Urban Lemon

For several years now, I have been growing a little Meyer lemon tree on the windowsill in my office at work. Last year, after much blooming, sweet smelling and carryings on, it yielded one lemon. I fussed around about what to do with it, and wound up making a very nice tart, which called for only one lemon, but used every scrap of it- skin, seeds, pith, the works.

A year later, the tree is still only 18" tall. Like me, it looks out on a brick wall all day long. Nonetheless, it has managed to produce two full sized lemons this year. It's a bit of a strain on the fragile trunk and limbs, and the tree is currently semi-supported by the ad hoc twisting of mini blind cord you see in the picture. So here is my question, and food for thought while I wait for the fruit to turn yellow. What can I make that is pretty special, and will use both of my hard won lemons?

I'm hoping someone will have a good idea for me.

Comments

[eg]

I've always wanted to try Shaker Lemon Pie after I saw one in a magazine a few years ago. I love lemons and I think the lemon slices look so pretty. Hmmm. I can't find one that doesn't have a top crust like the one that I saw.

[Rebecca]

Shaker lemon pie is really good, and you cut the lemons thinly, leaving the peel on. The one time I made it, though, I used regular lemons. I believe Martha Stewart has a recipe for a Meyer Lemon Cake in her original cookbook, the green one, that's sort of a pound cake with a lemon glaze, that sounds good.

[connie]

wow, that's pretty amazing. Funny how that little tree produced those two relativly big lemons.

ahh the biological drive for reproduction...

[steven]

Since you've only got two lemons, I'd say hit the skin with a microplane and get all the zest and then juice it and make a nice sorbet.

[devster]

Oh, gosh, Lindy, the answer is so obvious. Make TWO lemon tarts. And I'll eat both. ;-)

Can't wait to find out what you do. I'm hoping to be a guinea pig. 8-D

[Julie]

I have no suggestions but I'm pretty impressed that you are getting lemons from a lemon plant grown on your windowsill.

[lindy]

Thanks for the ideas, thus far..I have a Shaker cookbook here- will check for lemon pie. Maybe I'll try a lemon sorbet with ordinary lemons and see how it works-haven't done a sorbet in my ice cream maker yet.
Dev: I think it is more than likely that you will be a helpless guinea pig once again. But not the two identical tarts thing... where's the fear and quaking in that? No self respecting mad scientist does the same experiment twice.
Anyone have any non-dessert ideas?

[Lynn D.]

For savory: this lemon roast chicken sounds good: http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2005/11/comfort-of-roast-chicken_06.html
or grilled haloumi cheese with green beans and roasted lemon: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001489.html

For sweet: In Tamasin Day-Lewis' Good Tempered Food there is an interesting recipe for Sussex Pond Pudding. It's basically a sturdy suet steamed pudding with a whole lemon in the middle which kind of explodes and makes a sauce. The picture is quite lovely. (Actually the whole book is a treat and I'd sort of forgotten I have it.) Or if you made lemon curd you could stretch out the enjoyment of your lemon(s). I found anapestic's microwave lemon curd quite successful.

I acquired a Meyer lemon tree earlier this summer. I have it in a pot outdoors and it has about five really small lemons. They sort of grow upright instead of hanging down like yours. Do you think they'll hang down once they get larger or do you think I really have a different sort of citrus?

[deccanheffalump]

That is quite an achievement! A indoor lemon tree! Even my ordinary outdoor potted plants have a hard time surviving.

[steven]

I just had a thought about your tree, some bonsai trees are supported with twists of copper wire around the branches, this might be a solution for you as well.

[lindy]

Lynn-I love haloumi-that sounds delicious. I actually first had haloumi in Cyprus, where I never expected to be- and therefore thought I'd never see it again. I guess I must just have failed to notice it before-I was delighted to find they even have it at the Giant Eagle!
Re: Sussex Pond Pudding-This is something Laurie Colwin wrote about, and I've always been curious to try it. Her husband and guests were dumbfounded by its weirdness, and clearly thought it a demented experiment. I think she quite liked it, though.
As to your tree-I think it must be a different beast from mine...even at their tiniest, the lemons hung down.
deccanheffalump-Thank you. I am kind of proud of my tree, though I suspect it's mostly dumb luck. I've certainly killed plenty of houseplants in my day.
steven-That sounds like a pretty good idea. Maybe I can find a bonsai book at the library, and see how it's done.

[Tanna]

Amazing a little tree like that can come up with two lemons!

[Luisa]

What about preserving those two lemons so that you can use them in endless Moroccan stews and tagines this winter?

[lisa]

Lemon curd.....and some nice candied lemon peel (some dipped half-way in dark chocolate)

[lobstersquad]

I am just so jealous now. We have no meyer lemons here, and you people go on and on about them, and I don´t even know what they taste like. it´s too frustrating. please make something wonderful and let us know. I´m with lisa on the curd and peel combo.

[Julie]

I really love Meyer lemons as lemon curd. I'm also fond of making Meyer lemon vinaigrette with the zest as well as the juice. In too many recipes, I find that the delicacy of the Meyer lemons is lost and you might just as well have used Eureka lemons. I think Amy has a number of good suggestions here: http://cookingwithamy.blogspot.com/2006/02/all-about-meyer-lemons.html

[lindy]

I am torn, at the moment, between the lemon curd+peel idea and the preserved lemons. Both particularly appeal because of the lasting-a-while factor. Actually, everything suggested appeals to me. I'm going to try a Shaker pie and sorbet with regular lemons.
Thanks for all the help.

[farmgirl]

I once had a potted lime tree, and it gave me one lovely lime which I turned into a (fabulous) $42 gin & tonic. When it offered up a second lime, I felt I had no choice but to make another g&t, thus cutting the price down to a much more reasonable $21 apiece.

[becky]

do you fertalize your tree with citurs food? Have you ever repotted it?? It may be a little rootbound. If you repot, make sure you don't out it in a pot that is too big or put too much soil on the top root. you may get a lot more lemons....

[Anne Robert]

Hello
I enjoy reading your blog and would love linking to it and back.
I created www.MyUrbanFArm.com for the very urban type who are like me clueless but eager to get going on Growing it ourselves. I guess we are the second wave of adopters after the true greens.

I created it because I met a green deputy ( French assembly ) who bored the socks of me when I was really trying to get him to help figure things out : I realised a lot of true city dwelling, office going type have NO clue and cannot be thrown in the deep end of GYO and expected to adopt !

We need to be show videos, sound bits and new designs that help us get on the way.
My blog is young but I think doing ok.

Love to showcase your thoughts too

Kind regards from London

[Merry's Kitchen]

I WANT a little Meyer lemon tree! I vote for lemon pie... a small lemon pie. :)

Merry Strong

[Hackson Lim]

Dessert:
Lemon Custard pie topped with lemon zest
Main:
Chicken/Fish in tangy lemon sauce