Mojitos!!!

How about some black beans with mangoes and limes?

BLACK BEANS IN MANGO SAUCE

1 1/ 2 Tbs. olive oil
2 cups minced red onion
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 3-inch jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
1 1/ 2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
1 1/ 2 tsp. whole cumin seeds
1 1/ 2 tsp. salt
About 6 cups cooked black beans (or 3 15-ounce cans, rinsed and drained)
6 Tbs. fresh lime juice
2 large ripe mangoes, peeled and minced
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet. Add 1 3/ 4 cups of the onion, and the garlic, chile, ginger, cumin seeds, and salt. Saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and add the beans and about half the lime juice. Cook for about 5 minutes more until the beans are heated through and then transfer to a bowl.

Stir in the remaining lime juice and about half of the chopped mangoes directly into the hot beans, mashing the mangoes a little as you stir. Grind in some black pepper, then cove and let stand for about 15 minutes to let the sauce develop.

Serve warm, at room temperature, or even cold, topped with the remaining red onion and mango, and some minced parsley or cilantro, if desired.

Good served with plain cooked white or brown rice.

Source: Mollie KatzenÂs Vegetable Heaven

I've had great success with freezing them...BUT..they will start to stink up other things, so put them into a sealed container. :o)

I was thinking about freezing them also, or limeade, but mojitas would be better..

Too many limes?? No such thing.

Limes last a long time, particularly if refrigerated. Remember, they were the preferred item to stock in ocean going ships to prevent scurvy for a long time, once the cause of scurvy was identified.

I have kept limes on my counter until they're hard, and still been able to use them in cooking.

However, there are many other ways of utilizing your limes. You can preserve them in salt, the way Middle Eastern folks preserve lemons. You can juice them and freeze the juice in icecube trays to have on hand for recipes. You can freeze them as terri suggested.

Here's my recipe for lime pie, which is now a family favorite. I have a prolific lime tree, and so I generally have lots of limes, although it is a bit dormant at the moment. I have more trouble finding uses for all the oranges I get from my Valencia orange tree.

Lime is good in a lot of marinades. Mix lime juice with soy sauce to make Ponzu sauce. I've found that lime can be used in place of lemon juice for a lot of recipes, and it is my preferred juice in Caesar salad dressing. Lime juice is also good with cilantro and is a good way of preserving cilantro. I combine cilantro with olive oil, salt, and lime juice, and I have found many uses for this combination.

Since I generally have more limes when my lemon tree is somewhat dormant, I have found that lime juice makes an interesting variation for many recipes that would otherwise use lemon juice. Unfortunately, orange juice is not a good substitute!

Lars

We used to have a lime tree in our backyard that would bear far more limes than we could ever use. Planted by a previous owner of the house, we left it there until it finally gave up the ghost. We're not big lime folks - none of us care for key lime pie, limeade, or any of the other type recipes that use a lot of limes.

One solution we found was to bag them up. I'd bring some to work and place them in the lounge, where they'd be snapped up in 2's and 3's. About once a year, DH would take a bag of them to a nearby tavern and give them away. They would treat him to a free beer or ale in return, as a thank you. But they couldn't take more than one bag in a year. (Other taverns couldn't take them at all, due to company policy. This one was family run, and had no such policy to decline free things like that.) Sometimes I'd put a bag of them out by the street with a little sign, "Free limes."

That tree is now pieces of wood in the wood shed, for burning. We planted more citrus trees, but only things we will actually USE - a juice orange, a navel orange, and an avocado.

Now, if only the grapefruit tree would do the same. If it were a pink grapefruit, I'd get more takers on the fruit. But it's not. And with so many of my colleagues and cohorts on medication for high blood pressure, they can't have grapefruit any more.

DonnaR/CA

We have a lime tree and agree with publickman that you can usually substitute limes in any recipe that calls for lemon. Maybe you could make lime curd. (I haven't tried that one yet but I think I may try it this year.) If you juice some to freeze, also peel the zest off and freeze it.

A few slices of lime give a nice hint of flavor to a pitcher of water so you might keep some in the fridge for that.

My favorite marinade, posted here by Jessica:

Lime-Chipotle Sauce
Food processor:
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons minced canned chipotle chilies in adobado sauce (WAAAY too much for me, the heat wus)
3 tablespoons brown mustard
1/2 cup lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Season with salt and pepper

Serve sauce as a marinade grilled meats, poultry, and fish if your guests don't get to it first with tortilla chips.

Makes 1 1/2 cups.

I just made a batch last night, I have some lamb marinating in the refrigerator. Yeah, yeah, I know, I don't care for lamb but Elery loves it and he's here for a couple of days. Lamb kebabs on the grill, with lots of extra marinade to hide the taste of the lamb!

Annie

I do all of the above! but I'll add Lime cumin chicken - simply marinate chicken breasts in lime juice EVOO cilantro and cumin. Clean and spicy on the grill!

Jeepers, I can't believe I forgot to mention that limes make an excellent marmalade! They generally have less pith than oranges, and make a less bitter marmalade, but the process is the same! My lime marmalade has been very popular with friends and customers to whom I've given it.

When you've got limes, make lime-aid! Made some last night with a few mint leaves. I used 2 limes, cut in quarters, 1/3 - 1/2cup of sugar & 1 & 1/2 cups water in the food processor. Strained into a pitcher, added another cup of water and a few mint leaves, refridgerate for an hour, pour over lots of ice. Very refreshing.

Hi everyone-
I rarely log in, but it occurred to me to say THANK YOU to everyone for all of your suggestions. I would like to try each recipe on here, and will let you know the results in the future...It's good to know they (the limes...and also the recipes) will last for awhile, because I won't be able to try anything for several days.

Anyhow-Thanks!

I made "mojito" iced tea today. I steeped some bruised fresh mint leaves in with the loose tea and sugar in boiling hot water for about 4 minutes; then strained and cooled it. I added the concentrate to a pitcher of water with lime slices in it. It was so refreshing.