Iced Lemons?

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Thursday 29 January, 2015 by Uncle Spike

Icy weather plays havoc with fruit farming, but the worst affected tend to be lemons I have found. Their internal structure differs from other citrus fruits I think, which results in greater damage from below freezing temperatures.

As you can see from this lemon in the picture below, it’s just like a soft sponge ball now, with the inside all squishy – like a bag of juice!

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New leaves, exposed branches and any flower buds die off when the temperature drops below -2C (28F).

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Fruit in the centre of the tree can often be unaffected. İn this next image, you can see the difference between healthy and ice-damaged lemons. The white pith is thinner and the segments break down in the extreme cold weather (extreme for us and citrus farming anyway).

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However, these are still good for juicing, so I use these lemons to restock the freezer with lemon juice for both ourselves, and the outlaws in Ankara. We use a great deal of lemon juice in Turkish cooking, and our sun-ripened lemons are much much less bitter than shop bought, early picked fruit. 

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