; I'll pick the best ones I can find, obviously, but it can be hard to find entirely perfect ones. These are also BIG lemons -- about half a pound each! Be sure you adjust your recipes before using -- if your recipe calls for "juice of one lemon" they're definitely not talking about these humongous lemons!

(I've attached photos of both the tree and the lemons to this post - the bowl is a large mixing bowl, for reference.)

I will pick, wash, individually wrap (in recycled materials like newspaper and plastic grocery store bags; if you want this for a gift and need nicer materials, let me know and I'll pick up some tissue paper and add it to the cost of the box), pack, and ship the lemons the same day by USPS Flat Rate Priority box. 

*Medium Flat Rate box (about 10 lbs/20 lemons): $28 incl. shipping

Large Flat Rate box (about 15 lbs/30 lemons): $40 incl. shipping*

Please send funds via PayPal to [email protected].

I am open to in-kind bartering as well; if you have apples or other fruit, honey, beeswax, maple syrup, or plants/seeds that will do well in Zone 8/9, I am especially interested in bartering with you!  Please send me a PM.

I'll be able to get down there to pick on Fridays, Saturdays, and most Mondays. The lemons are just now ripening so it'll be a week or two before the first boxes can go out; depending on demand, I should have lemons available through the end of December. If you want your box to arrive on or around a certain date (e.g. Christmas) I can wait to pick until then as the lemons keep very well on the tree.

Shipping to USA only. Due to quarantine rules, I cannot ship lemons to Florida, California, Texas, or Arizona, sorry.

Please let me know if you have any questions!


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## TedH71

You could go and make some limoncello. Have always wanted to try some. Internet shipping alcohol is prohibited in my area unfortunately. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limoncello


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## Becka03

I am really interested in some of these- when you say you are open to in kind bartering - what does that mean? I have access to the Amish local honey- when you say honey is that what you mean or you would want the honey someone produces?
I apologize- I just don't understand?


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## redneckswife

Please also Pm me about your bartering specifics, dad is a beekeeper and I'd like to know more..I have access to lots of honey and their wax(usually he sells the jars with the wax or without,plus he has their hive sheets of wax).

Thank you


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## starlady

Ugh, I had a whole post written out and then accidentally pressed the "back" button. 

Basically, I am interested in bartering for honey/wax/whatever of about the same dollar value as the lemons. Without shipping, the cost of the lemons is about $16 for the medium box and $24 for the large box, so figure that plus shipping for your barter value. So, if honey goes for about $8/lb in your area, two pounds would be a fair exchange for the medium box -- does that make sense?

Becka, it wouldn't necessarily have to be honey you produce - Amish honey would be great! (Just not grocery-store honey as it's often adulterated with HCFS.) I used to live in central PA and although I don't miss the winters, I do miss the great farmers markets with Amish produce and baked goods 

redneckswife, same deal - whatever your dad sells the honey or wax for, just figure up $16 or $24 (depend on lemon box size) plus shipping for the trade.


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## All country

I would love to have some lemons. 
I have raw honey. 
Tons of apples, but not sure how well they would ship. We don't spray anything and while absolutely delicious inside, the outside looks rather yucky on most. They do make the most incredible apple pie filling.

pm me if you're interested.


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## redneckswife

Sending you a private Pm with details.


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## All country

Would you be interested in bartering home canned apple pie filing?


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## starlady

Hi All_country - more interested in the plain apples - I don't mind if they look weird as my aunt usually peels hers anyway. Want to trade box-for-box (i.e. a medium flat-rate box of lemons for same of apples)?


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## Tiempo

I have apples too if you're interested. They are from an unnamed very old tree, unsprayed so they have surface blemishes, but they are delicious. Closely resemble winesap with dark red, almost purple skin, very white firm flesh with some pink leakage from the skin.

They taste great out of hand or for baking and make a lovely pink apple sauce if you cook with the skins on.

I sent a medium flat rate box to a friend in Virginia recently and the box fit 13 pounds of apples.

Let me know of you're interested.

I also will have, but don't now because no one is laying, hatching eggs ..show quality breeding silkies in several colors including paints, gray runner ducks, lavender orpingtons and LF white crested black polish. Swedish Flower chickens and production quality black runner ducks.


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## redneckswife

Sent your package off today Starlady, please pm me and let me know when it arrives. Thank you so much. Hubby has already requested a Lemon Pie once you've got some to ship,lol.


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## All country

That sounds great. I will send a mix of Winesap, Granny Smith, Yellow delicious, & Red Delicious. These are not as pretty as your grocery store apple, but the flavor is wonderful. pm me with your info.


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## karenp

How long will they keep in the fridge?


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## starlady

Tiempo, unfortunately I don't have a way to hatch out eggs else I'd be very interested! Apples sound great, though.

All_country, sending you a PM.

karenp, they will keep quite a while, but like any citrus, will eventually start to dehydrate in the fridge and get hard/less juicy. I've never tried them in the "green bags" - you might give that a try? (I live in a very humid area and we tend to have mold issues, so extra bags often lead to mold around here.)

I just pulled one out that's been in the fridge for two weeks and other than being a bit softer and deeper in color than a fresh-off-the-tree lemon, it's like new. I usually have a few kicking around in the crisper drawer for a couple of months. (And some in the freezer - each year I eventually get tired of juicing them to freeze and just start throwing them in the freezer whole!)

All: We recently had a cold snap which is slowing down ripening a bit. I have PMs out to a couple of you about sending boxes; other than those, it'll probably be the beginning of December before I have enough ripe to send out. December and January is usually the prime time for this tree anyway and there are still several hundred fat ones on the branches!


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## motdaugrnds

Starlady, I sent you a pm.


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## Grace Acres

Hello,

Just letting you know that the lemons arrived safe and sound. They are beautiful. My husband was very impressed.

Thank you.

Connie


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## starlady

Connie - glad to hear it!


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## All country

Sent you a pm


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## Grace Acres

Jessica,

I just had to write you again. Today, it a dark and gloomy and windy afternoon. I am getting ready to process the lemons and unwrapped them all. WOW!!!! It is like sunshine in a box and the smell is wonderful. I will be juicing and zesting them for our long cold winter.

Thank you again for this lovely package.

Connie


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## redneckswife

I got my Lemons today and they are fabulous, I can't believe how big they are, keep me in mind if you decide to sell next year.

Thank you


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## keztrelle

Hi, 

I just sent you a pm.


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## susieneddy

Susie, really likes Meyer lemons. Let me talk to her and see if she wants to buy some


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## beaglady

Starlady, did you get the pm I sent yesterday?


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## redneckswife

Oh my gosh...I started cutting my lemons today and they are the juicest & best smelling lemons I have ever seen. The insides were so filled out...I'm impressed.

Wish I had bought more...


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## keztrelle

Starlady, 

Did you get my pm & payment I sent yesterday? Please let me know you received my payment. Thank you so much!


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## starlady

Connie and redneckswife, glad you are enjoying them as much as we do!

keztrelle and beaglady, check your PMs 

I have been out of town at an academic conference and so got a little behind on PMs. Sorry! I should be all caught up now. If you were expecting a PM back from me and haven't gotten one yet, please send me another one - thanks!


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## motdaugrnds

I'm confused! Will someone please tell me how to use that link provided to order these lemons? I clicked on the OP's link to paypal and my own email program came up with a letter I could send to paypal. I sent it saying I wanted to order one large box of these Meyer lemons and wanted the money taken out of my paypal account; but that was several days ago and I have not heard anything yet.

Now don't laugh. The only way I've ever used paypal to pay for anything before was to click on a "buy now" button.


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## starlady

motdaugrnds, keztrelle, check your PMs - they should have actually sent this time  

Unfortunately the forum will not let me post a "buy now" button, so to use PayPal you need to log into your account and click the "Send Money" tab at the top, then put my email address in. Or, PM me for my home address to send a check.

beaglady, did you get my PM? I have been having trouble with them (internet is out at home and the app doesn't seem to be sending/receiving PMs on my phone), but (I think) I sent yours before the trouble began. If not, let me know and I'll re-send.

All: I need to assess the tree to see how many are left (I also send some as Christmas gifts ). I may be down to just medium boxes available at this time. Will post soon with update.


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## motdaugrnds

Thank you. Just today sent you the payment.


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## beaglady

I'll send you a pm.


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## karenp

Do you still have lemons?


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## beaglady

Starlady,

Did you get my latest pm? I'm still hoping to get some lemons if you have them.


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## starlady

Hi all - down to medium boxes at this point - maybe 3 left - one of those is spoken for by beaglady.  (I've still got to have some to send as Christmas presents... )


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## motdaugrnds

Yeah! I just received my box of Meyer lemons!

Thank you very much, starlady. They were so nicely wrapped (individually). 

I do have a few questions:

1. The nice pamphlet you included with the shipment states they get more orange as they ripen; and they range from lemon-yellow to slight orange in color. Since all of these have some green on them, should I set them up out of the refrigerator for a few days to let them continue to ripen; and if so, for how long?

2. Can they be frozen as is (maybe pricking the skin a bit) or will that ruin them? (The pamphlet you sent did state the juice could be frozen in ice trays; but I'm wondering about the whole lemon.)

....I'm sitting here now sipping on a fresh Meyer lemonaide I just created from your wonderful lemons. I squeezed the juice out of one whole one, then took out all the pulp, including the membrane holding it into place, chopped that pulp/membrane up and put it in with the juice. Then I added about one ounce of cold water, 1/4 tsp Splenda and 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon. Then poured it over ice in an 8 oz glass. WOW quite good!


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## Woodpecker

If you have enough to fill a medium sized box, I would love to try some.


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## keztrelle

Just received my lemons today! We were shocked the USPS drove up and delivered on a Sunday! Absolutely fantastic lemons and oh so juicy! Talk about huge!!!! I made the lemon scones from the recipe and they are delicious too! Thank you so much for offering them on the barter board!


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## beaglady

Starlady, sent a pm with my address. Your box is on the way from me.


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## starlady

keztrelle, they jolly well better have delivered on a Sunday since I dropped them off at the post office on Monday!!! 2-3 day shipping... yeah, right 

beaglady, I got your box and your lemons should arrive soon... well, in theory anyway, given that keztrelle's took almost a week  motdaugrnds' got there sooner, I think.

motdaugrnds, I never thought of putting cinnamon in lemonade! Sounds delicious... I have a few gallons of hard lemonade bulk aging -- maybe I'll put a cinnamon stick in a gallon to see how it turns out.  Re ripening - the lemons are ripe as-is (they came off the tree with just a bit of a twist), but they will keep getting more and more golden - refrigerating slows this process down so it's your call whether to fridge or keep them out. I usually store them in the fridge and have one or two out on the counter since they are easier to juice at room temp. Re freezing - at some point in the season I usually get tired of juicing them and put some in a ziploc bag and freeze them whole. They come out a bit mushy but are still fine for juice - though not zesting. I've never tried pricking them -- if you do, let me know how they turn out! 

karenp, Woodpecker, and others still interested -- lemons are on hold for the moment as I am sending some for gifts (and with the holidays next week, shipping is complicated). I will update after Christmas with whatever's left. They do continue to ripen throughout the winter and because the tree is so large and bushy, there are still some green on the backside of the tree -- so hopefully they will ripen up well enough to offer here.

Thanks to all for your interest!  I am so glad that people all over the country are enjoying these lemons as much as we do. In the past, I've tried to send out as many as I can for Christmas gifts, but we usually wind up letting a lot of them fall -- but since I've moved back to town and have a relatively flexible schedule, I figured it'd be worth offering them on the board. We are very much enjoying the honey, soaps, and other bartered goods, and I have used the paypal funds both for Christmas gifts and for donations to Philippines hurricane relief. Happy holidays to all!


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