Buy lots and freeze.

dcarch

Lots of soft orange ones or firmer yellow ones?

I can only answer with what I actually see on my tree ... so here it goes. The trees are supposed to be ever-bearing, that is, they bloom before the lemons are all picked. However, the stores seem to have them seasonally (Calif. or Mexico seasons) so I would buy them now. They store well on the counter and last a long time in the refrigerator. They freeze well too--whole or juiced. The more orange lemons could be a different strain of Myers, but if they are soft, they are ripe and full of juice. I'd take the orange lemons and keep them in the fridge.

The orange ones will be riper and sweeter (or less tart) and will not keep as well unless refrigerated or frozen. My tree produces for about four to five months of the year, which is why I bought a Eureka lemon tree, which will produce when the Meyer has stopped. April is the last month I get Meyer lemons, and it is not a reliable month. I have already started freezing lemons (and limes).

Lars

I can only go by my experience. The ones I buy at Meijer or Trader Joe's are smaller, a bit bigger than golf balls, maybe. They are always more yellow and more tart and keep about two weeks in the refrigerator.

The lemons that beachlily sent were almost twice the size of the lemons available in the store, and more orange, also more sweet. They also keep a couple of weeks in the refrigerator, sometimes longer.

Annie

I have three mature Meyers in ground, all at the 10+ yr mark. So here's what I've learned:

- All citrus is a winter crop. Despite the markets gouging you for "out of season fruit", people with orange or lemon trees in their backyard (like me) are begging friends to take an extra 8-gallon plastic garbage bag full of ripe Meyers off their hands. Or two. Or three! Well, you get the idea. At this time of year, I can pick at least 15 gallons of Meyers in about 1/2 hr, and then do it again in a couple of weeks. One in-ground Meyer can easily produce 50-80 lbs. of lemons during winter harvest.

- Exact start depends on the weather, but the big harvest begins around mid-December and lasts until April or May, depending upon how much rain the storm gods send us. They sent us lots in Nov/Dec and things were looking good for the state reservoirs.

Since then, however, we've gotten a pathetic .25" of rain in 9 weeks. If we get some rain again in Feb-March, I'll see a continued good crop through May. Otherwise, less lemons will be produced unless I start watering again.

- Meyers start green, turn yellow (sometimes when our temps fluctuate wildly between 65-degrees one day and 42 degrees the next, they'll remain partially green even when ripe), and hold that color on the tree for about 3-4 weeks, depending again on ambient temps. The color will start to deepen into orange and the rind will soften. If you don't pick them quick at that point they'll fall off and rot.

- Picked yellow, they may or may not turn orange on your counter, but should keep for roughly 2-3 weeks before the rinds begin to dry out and roughen, and the lemon feels softer when you pick it up. They'll keep in the frig much longer: up to 2 months. They are still usable even when the rinds dry out and wrinkle, but the zest isn't very good at that point.

- Meyers begin to taste best (like all citrus) as they mature. For Meyers that is just beginning at the 8-yr mark. Their lifespan if well taken care of, is 50-75 yrs. That means heavy and frequent feeding, because citrus are always hungry and Meyers are bred to be such heavy bearers, they go beyond hungry into ravenous. And believe me, citrus fertilizer and liquid iron are NOT cheap!

- As they reach the 10 yr mark, they'll start to bear fruit even in the off-seasons, but it won't be as heavy a flush. My three Meyers have very different sites and sun exposures, with the result that at any given time, I now always have at least a dozen lemons ready to harvest on one of the threes, at any time of the year.

- There are some minor differences in Meyer varietals due to the destruction of commercial nursery stock in CA in the 1960's as Meyers were found to carry a virus deemed harmful to CA agriculture. Texas and FL Meyer stocks were unaffected by this USDA order. Finally one stock of CA Meyers was found that was virus-free, and this became the "Improved Meyer" now sold on the West Coast.

It should be noted that the destruction of Meyer stock ONLY affected the wholesalers and nurseries. Any Meyers already planted and growing in people's yards were not included in the kill order. Therefore, if you have access to these older CA Meyers, you should prize them. They are much more consistent in their "lemon" shape and size than the IM, the latter of which varies considerably even within fruits on the same bush.

Note that Improved Meyers are naturally a bush, not a tree. They are grafted onto dwarf treestock. The old CA Meyers are actual trees, with the superior flavor that comes from being fully mature - although sadly, those trees are beginning to reach the "Social Security" stage: still in great shape, but facing the end of their natural lifespan in the next few decades. They will continue to bear fruit, but the volume of harvest will decline.

jkom, this is interesting reading! I just bought half a dozen Meyer lemons last night -- I decided I "needed" them to help me survive our big winter storm here in the northeast!

I had a potted Meyer lemon tree once, but it succumbed to housesitters while I was away. They are so delicious I'm thinking about trying again.

Agreed, that is interesting reading and I'm sorry I didn't come back earlier to thank everyone for their responses.

Here was the plan: Buy a bunch of each color, freeze half of each color and take my chances (and taste tests) with the unfrozen half. But that was before an already busy week led to preparation for this sensationalized storm here in the NE. I was actually at the "Meyers Lemon Store" earlier today and didn't so much as think about looking at lemons. But knowing me, I'll go back very early tomorrow, using it as an excuse go four-wheelin' before the snowplows and sanders ruin too much of the fun! (We're at 11" so nothing drastic yet, and since mid afternoon I've not seen the heavy winds they've been promising, but the snow is still falling.)

Anyway, I'm very curious to try this new-to-me fruit and will be sure to post my impressions. Thanks again!