Oxnard Lemon
Company now packs meyer lemons for specialty markets.
Oxnard Lemon Company growers in Ventura, Riverside,
and San Diego counties now produce meyer lemons. Fruit is harvested
through the year, with the heaviest production from late
winter to early summer. Oxnard Lemon Company can now offer
meyer
lemons year around.
Projected Total Volume for 2012:
| District 1 |
500 cartons |
| District 2 |
80,000 cartons |
| District 3 |
8,000 cartons |
For information on meyer lemon availability,
please contact sales coordinator Roger Velasco, Sales Coordinator
or General Manager Sam Mayhew.
Description
Meyer lemon trees are around 6 to 10 feet (2–3 meters)
tall at maturity, though can be pruned smaller. Its leaves
are dark green and shiny, young leaves and shoots are dark
purple. The flowers are white with a purple base and fragrant.
The fruit is yellow and rounder than a true lemon with
a slight orange tint when ripe. It has a sweeter, less
acidic flavor than the more common lemon (Lisbon or Eureka
are typical grocery store varieties) and a fragrant edible
skin.
 |
|
The Meyer lemon
(Citrus × meyeri)
is originally from China and thought to be a cross
between a true lemon and a mandarin orange.
The Meyer
lemon was introduced to the United States in 1908 as
S.P.I. #23028, by the agricultural explorer
Frank Meyer, an employee of the United States Department
of Agriculture who collected a sample of the plant
on a trip to China.
It is commonly grown in China
potted as an ornamental plant. It became popular
as a food item in the United
States after being rediscovered by chefs, such as
Alice Waters at Chez Panisse, during the California
Cuisine revolution. |
Cultivation
Meyer lemons are reasonably hardy, but grow well in a warm
climate. They are also fairly vigorous. A tree usually
begins fruiting in 2-4 years. Meyer lemons are produced
in the San Joaquin Valley from December to April. Meyer
lemons are also now being grown in the coastal counties
of Monterey and Ventura. Trees in these coastal areas produce
fruit year around, but heaviest from February through July.
