Meyer lemons

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glenn-ellyn, Jun 9, 8:56am
Some marmalade recipes say not to use 'meyer lemons'. Why would that be? I have two lemon trees andd have no idea what kind they are.
cookessentials, Jun 9, 9:02am
There are plenty of recipes using Meyer lemons. I wonder if it is because they are very thin skinned and perhaps are not so acidic? someone may know. But if you look up on Google - Meyer lemon marmalade, you will find plenty.
glenn-ellyn, Jun 9, 9:09am
Thank you will do that>
setev, Jun 9, 9:12am
I heard Allyson Gofton on the radio at the weekend and she said Meyer lemons don't allow the marmalade to set as well as other lemons do so she advised not using them for marmalade.
pickles7, Jun 9, 11:08am
Don't use them. . They are good for juice but not for cooking with. Meyer lemons have a loose skin, sort of like a mandarin. A lot of people eat them like an orange. . The pith can be very sweet.
korbo, Jun 9, 7:57pm
interesting about the lemons, we have a big one, that is well producing for this winter. BUT have no idea what is it.
If i took a lemon to the plant shop, could they tell.
horizons_, Jun 9, 8:07pm
Lemon honey/butter! ! ! ! !
nickyd, Jun 9, 10:34pm
I always understood Meyers are a cross between a lemon and an orange (or similar) and so not a "true" lemon- but for some of us (in CHCH anyway) -it'sprobably the only reliable one we can grow... .
antoniab, Jun 9, 11:43pm
Meyer lemons have the thin skin and very little pith (we used to grow them) so probably something to do with the pectin for setting being in the pith of the lemons therefore Meyers wouldnt set as well :)
glenn-ellyn, Jun 10, 3:32am
Thanks everyone. I suspect my lemons will be ok as not thin skinned and a pale lemon colour so will give them a try out,
nfh1, Jun 10, 5:33am
I have a Meyer Lemon tree, it is really prolific with thick skinned lemons. I cannot imagine anyone eating them like an orange - mine would turn your mouth inside out!
uli, Jun 10, 6:15am
Well - thick skinned lemons are not Meyer's LOL :)

A Meyer is a cross between a real lemon and an orange (some people say it was a mandarin) - hence why you can eat them like an apple - and you cannot use them when a "lemon" is used in a recipe!

That drove me nuts in my early days in NZ - not knowing that Meyers are not really a lemon as such ... none of my recipes worked. Now I know better.

edited for typos ...
nfh1, Jun 10, 7:39am
it says it is a Meyer Lemon!
wheelz, Jun 10, 8:12am
That's weird, I use meyers in cooking and my dishes/ baking always turns out perfect ! It's still a lemon, but because it is crossed with an orange, doesn't have quite the bite or flavour of say a Lisbon. But all Lemons are suitable for cooking. I have successfully made marmalade with Meyers, but would use a young, as opposed to an older lemon .
uli, Jun 10, 8:52am
I am glad it talks to you ! !
pickles7, Jun 10, 10:18am
Don't waste your sugar and butter trying to make a lemon honey with them... . nfh1... . they are very nice , a little like raw rhubarb, lol. Marmalade would set with or without the meyer. A good way touse them. They are a bit like a fresh pineapple, they are limited as tohow you can use them
nfh1, Jun 10, 10:57am
It is a very well trained Lemon and knows its name, or thinks it does.

Now I am not so sure!
nfh1, Jun 10, 10:59am
Perhaps it is not a Meyer because I make the microwave Lemon Honey with them all the time and it is lovely! ! I would definitely not like to eat any more than the thinnest slice from my water or G & T.
pickles7, Jun 10, 11:06am
lol, I will say I haven't eaten a meyer for a few years, funny how your taste buds change. I never eat ice cream now, could have lived on it once. .
juliewn, Jun 10, 11:12am
I successfully make lemon honey, lemon marmalade, lemon meringue pie; anything for which lemon is included in the recipe - all using my favourite Meyer Lemons. .

I wouldn't be without the two trees I have. . :-)

For marmalade, I use lemons that still have a faint touch of green showing on the skin - just as I use oranges with a touch of green when I make orange marmalade. .
glenn-ellyn, Jun 10, 8:58pm
Years ago, There was a lemon tree at the racing stables where I worked. Every morning on the way to the track I would grab one to eat and never had a cold or flu all the time I worked there.
buzzy110, Jun 10, 9:17pm
Like juliewn I have very successfully used meyer lemons for marmalade. I have also used them in lemon tarts, lemon meringue, and lemon cheese/curd/honey/spread and preserved lemons. They are also pretty good in G & T's.

I prefer using Lisbon lemons in savoury cooking. The difference in flavour and taste between the Lisbon lemon and meyer lemon in foods such as lemon stuffed roast chicken is like the difference between a maccas and a rare roast prime rib.

The smell of the Lisbon lemon is also wonderful. I am always transported into heaven by the aroma of these lemons.

One other interesting fact. Uncooked cheesecakes won't set if you use meyer lemon. It is Lisbon lemon all the way for these.
uli, Jun 11, 1:41am
Well - Meyers shouldn't be called "lemons" ... .
That would clear up most of the mis-understandings ...
buzzy110, Jun 11, 3:24am
lol uli. Trouble is they aren't exactly oranges, mandarins, tangeloes or grapefruit and as they have many characteristics similar to lemons then it is probably logical to call them lemons.

I have a lemonade lemon growing here and quite frankly its flavour renders it is useless for everything, even things that meyer are used for. It is pretty but the flavour of the fruit means it can not be used for anything other than lemonade, I guess. Yet they still call them lemons.

Lisbon lemons are certainly my preferred lemon and as an aside, the plants are rather hard to come by. Most of the nurseries I went to said I had to order one and pay whatever they decided to put on it. Luckily a lovely person in gardening brought me one down from Russel where her nursery grew them and I was able to pick one up from Rogers.

This is why most NZers believe that the meyer lemon is the only lemon variety in existence.
uli, Jun 11, 5:19am
If you ever need any citrus trees and cannot find them locally then google "Flying Dragon Citrus Nursery" they are in
209 Pungaere Road, Waipapa (Kerikeri).

These lovely people graft any citrus that is legally in NZ onto several different root stocks - so if you need a limequat, an "Earl Grey" orange or a Buddhas Hand citron - they have it and can tell you which garden centre near you will stock it:)