Meyer LemonMEYER

No lemon enjoyed a greater transformation in reputation over the course of the twentieth century than the Meyer.  Discovered by USDA fruit explorer Frank Meyer in Beijing, China,  in 1908, this natural cross between a lemon and an orange possessed a dulcet flavor mingled with its acid and a fragrance distinctive among citrus.  There were two phases of popularity that the Meyer lemon enjoyed--the first in 1940s California when its round configuration and visual beauty made a favorite among citrus growers. It became a mass market sensation at the end of the twentieth century after It became the favorite lemon of American chefs because of its sweetness.

"in shape the fruit is like that of an ordinary lemon but perhaps a little more plump, and in size it usually rungs a little larger than commercial lemons.  It has a rather peculiar color when mature in that it is neither lemon yellow nor the deep red of an orange but tends more toward the latter than other lemon varieties. It is a prolific fruiter, the fruit maturing in the fall months although it may be used in the summer months when it is yet green. The quality of the juice is excellent" [Harold Mowry, "Meyer Lemon," Tampa Tribune (January 8, 1933), 17.]

One feature of the lemon empowered the expansion of its popularity: its juiciness.  No mass-market lemon was so liquid. Because the juice that it supplied was so nuanced in its play of sweet and source, cooks seized upon it for a host of culinary employments.  The primary hindrance to widespread adoption has been susceptability to tatter leaf virus.  

Planted extensively along the gulf coast, the early plantings suffered extensive destruction in the cold wave of 1924 when the temperature ranged below 15 degrees farenheit for several days.  Since it was the cold hariest of all lemons most orchardists replanted their Meyer orchards the next two years.  It also enjoyed an extensive pot culture in commercial greenhouses and private solariums.  

Image: Image: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705, Royal Steadman, 1926.

David S. Shields