All About Lemon

Lemons are a citrus fruit, which means that they’re loaded with delicate, pulpy sacs containing flavorful liquid. The fruit explodes with sweetly tart, sour juice that matches the bright mood of its cheery, yellow color. Lemon has a quintessentially citric acidity, that’s far less sweet than an orange, but tastes sweeter than a lime. Lemons are somewhat bitter, whereas limes’ bitter flavor is more pronounced.

Famous for their versatility and bright lavor, lemons grow on leafy evergreen trees in warm climates around the world. Lemons are considered fruits rather than vegetables because lemons are the reproductive parts of the lemon tree. Most of the lemon is edible, which excludes the inedible white pith of the peel and the seeds.

Roughly ranging in size from a hacky sack to a grapefruit, lemons are typically harvested when they’re already ripe. Ripe lemons are completely yellow throughout their peel and have no remaining blushes of green color. Their skin is taut and waxy, and yields to gentle pressure from your thumb. If you happen upon a lemon that still has green coloring, allow it to rest on a countertop for a day or two until it turns completely yellow.

Lemons trees grow around the world in Mediterranean-like climates such as in Italy, Greece, Mexico, Israel and Lebanon. In the United States, most lemons are cultivated in California, Arizona and Florida. This tree is leafy year-round, and can bloom and produce fruit multiple times throughout the year. Lemon tree leaves are sometimes used as a spice or as part of tea blends.

Lots of people wonder, are lemons the same as limes? Nope! While both lemons and limes are both considered citrus fruits, they are two different species. Lemons are yellow to golden in color, both on their peel and their inner fruit. Lemons vary in size but are usually larger than limes. Unlike lemons, limes have green skin and fruit. Both have a tangy, bright acidity to their flavor. However, lemons have a sweeter tart flavor, while limes have a fresh, sour taste.

Lemons grow around the world in Mediterranean-like climates such as in Italy, Greece, Mexico, Israel and Lebanon. In the United States, most lemons are grown in California, Arizona and Florida. These sunny-colored fruits grow from leafy, evergreen trees that bloom throughout the year.

Lemons are cultivated in warm, subtropical climates year-round. Even though most lemon trees bloom year-round, their peak season is typically considered to be late summer to early fall.

To be the first to learn when FruitStand is shipping rare and delicious lemons from our specialty farm partners, join our Facebook Group or check the FruitStand website regularly.

Whether the lemons in your FruitStand shipment are certified organic or not will depend on the farm where it was grown. At FruitStand, we only partner with the best specialty farms for exceptional quality of produce. When each harvest is available, we'll tell you whether the fruit is considered organic or conventional.

Still curious about lemon? Check out our recipes on the FruitStand Blog to add more lemons to your life!