It’s summer and high time for limes!

Published June 25, 2023

by Janet Blaser

Sometimes it’s the simplest things that not only taste the best but are really good for us. Fresh limes and lime juice are one of those things, and we’re lucky in Mexico that they’re plentiful and inexpensive. The little limones so common in the public markets and neighborhood stores are a variety of Key lime, full of valuable electrolytes like calcium, magnesium and potassium as well as Vitamin C and antioxidant flavonoids.

You could say Key limes are international nomads: hailing from Southeast Asia, their cultivation spread throughout the Middle East to North Africa, Sicily, and the Iberian Peninsula. The species ended up in the Florida Keys thanks to early Spanish explorers, from there spreading to the Caribbean, Mexico and California.

When a severe freeze destroyed Florida’s lemon crop at the turn of the 20th century, growers turned to the prolific little limes, soon calling them “Key limes” since they were  grown in the Florida Keys. Since 2002, the Key lime and its culinary contributions have been celebrated with its own Key Lime Festival in Key West, Florida over the U.S. Independence Day weekend.

Look for limes that are shiny, bright green and firm to the touch. They’ll keep the longest stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use them; I have an open-topped plastic box I keep full of limes at all times.

If it sometimes feels like juicing a bunch of limes is just too much to do, consider freezing the juice in ice cube trays and then putting the frozen cubes in a zipper-lock bag. That way you’ll have fresh lime juice at almost a moment’s notice.

Any of these lime drinks can be made into an “adult beverage” by adding a splash of rum, tequila, mezcal or vodka.

Read the recipies […]