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Pick up this curious, yellow golf-ball looking fruit, scratch the skin….MMMMMMM…there is no scent like it in the world. If you’ve ever been to the Florida Keys, this fragrance will take you right back!!
The Key lime (Citrus aurantifolia) is distinctly different from the variety of lime that is used throughout the world, which is the ‘Persian Lime' (Citrus x latifolia). The fruit is much smaller, more round, a bright greenish yellow when ripe and has a much more distinctive aroma and superior flavor. It's very juicy, tart, and has a thin skin. This variety is said to have originated in Southeast Asia and was taken to Italy and Spain by the Crusaders, from where it made its way to the New World on the ships of the explorers.
The tree is a medium-tall grower and very thorny; there are dwarf varieties available for growing in containers. They grow true from seed and so are not necessarily always grafted (like most other fruit trees); the only disadvantage to this is the fact that it takes a young tree longer to bear fruit when it's grown from seed, as opposed to grafted. Airlayering is a good propagation option. The mature Key Lime tree, like most citrus trees, will benefit from regular pruning to allow air between the branches. The tree can easily be hybridized, which has resulted in varieties such as Limequats (lime with kumquat) and LemonLimes (Lime crossed with Lemon). It is not a complicated tree to grow being drought resistant and tolerant of poor soil, as long as drainage is good.
The Key lime tree bears fruit year-round in our southern Florida climate, most abundantly in the summer months. It is frost-tender, and needs lots of sun to produce fruit. They are grown commercially in Florida, and--most often--in Mexico, where the fruit are frequently harvested while still green. Many commercial groves in Florida have replaced the Key Lime trees with Persian Limes which are easier to harvest because they are not so thorny and convoluted in form, sacrificing flavor for convenience....
This is a necessary food crop in South East Asia, where the fruit is used daily for many culinary and even medicinal purposes. I personally would not eat a papaya without a sprinkling of fresh lime juice (if you've never developed a liking for papaya I urge you to try this - it could change your mind). In Malaysia it is believed that limes will drive evil spirits away.
Clearly, I could not write about Key Limes without introducing you to the famous Key Lime Pie. The recipe for this delicacy is said to go back to William ‘Rich Bill' Curry, a shipping magnate and one of the most prominent citizens of Key West in the mid-nineteenth century.
There are many different recipes, and each one claims to be ‘the original one'. This one is quick and easy and delicious!
(While it is difficult to buy fresh key limes outside of Florida and some areas of the Caribbean and Mexico, the bottled juice is available for purchase at gourmet shops and online, and will do just fine for the preparation of Key Lime pie).
By the way, if you buy a ready-made Key Lime Pie that is GREEN, it will most likely not contain the real Key lime juice which gives the pie a more yellow hue.
ORIGINAL FLORIDA KEY LIME PIE RECIPE
(this is Florida's official State Pie!!)
One 9-inch graham cracker crust
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
4 ounces Florida Key Lime juice (approximately 4-5 limes)
(personally I always add the grated rind of one lime, too)
For the meringue:
4 egg whites, ½ teaspoon cream of tartar, 2 tablespoons sugar. Beat until soft peaks form
Mix milk and egg yolks with electric mixer, add the key lime juice (and the grated rind), and pour the mixture into the pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to10 minutes.Take the pie out of the oven, cover with the meringue and bake for another few minutes (keep an eye on it!) at 450 degrees until the meringue starts to brown.
Garnish with a few slices of lime.
If you prefer you can omit the meringue and serve the pie with whipped cream instead.
Key Lime martini
Ice
2 shots of vanilla vodka
½ shot key lime juice
2 tbsp. cream of coconut
1 shot pineapple juice
Shake everything together and strain into a martini glass.
You may also enjoy this article: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1797/
Pictures and recipe of Key Lime Pie and Key Lime juice from Florida.juice.com; picture and recipe of the Key Lime Martini courtesy of the Food Network
Picture of bowl of limes taken by me.
About Dutchlady1
Dutch by birth but widely travelled since my late teens. Married for 26 years with a son in college, and living in sunny Southwest Florida, I now call myself 'semi-retired' so that I can justify spending all waking hours in the pursuit of growing blooming tropical plants, most specifically Plumeria.
Posted by newone997 (from New York, NY) on July 04, 2009 at 02:15 PM:
I never had any plants because I used to move a lot. I came to US 15 years ago from Russia and now live in NYC. I just got very tied from NY environment and decided to experiment with diff. seeds planting them in pots.
My question - I got several (about 10) key lime sprouts in one pot and now do not know should I leave only one in the pot or they can grow together? These key limes were from Mexico and I bought them in a grocery store.
Thank you.
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Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on July 04, 2009 at 02:34 PM:
You should probably separate them out before they get too big.
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Posted by newone997 (from New York, NY) on July 04, 2009 at 03:16 PM:
Thank you, now I have to buy 10 pots!:)
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Subject: dwarf key lime
Posted by gailgard (from Strafford, MO) on February 28, 2009 at 10:20 AM:
I have a dwarf key lime tree that has borne fruit, but the fruit, when cut has an orange hue. Is this typical? I picked the fruit when they had started turning yellow.
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Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on February 28, 2009 at 10:32 AM:
This is inreiguing and I have never heard of that. Was the taste the same as regular Key Lime?
Very interesting.
Hetty
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Subject: Key Limes
Posted by torriesmom (from New York, NY) on December 02, 2008 at 12:15 AM:
I enjoyed your article on key limes. I have tasted a few key lime pies many years ago before I started baking. I did not really know what the fruit was for but it was good with vodka gimlets. When I started baking desserts, I did not find them in my neighborhood too often so I never had the opportunity to use them (plus the price I thought was a bit expensive). This recipe for Key Lime pie will have me searching for them to add to my list of yummy goodies. Too bad I can not grow them in my living room under plant lights.
Thanks for a nice gift idea.
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Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on December 02, 2008 at 08:08 AM:
Thanks - and good luck!
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Subject: Cream of Coconut for Key Lime Pie
Posted by plumiegirl (from Estero, FL) on December 01, 2008 at 10:32 AM:
There are two products that can be confused but quite different. Cream of coconut is found most often in the Liquor section of the grocery with mixes and things like grenadine. It is used primarily in baking and "fun" drinks. It is the main ingredient in a real Pina Colada. It is also used in baking. Not sure what else. One company that cans it is COCO LOPEZ. I make a yummy cake with it. Make a French Vanilla cake in a 9x13 pan then poke holes with a two pronged meat fork and pour cream of coconut over it. Then mix whipped cream with coconut and or coconut and well drained crush pineapple and "ice" with that. keep refrigerated.
The other product is coconut milk used most often in Thai cooking.
There is quite a difference in the two.
Barb
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Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on December 01, 2008 at 11:38 AM:
I stand corrected.
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Subject: Diseases
Posted by 622Dixie (from Boynton Beach, FL) on December 01, 2008 at 07:51 AM:
I enjoyed your discussion and the follow-ups. I live in South Florida too, and wonder if any of the cankers, scales, etc., attack key lime trees, and how to protect from them. Your tip about air circulation helps. Any more? I used to have wonderful citrus, but in the last 10 years every tree in my yard has died. I would appreciate any advice. Thanks.
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Subject: Nice...and Happy Birthday!
Posted by Aunt_A (from Tulsa, OK) on November 30, 2008 at 10:20 PM:
Dutchlady1,
Thanks for the interesting article; I enjoyed reading the info on Key Limes. Thanks also for the great pie recipe. My DH will love it.
Happy Birthday to you!
April
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Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on November 30, 2008 at 10:54 PM:
Happy Birthday, Hetty!!! Almost missed it.
You must have known how much I love key lime pie, I think I ate maybe 10 or more entire KL pies the last time I was in Key West. Of course since they have absolutely no calories, I could do it again in a heartbeat. (and I was only there for 4 days, hmmmmm that's a lot of pies.)
Thanks for the recipe, thanks for the great article.
Sharon
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Posted by EFGeorgia1 (from Lizella, GA) on November 30, 2008 at 11:08 PM:
Happy Birthday Hetty,
taking those key limes back to Georgia for pies and that martini too.
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Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on December 01, 2008 at 06:19 AM:
Thank you all so much!
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Posted by Eclecticuno (from Fort Myers, FL) on December 01, 2008 at 12:54 PM:
Good job, Dutchlady1! I really enjoyed your article. When I lived in Miami (for 15 years) I tried to sample every key lime pie I could, looking for one that would be even better than the one before. That and those darned Doubletree hotel cookies put about 50 pounds on me that I have never been able to get rid of! (A Doubletree opened within walking distance of my office) Needless to say, I love keylime pies!
Take good care... and Happy Birthday!
Marianne
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Posted by KaperC (from No. San Diego Co., CA) on December 01, 2008 at 11:45 PM:
Darn! I missed your birthday! Hope it was a happy one, Hetty.
I LOVE key lime pie - thanks so much for the recipe and your great article. We had a Mexican lime tree at our former house - so I know what you mean about thorns!
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Subject: Key Lime
Posted by phicks (from Lakeland, FL) on November 30, 2008 at 08:14 AM:
Nice
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Posted by AYankeeCat (from Fairfield County, CT) on November 30, 2008 at 09:14 AM:
I'm tryng to grow a key lime here in Connecticut. It blooms and even sets fruit - but it ends up losing all the fruit and most of the leaves during the winter in the house. :( In the summer it grows like crazy outside and I have hopes for my own key limes, someday. Thank you for the article.
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Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on November 30, 2008 at 09:23 AM:
That sounds very frustrating. Maybe your heated air inside is too dry?
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Posted by Joan (from Belfield, ND) on November 30, 2008 at 10:20 AM:
I loved this article. I've only had key lime pie once and that was when I was if Miami in the early 90's. I'm definitely going to make your recipes for the holidays. Where can you get cream of coconut? I'm not sure I know what that is.
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Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on November 30, 2008 at 10:36 AM:
Cream of coconut is a main ingredient in oriental (mostly Thai) cooking and can usually be found on the oriental foods shelf at most grocery stores.
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Posted by Joan (from Belfield, ND) on November 30, 2008 at 11:22 AM:
Thanks! Now that you mention that, I think I've seen it. I thought that was coconut milk, but I've never used it so I might be mistaken.
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Posted by scutler (from Charleston, SC) on November 30, 2008 at 12:14 PM:
Enjoyed your article. Just thought I'd add that I have purchased fresh key limes in my local grocery store. I don't think they are available all year long but are more of a seasonal thing here.
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Posted by mrs_colla (from Marin, CA) on November 30, 2008 at 01:53 PM:
Tof artikel; ik ga het recept voor de taart zeker es proberen!
CC
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Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on November 30, 2008 at 01:58 PM:
:-)
groetjes
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Posted by scutler (from Charleston, SC) on November 30, 2008 at 03:34 PM:
A little OT, but Happy Birthday!
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Posted by pelletory (from Marlton, NJ) on November 30, 2008 at 05:30 PM:
Loved the article almost as much as I love Key Lime Pie!
That Martini sounds wonderful!
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Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on November 30, 2008 at 09:31 PM:
Doesn't it? LOL
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Posted by imapigeon (from Gilroy (Sunset Z14), CA) on November 30, 2008 at 09:40 PM:
Mmmmmmm......both recipes sound delicious, and this is a great article!
Oh, and Happy Birthday, too!
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Posted by carolyn_haack (from Saint Petersburg, FL) on December 01, 2008 at 07:28 AM:
That Key Lime Martini looks like a winner, thanks!
Think I'll try mixing up a batch when the folks are here for the holidays.
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Posted by tabby7 (from Alford, FL) on December 01, 2008 at 08:30 AM:
Key Lime Surprise
I live in Northwest Florida. About 10 years ago I planted a kumquat tree purchased from a gentleman who had a small nursery in a nearby town. The tree has grown and thrived although it never produced many kumquats. This spring it was full of blossoms and I expected a wonderful crop of kumquats. As the summer progressed I did not find any kumquats, however, there were about half a dozen round fruit scattered in the branches of my tree. The fruit is now a beautiful greenish yellow and looks exactly like the Key Limes you have pictured. I plan to harvest them and use your pie recipe. The fruit is larger than a golf ball but much smaller than the satsumas I have growing. This area was once famous for it's satsuma groves which were wiped out in a terrible freeze around 1930. I am very happy to tell you that there is now a wonderful grove of beautiful satsuma trees growing not far from Marianna, Florida. The owners of this grove are also growing tangerines, pink and white grapefruit and navel oranges.
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Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on December 01, 2008 at 08:33 AM:
