I’d like to welcome my dear friend Velva, of Tomatoes on the Vine who took me up on my challenge of writing about the joys and challenges of having tons of Meyer Lemons in my post on Wara, Nigerian cheese curds.
Velva shares her passion for food, gardening and travel on her blog with delicious and food and drink recipes to boot. She says on her pleasures ‘One of my greatest pleasures is sharing a meal with family and friends.’
She wrote ‘Wara does remind me of tofu is except a more mozzarella texture. Like tofu but, not like mozzarella , wara takes on flavors which makes it so versatile. So, very cool.
Can I brag for a moment? I have a Meyer lemon tree in my backyard. This past season my tree produced over 200 lemons. I shared, juiced, baked and preserved lemons. Thsi past weekend, I saw that the new blossoms for next season had already formed. Woot-woot!….’
To which I responded ‘Full bragging rights granted Velva – gosh, I should have planned a visit! Now it is obvious why we’re friends right?….Not solely for your tree and its fruits, of course!! So then, I can rope you in to write a guest post on Meyers, what you did with them? See it as a gift, not punishment 
‘
Without further ado – here’s Velva!
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In Florida most homeowners can experience the satisfaction of picking citrus from their own trees.
Living north of the sub-tropical climate of southern Florida the varieties of citrus that can be grown are limited. If there is one event that can be deadly to the citrus tree it is an evening of freezing temperatures. Here is the joy of the Meyer lemon, a cold, hearty citrus variety that is native to China. The Meyer lemon is a cross between a lemon, a mandarin or common orange. The Meyer lemon can thrive in my climate albeit with caution, and for that I am joyful.
Would you believe I had over 100 or more Meyer Lemons this season from my single tree? I did.
There are joys and sorrows when you have a bumper crop of lemons, and all at one time.
The joy is there is an abundance of lemons, and I was absolutely giddy with excitement (food does that to me). The sorrow was that I was poorly equipped to handle the load. My plans were romantic and of gigantic proportions. The reality was that my time was limited. I shared, preserved, juiced, baked and cooked, still there were more lemons. I stuffed my humidity drawer in my refrigerator with my notion that I could preserve my lemons until I could get to the next big lemon project. The sorrow, I did not get to the next cooking project, and wasted lemons that could have been shared more with others, had I not been so greedy with my treasure.
The joys were that I prepared an abundance of freshly made vinaigrettes that dressed my salad greens.
I learned to preserve lemons. Why didn’t someone tell me sooner how easy this canning project would be- I am not sure what to do with my 20 jars of preserved lemons. I have preserved the flavor of the season for later use. For that I am impressed with myself.
Soon after the lemons were harvested, during the cool evenings of North Florida’s winter. New blossoms appeared, along with the bees to ensure these blossoms will be pollinated, providing a gift from nature, for the following season.
This season, my promise is to share more.
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I hope you enjoyed Velva’s post – I know I thoroughly did.
And I totally relate with Velva’s story – loving something doesn’t mean it isn’t challenging or free from difficulties. The beauty of it is to find old ways to enjoy what we love, and new ways, new ideas for extending that love. In this case, it’s sharing.
A time old, age-old tradition of giving.
Just to wish you all a very happy, if somewhat belated Easter celebration. Lots of love.
Visit Velva’s wonderful blog at Tomatoes on the Vine.
Recipes, from Velva
[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Guest Post on Meyer Lemons: The Joys and Sorrows – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
[…] with Meyer Lemons, in your fridge. Deep freezer. Pantry. Admire them, embrace them, share them too. Make your husband use them as aftershave (thanks Lara […]
We have a Meyer lemon tree, too, and it is more fun figuring out what to do with them all. I don’t know how it is in Florida, but here in Calif. we can leave them on the tree until we’re ready to use them. I’m intrigued by your preserved lemons — I’ve never tried that, but it looks interesting. My current experiment is limoncello — a lemon flavored liqueur. I have some fermenting away in the garage. It won’t be done for a few months, so we shall see if it’s anything worth sharing. Enjoyed this post very much.
Limoncello is next on my list….for next year anyway. Thanks for stopping by.
Oh what I would give to have that dilemma. My poor meyer lemon tree has only produced a few fruit, but what was I to expect from dry and cold Montana?
Velva is lucky. I’m going to have to up and move there, at least during Meyer season
[…] people in California throw away tired lemons. I read recently that a mature lemon tree can produce a thousand or more in a single season, and my friend Laura, who lives in a grove of the fecund little monsters, says this is a severe […]
I enjoyed your guest post, Velva! I wish I lived closer so you could share some of those lemons with me 🙂
Susan – you and I both! We ought to move closer to V. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
I just bought some lemons…wish I had a meyer lemon tree in my back yard too!
That’s my desire Angie….someday I hope to make it come true!
I would love to have a small lemon tree. I understand that it can be difficult to use 200 lemons. Thanks for sharing this interesting post! Have a great day!
Me too Katarina – a small lemon tree would be fine. I would be happy with 50 lemons :-)……Thanks for stopping by.
I have a dream – that a miniature lemon tree will live in my home n Minnesota. I share the sorrows of “grand plans gone awry” and love the preserving of lemons!
Ha ha Claudia – I too have a dream, which is budding…….but we’ll see. Hope shall flare eternal in our citrus loving breasts!
Just came over from Velva’s blog! I used meyer lemons for the first time in a post I just did! LOVE THEM!!!
I can’t wait to try Velva’s preserving method.
I’m now your newest follower! Stop by when you have a moment. I love company and new friends are always welcome!
Oh Meyers…they are so amazing when you finally get your hands on them but when you’re searching endlessly it’s gut-wrenching!
Well said Joanne. Very well said. I know how I sulked till my sister went out and bought me some.
Lovely share on these lemons from Velva
Yes, I totally love the recipes too.
Is there anything in this world that smells better than the heady aroma of a citrus tree in full bloom? I think not. 🙂
I’ve never had too many of anything but just once I’d like to try. 🙂
:-), honestly???
I would love excess Meyers. Perhaps I should move to Florida? We’ll see!
A tad of envy here! We have two lemon trees and no lemons this year! Although I adore lemon desserts and adding lemon to savory dishes, 200 lemons is a huge bounty! Thank you for the introduction to Velva, a lovely post!
We all learned a lot and now I am following her…
Great Norma – thanks. I love Velva’s recipes.
SO lucky! I wish I could grow citrus in the Northeast. Sadly I think it’s too cold up here for even lemon trees.
I am seriously trying to grow some – my first seeds sprouted well and then I went away, and they withered and died. I’m on batch 2 now. We’ll see
Velva, I totally loved the ‘downside’ of having too many Meyers – something I’ve never experienced.
I have lived though with having too much of an ingredient and the key is as you’ve highlighted – sharing!
Thanks for writing a wonderful post – I really learnt a lot!
Sharing is a beautiful thing. Thanks for sharing this post. I love it.
Velva