Did you know that lemon trees are evergreen and can produce fruit all year long? That means fruit and flowers can exist on the trees at the same time. That’s why it takes skilled labor to harvest them and not destroy next year’s crop! Also, did you know that it was Christopher Columbus who first brought lemons to the Americas? You’ll learn what that’s all about and so much more!

Origin of Lemons

The origin story is a little fuzzy, but science and genomic sequencing suggest that citruses descended in the wild around Asia some 8 million years ago. Lemons, along with oranges, grapefruits, limes, mandarins, and all other citrus, are hybrids derived from other ancestral fruits. According to that genomic study, lemons are considered to be a cross between wild citrus known as citron and a semi-domesticated variety of bitter orange.

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As the years went on, other species of citrus branched off into other citrus varieties, first naturally and then through cultivation.

Around the World

By 200 B.C., lemons had made their way to southern Italy and, by 700 B.C., were being cultivated in Persia – what is modern-day Iran, Iraq, and Egypt. Sometime around the 10th century, Arab traders began distributing lemons around the Mediterranean, and their widespread popularity is kinda how they got their name.

Eventually, lemons made their way to the US. Christopher Columbus brought them to the New World when he planted lemon seeds on the island of Hispaniola in 1493, one of the first European settlements in the Americas. Of course, he also brought slavery, massacres, and disease to the island’s indigenous people, the Taino. I love humans. <insert eyeroll>

California Lemons

Subsequent Spanish conquests throughout the New World helped spread lemon seeds further still, and by the 19th century, lemon trees were being planted regularly in both Florida and California. But the Golden State, unfortunately, thanks to Mother Nature, soon became the nation leader.

The Great Freeze

Up until the late 1,800s, Florida was the leader in citrus fruit, with around 3 million trees in cultivation. However, a bad freeze in December of 1894 destroyed that year’s crop and damaged many many trees. The first of a one-two punch, as the following February the region was hit again, destroying many of the already weakened trees and even more of the healthier ones.

This, what has been coined The Great Freeze, set the state’s citrus industry back around 10 years.

California’s Second Gold Rush

California already had a modest citrus and lemon industry in the Golden State’s southern region, with around 62,000 trees in cultivation at the time. The state’s farmers seized on the opportunity — I mean, bishes gotta eat — and expanded their citrus groves.

The state rapidly expanded its lemon groves, which reached around 800,000 trees by 1901, and led to the state’s second Gold Rush, making it a leader in fresh citrus. However, this displaced other commodities were growing in the region. You can learn how lemons bumped walnuts from Southern California to the state’s Central Valley in my video on the history of walnuts.

How Lemons Got Their Name

Lemons were first called lemons around the late 1400s. The word is based on the Old French word, limon, suggesting lemons came to England via France. Limon derives from the Italian word limone, which drew its inspiration from the Arabic word laymūn and the Persian word limun.

Biological Species

Like other citrus, lemons are technically a berry — called the hesperidium — that has a thick leathery rind and a very juicy interior divided into segments. Other berries include avocados, bananas, cucumbers, and grapes.

Varieties

While mostly yellow, lemons can also be green or even green and yellow striped, depending on the variety. Some have a pinkish flesh like grapefruit, look otherworldly, or are ribbed for your pleasure.

In California, the most common lemon variety grown is the Eureka lemon, also known as the Four Seasons lemon, for the tree’s ability to produce fruit and flowers throughout the year. These lemons are what you would see in the produce section of your local grocery store. We also grow Lisbon, Verna, and Meyer lemons.

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The Eureka lemons have a more sour, tangy flavor, while the Meyer lemons are more fragrant and slightly sweeter. Visually, Meyer lemons are a brighter yellow color and a little smoother than Eureka lemons.

In other parts of the world, Greek Citron lemons, Bush lemons, Volkamer lemons, and Babboon lemons are grown. Each of these varieties has its own unique balance of sweet and sour.

Lemon Nutrition

Lemons are full of vitamin C. During the earliest years of exploration, when traveling by sea, many ship captains and pirates would stock their ships with lemons and other citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits to prevent contracting scurvy, a deficiency in vitamin C.

Lemons also have an appreciable amount of potassium. Gram for gram, lemon juice has a third of the potassium that bananas have. Lemons have 103mg per every 100g, whereas bananas have 358mg per every 100g.

Eating Lemons

At first, lemons were not widely cultivated for food. They were ornamental, like tomatoes. By the 15th century, the lemon had swung into full culinary use, and farmers began the first major crop of lemon trees around Genoa, Italy. And thank God because, as you know, lemons have many uses.

The juice is obviously used in everything from beverages to marinades. The peel can be made into spices like lemon pepper, and oils are used in fragrances, cleaners, and more. The leaves are even used for tea. Of course, the uses as a garnish are almost endless.

Be sure to check out my video on homemade lemon pepper!

Limoncello

Limoncello originated in Sicily around 1900. It is a largely popular way to use up those peels and fight food waste.

Food Waste

You can also use squeezed lemons as a natural degreaser for your oven. Add the spent lemons and water to an oven-safe dish; bake it at 350 degrees until the water boils. Turn off the heat. After the steam settles, wipe down the inside.

Over 40% of all US-produced food is simply thrown away. And food waste accounts for 8% of all greenhouse gasses globally. So use the juice, use the peels, use it all! I call this eating root to leaf. Try to get as much out of your food as you can.

Global Production

There are countless varieties of lemons grown throughout the world, with Argentina, Chile, India, Mexico, and, of course, the U.S., being major growers of the commodity. India is the largest producer of lemons in the world, with approximately 17% of the world’s lemon crop. California grows 93% of all US lemons and 80% of all U.S.-grown fresh citrus, for that matter. I mean, We do grow over 50% of the nation’s produce, so #humblebrag and all that.

California Citrus Districts

Since the early 19th century, California’s yield per acre has increased from 100 boxes of lemons per acre to 400 boxes per acre. For the 2019-2020 growing season, total US citrus acreage was estimated to be 668,100 acres and, 57,300 of those acres were lemon trees. Some 50,000 of those lemon acres were from California alone.

There are three major districts when it comes to citrus farms in the Golden State.

District 1 is the Central Valley, which is the largest area. It is more than half of the state’s citrus production and one of the primary regions for Navel oranges. Valecias are also grown there, along with lemons and grapefruits. Over half of the state’s tangerines come from the area.

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District 2 is the Coastal Region, and the major producer of lemons. Oranges from this area are primarily Valencias.

District 3, the Desert Region is the primary location for grapefruit production, but also some lemon farms.

Farming Lemons

Soil

Lemon trees prefer sandy soils for their proper drainage to keep the tree’s root system from maintaining too much moisture.

Water

It takes approximately 77 gallons of water to grow about 1 pound of lemons. Citrus fruit orchards in California require 4.23 acre-feet of water on average, or 1,378,349 gallons per acre. A slightly high figure, more than vineyards and other fruit trees but less than pastureland and alfalfa.

Planting

Lemon trees are planted in late winter to early spring. This happens after the trees are grafted. That’s when the above-ground fruit-producing part of a lemon tree (the scion) is joined with rootstock, the below-ground part. The above-ground part, called the scion, is chosen for the variety it produces, and the below-ground part is selected for hardiness.

The larger the distance between trees, the larger the fruit on the tree will grow.

Weather

Lemons grow best in hardiness zones 9-11 (Florida, Arizona, southern California). These areas do not drop below 25 degrees Fahrenheit and do not rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit during much of the growing season. For best production, lemon trees need 6-8 hours of direct sunlight each day.

Growing Season

Lemon trees are evergreen. Flowering generally occurs during the spring. The fruit then develops over the summer and can take 6 months or up to a year to fully ripen. This extended ripening period is why there can be fruit and flowers on the same tree at the same time.

This is why it takes skilled labor to do this work. Harvesting fruit with next year’s crop already starting to form on the tree is tricky. Let’s thank a farmer, shall we?

It can take lemon trees up to 3 years to produce fruit and up to 5 to produce a full crop. And they can continue to produce fruit until they die. The lifespan for the average lemon tree is about 50 years, but they can live up to 100 years or even longer.

Harvest

Lemon trees can be prickly and must be hand-harvested, so let’s take a moment to thank the skilled labor that makes this happen. Depending on how they grow and where they are grown, lemons are harvested at different times. Generally speaking, winter and early spring are the most common times.

In the Central Valley region, District 1, lemons are picked from October through June. In the Coastal Region, District 2, they are harvested year-round. In District 3, the Desert Region, they are picked from August through January.

And that’s how lemons got from Asia to California to you.

Sources: Berry (Botany), Lemon Fact Sheet, Health Benefits of Lemon, Why are lemon prices so high in India, the largest producer of lemons in the world?, Citrus Production in California, Lemon Benefits and Side Effects, UF developing smart technology to help citrus farmers, Citrus Fruits 2020 Summary, Lemon History, Lemon’s grow California’s export market, Fertilizing Lemon Trees, Water requirement for a lemon tree., Irrigating Citrus Trees, All about lemons, Homemade lemon tree fungal & pest spray, Lemon tree timeline: How long does it take lemons to grow?, USDA Lemon Facts, USDA Banana Facts, USDA Citrus Psyllids, Citrus Genetics, Two Historical Recipes for Preserved Lemons, Citrus in California, The Great Florida Citrus Freeze, Etymology Online Lemon, Press Democrat Article on Water Usage. USDA Citrus figures, Farm Together Citrus Figures, Homeguides Lemon Guide, Citrus Nursery Production Guide, Hesperidium Wikipedia Page, Hesperidium Paper Abstracts

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