I don't have an answer to your question (sorry) but I did JUST see Meyer lemons for sale at Central Market the other day. I admit that I didn't pay much attention in the past to discussions about Meyer lemons, so I don't remember what makes them special and I didn't buy any. I didn't notice the price either. Eeek.

So... what's the deal with Meyer lemons?

Please answer sapphires' question first, I feel bad for sort of hijacking this threasd!

I have no idea if that is a good price or not. I imagine that you would use lemon infused oil for anything you would use any other flavored oil for.

Meyer lemons are actually thought to be a cross between a lemon and a Mandarin orange or tangerine. They are sweeter than regular lemons, and richer, less acidic in flavor. Also, they are generally juicier. You can use them in anything you use regular lemons for, and they are particularly good in desserts...lemon custards, lemon bars, pie etc.

They make wonderful marmalade, as the skins are thin, without much pith, and the trees are heavy producers, that depending on your climate, can produce almost year-round.

Meyers have been confirmed as a cross between the regular lemon and the tangerine. In the 1960's the commercial trees were destroyed after being found to harbor a citrus virus that could have devastated the US citrus industry.

You can still find people who have the original Meyer lemon growing in their yards - residential trees were exempted.

The only Meyer now sold is the Improved Meyer, which is in fact a cross developed by a US university, between the Eureka and the tangerine. The IM is a bush, not a tree, about 8x8' with heavily crossing branches. It is often grafted to dwarf treestock and sold as a standard.

The IM is a more variable lemon than the old Meyer (I have three of the IM). They will often be round instead of oblong, and depending upon the weather and watering schedule, can in fact have very thick white pith. Some are thin-rinded, but not all of them.

Mature Meyers are definitely less acidic than the usual Eureka/Lisbon commercial lemon. Maturity for citrus starts at about 7 yrs. Meyers will not keep as long: usually about 3 weeks on the counter and then into the refrig for another 3-4 weeks. I juice and freeze them. They're very long-lived, and get sweeter and more aromatic as the plant gets older. They are the only citrus that bears heavily when young. When really ripe the skin sometimes turns so orange-tinted you'd easily mistake it for a real orange!

A lemon-infused oil would be good used in risotto, or on a roasted chicken. The real question is not the price, but the quality - which can't be judged until you actually open it.

One of the most popular uses for Meyers is to make Mediterranean preserved lemons, which are heavily used in many cuisines, such as Turkish, Greek, Moroccan, etc. One company that makes an excellent version is LuLu restaurant in San Francisco, who also sells several Meyer lemon products that you can read about on their website, which might give you some more ideas. They even have a few recipes posted.

I've attached a link below. HTH!

Here is a link that might be useful: Preserved Meyer lemons

That's funny, I've had Meyer lemons from dozens of different plants in the Bay Area and Central Valley, and never had one that had thick pith. Several of the plants have sure looked like trees, but perhaps they were bushes trained to grow like trees? The Meyer at my last apartment was so tall I had to use a ladder to get the lemons growing on top. What's the difference between a bush and a tree, for that matter! :D

I have preserved the lemons in salt and olive oil, and they are delicious. I also freeze the juice and the rinds for use when the lemons are out of season. For some reason, there seems to be a definite season in the Central Valley, while in the Bay Area the Meyers produce nearly year round.

sapphires, I never find Meyer lemons here either, but I got some as a gift and made some great marmalade.

the lemon infused oil? I have a bottle of that, it's not Meyer lemon, just lemon. I use it to baste fish that's going on the grill and it's nice in salad dressing but the lemon flavor limits the use a bit.

Annie

I've had my three Improved Meyers for over 19 years - one from seed, two from containers. They do throw thick pithed lemons, as I said, depending upon the weather and watering schedule. As I harvest some 50-100 lbs. from each Meyer, their irregularity is clearly visible. Two good friends of mine have (on different properties) the original Meyers, which were planted decades ago before they moved in.

Meyers only start producing year-round as they mature. To reach full maturity citrus needs to be around 15-20 yrs old. 7 yrs of age is just the very beginning, when flavor starts to noticeably improve. Meyers bear when young but the flavor is inferior to mature plants.

The original Meyer is a full-sized tree when grown, up to 35' in height. IM's are rounded shrubs less than 10' tall. Any taller than that, and you can bet it's grafted onto tree rootstock.

Another way to tell is that the original Meyer branches upward in classic 'citrus tree' shape. The Improved Meyer branches sideways, downwards, and upward, with heavily crossing branches.

Ah, I guess perhaps the tree at my old place must have been the original Meyer. It definitely grew like a tree, not a shrub in that it had several good, thick limbs angling out and upwards. In any case, it was a wonderful tree, and I got quite spoiled always having lemons available just outside my door.

The Meyer I have in a pot is definitely more of a shrub-looking plant. It produces quite a bit for it's size, but last year the lemons were very small...I'm not sure if it was a weather/watering issue or if I simply left too many lemons on the shrub to ripen. It's very difficult here in the valley to keep potted plants watered sufficiently as it gets so horribly hot and dry for long periods.