Limes 3

Limes should be firm, glossy, and bright in color. Persian limes should be a dark green. Key limes should be pale green to yellow. For the juiciest limes, select ones that are heavy for their size with thin skins. Avoid fruit that is hard or spongy and soft, although it should have some give. Limes put in a plastic bag and kept in the refrigerator will last up to six weeks. If you have extra limes on hand and want to save them before they spoil, squeeze the juice into an ice-cube tray, and then transfer the frozen juice cubes to a plastic bag. Freshly squeezed juice may be frozen for up to four months. Several of the more unusual varieties can be purchased as houseplants, and will yield fruit. For starters, Logeees.com has calmondin, kaffir, Key lime, limequat and Palestine sweet lime plants, as well as the traditional Tahitian or Persian lime. There are essentially two species of limes in common use. The large-fruited Tahitian type is known as the Bearss lime in California and the Persian lime in Florida. The smaller Mexican, or bartender's lime, is widely known as the Key lime of Florida. We’ll limit the discussion to the two principal limes used in the U.S., the Persian or Tahitian lime, which is the principal supermarket lime, and the Key lime (Mexican lime). The outermost skin of the lime, the zest, is a valuable culinary resource for a number of dishes, and is most often used grated. Freeze limes first to make grating easier. The zest can also be cut into strips and used to flavor poaching liquid for fruit. It can also be cut into julienne strips (matchstick size) or minced. The Key lime originated in southern Asia Indo-Malayan region. It was unknown in Europe before the Crusades and it is assumed to have been carried to North Africa and the Near East by Arabs, across North Africa into Spain and Portugal. It was brought by European Crusaders from Palestine to the Mediterranean countries. In the mid-13th century, the lime was cultivated and well-known in Italy and probably also in France. It was taken to the Americas by Spanish and Portuguese explorers in the early part of the 16th century where it became naturalized in southern Florida, parts of the West Indies, Mexico and other Caribbean countries (it was reportedly commonly grown in Haiti in 1520). There are essentially two species of limes in common use. The larger Tahitian type is known as the Bearss lime in California and the Persian lime in Florida. The smaller Mexican, or bartender's lime, is known as the Key lime of Florida. Hence, the name Key lime is from the Florida Keys.
Limes
While there is no documentation of the date of entry to Florida, the tree was popular in yards of private homes. In 1839, cultivation of limes in southern Florida was reported to be “increasing.” By 1883 it was being grown commercially on a small scale in Orange and Lake Counties.* When pineapple cultivation was abandoned in the Florida Keys because of soil depletion and the 1906 hurricane, farmers began to plant the limes as a substitute crop there, as well as on the islands off Fort Myers on the west coast. The limes were pickled in saltwater and shipped to Boston, where they were a popular children’s snack. If you don't need all the juice from a lime, you can purchase an extractor that looks something like a duck caller or you can use a toothpick. When using a toothpick, pierce the fruit, squeeze out the juice needed, and then reinsert the toothpick. To get maximum juice, up to 30 percent more, make sure the lime is at room temperature, and then roll it around on a countertop with the heel of your hand until it softens before juicing. If you don't have time to wait for the lime to come to room temperature, microwave it for about 30 seconds.













































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