At this time of the year, Australian grown limes come into their own. With limes, it is either feast or famine - no in-between. When they are scarce they get incredibly expensive but that is not the case at the moment.
This week there is an abundance of Tahitian limes grown in Mareeba, North Queensland. There is generally only a small window of over supply before growers decide the return price is too low to send to market and begin to prune their trees - even when they are loaded with fruit.
Fortunately, we have plenty of premium juicy limes available this week. They are very good value - particularly as lemons are quite expensive.
Limes are thin-skinned, glossy-green to yellowish in colour, with beautiful green flesh. Round to almost egg-shaped, about 5cm long, we have a small point at one end.
Like all citrus fruit we’re rich in vitamin C. 100ml of our juice has 47mg of vitamin C - more than the 40mg recommended intake for a day. They are also a good source of pectin, a type of soluble fibre. In some studies, soluble dietary fibre has been shown to help reduce blood cholesterol. They are very low in sugars which is why we taste sour. 100g has 120kJ and only 1g of natural sugar (for comparison 100g orange has 8g sugar). Read more about the nutritional benefits of limes here.
HOW TO PICK
Select those of us that are glossy green and feel heavy for our size.
HOW TO STORE
Limes are sold ripe and ready to use. Store us in a fruit bowl. Use within 7 days. Refrigerate for extended storage.
