Yikes! Mutant Lemons! (pics)

[bluesbassman]

Anyone know anything about lemons? I thought these things were going to be grapefuit, but they turned out to be lemons! They're about the size of a good sized canteloupe, but look at the thickness of the rind. Never seen anything like 'em before.

[MiddleFingerMom]

1. That rind reminds me of the citrus known as "Buddha's Hand"...

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...which appears to have fingers and has so much rind and so little pulp
that its main use seems to be as a fragrant addition to floral centerpieces
on a dining table.
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Yours appears to be this:
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ETROG (Citrus medica ‘Etrog’)
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This unusual citron variety is best described as a lemon on steroids.
It can be up to double the size of a lemon, long and elongated in shape,
with a thickish skin. The fruit is used in Jewish religious ceremonies.
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(Google for "etrog" for pictures and such.)
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I DID find a recipe that uses a LITTLE bit of Buddha's Hand:
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Ingredients
Honeydew melon – 2 cups, cubed
Buddha’s Hand citron – ½ cup, small dice
Strawberries – ½ cup, hulled
Mint – ½ cup, minced
Salt
Pepper
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Method
Mix all the ingredients and let sit for 15 minutes before serving. Serve at room temperature.
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( www.tastypalettes.com -- the website has a recipe for Buddha's Hand Creme Brulee, too)
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[bluesbassman]

2. Holy crap! If mine start looking like that Mrs. bluesbassman will make us move!

That is a seriuosly creepy looking citrus. Thanks for the research!

[kedrys]

15. Aw c'mon! One of my favorite vodkas is made with it!

Hangar One Citron

http://www.hangarone.com/fruit3.html

:P

[rug]

3. That rind reminds me of the citrus known as "Sideshow Bob's Head"....

[MiddleFingerMom]

4. EXCELLENT!!!! Or... as Mr. Burns would say...

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[eppur_se_muova]

13. Buddha heck ! That's Cthulhu! nt

[sakabatou]

17. Ah, the etrog, used in Sukkot

[GoCubsGo]

5. Those are pomelos, not lemons.

A.k.a., Chinese grapefruits. They are a lucky food for the Chinese Lunar New Year.

[bluesbassman]

6. Yes, that appears to be what they are.

Did a quick Google search on pomelos and the description fits.

Shoot, I thought maybe I could sell them on eBay for big bucks as mutant lemons. :P

[GoCubsGo]

9. Well, pomeloes ain't cheap.

You might not make big bucks, like you would with mutant lemons, but you could probably make a few bucks if you tried to sell them.

[marzipanni]

11. Do they taste like lemons, or like grapefruit?

This is an interesting article, with photos, about lemons deformed by bud mites-
http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/23/birrell.php

[bluesbassman]

12. Lemons. Lean a little more to the bitter side than tart.

Could be just that mine are a little early though.

[ccinamon]

18. They are not pommelos.

Pommelos have more of a green skin and the fruit is not that yellow and it tastes more like a grapefruit.

I lived in Bangkok for 2 years, pommelos we ate almost every morning for breakfast....they are wonderful to eat...but a bitch to peel!

[applegrove]

7. Are they from California? Because I once got strawberries from California

that were the size of apples. They do weird things there in California to fruit. :scared:

[bluesbassman]

8. LOL. Yeah, they're out of my backyard in the Bay Area.

I've seen some pretty big strawberries here too. Well not in my backyard, but out of Watsonville. :)

[Demoiselle]

10. Dayum! "Mutant Lemons" is a great name for a band!

I regret that that is all I have to contribute to this thread.

[RedCloud]

14. Consult Led Zeppelin for what to do with big lemons.

[Bertha Venation]

16. My dad's lemon tree produced mutant fruits like this.

Weird.

[Gormy Cuss]

19. I'd guess that a sucker below the graft was allowed to grow.

The rootstock is chosen for its hardiness and may produce unappealing fruit, unlike the scion variety.


eta: in Watsonville it could be a pommelo tree -- the farmers from that area do bring pommelos to the market.