Mexican Lime
MEXICAN LIME Commercial citrus production in the Yuma area is devoted primarily to tangelo/tangerines, a distant second to desert lemons, the major citrus fruit grown in the area. Mexican limes, however, fit into a local niche market, with the small acreage grown essentially for local markets. · Of the two acid, or sour, limes in world trade, the one longest known and most widely cultivated is the Mexican lime (Citrus aurantifoli), and many often refer the tangy fruit merely as "lime". · The Mexican lime tree is exceptionally vigorous; may be shrubby and range from 6 1/2 to 13 feet high, with many slender, spreading branches, and usually with numerous, very sharp spines to 3/8 inch long. The lime fruits are borne singly or in 2's or 3's (or sometimes large clusters), at the twig tips. The pulp of the Mexican lime is greenish-yellow and the fruits are quite juicy, very acid and flavorful, with few or many small seeds which are also green in color. · The Mexican lime, because of its special bouquet and unique flavor, is ideal for serving in half as a garnish and flavoring for fish and meats, for adding zest to cold drinks, and for making limeade. Commercially bottled lime juice is prized the world over for use in mixed alcoholic drinks. · Limes are a very juicy citrus fruit. In fact, it is calculated that 2,200 lbs of fruit yields 1,058 pounds of juice. · Mexican limes are often made into jam, jelly and marmalade. They are also pickled by first making 4 incisions at the top of the fruit and covering the fruits with salt, and later preserv- ing them in vinegar.
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