While we were away in Nelson this past weekend the lemons on several of our trees here at Struan Farm started to turn yellow and ripen. Seems one has to go away for things to happen. It's looking like we should have a decent crop on three of our Meyer lemon trees this year.
I use lemon juice and zest for something every day, so will be glad to have a home grown stockpile of organic fruit. The mandarins and limes (latter a dwarf I'm coaxing along in the glasshouse) are still works in progress. We also have a YenBen lemon tree down at the back Homestead gate I planted years ago that's now fruiting well after a rocky start. Despite my best effort those lemons are impossible to juice, can be used only for zest. For awhile I thought this had something to do with our soil and/or me, but I've since read that it doesn't, this is just the way YenBen lemons are. Since we do have heavy frosts in Piopio there are only a few hardy varieties of lemons and other citrus that are able to cope. I don't use frost cloth since it blows off in winds, but I have been known to use Country Trading's Liquid Frost Cloth, which does work well. I've also been known to go out and drape sheets over smaller trees when a particularly heavy frost is forecast too.
So the moral of this blog post is that when life gives you lemons, be grateful to have them--I am. That's what that expression about making lemonade is all about anyway, don't you think?
Comments