In Mexico, limes are usually yellow.
I don’t think this is true at all.
Bravo .
I didn’t verify this:
There are two types of sour limes commonly available: the Tahitian and the Key or Mexican lime. … Limes are yellow when they are fully ripe and develop sugars that make them delicious at this stage. They are not sold when yellow because unripe fruit is easier to ship since it is harder, and stores longer when unripe.Apr 15, 2021
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My Limes Are Yellow Not Green - Gardening Know How
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](My Limes Are Yellow Not Green - Causes For Limes Turning Yellow On Tree)
The limes on our tree go from green to yellow as they ripen.
They don’t seem to have any big problems selling ripe limes in Mexico.
Right. But those aren’t being transported possibly thousands of miles.
The limes I see in Guadalajara or Baja are trucked in from probably .Michoacán.
If supermarkets can persuade customers to buy unripe fruit, it saves them money.
Or maybe it’s like, for example, bell peppers where the green ones always, AFAIK, ripen into another color and cost more.
Where I shop, ripe (red) bell peppers typically cost no more than unripe (green) when they’re in season. Hothouse bell peppers cost more and much of the year those are the only ones that are red.
I’ve never seen ripe limes in a US chain supermarket. Consumers are trained to expect them to be green.
It’s all due to green cash flow and red tape, Beverlin says. Not only do USDA regulations list yellow color as a defect in limes, but most commercial farmers also view yellow limes as bad business.
Plus, commercial farmers don’t pick each lime individually as it ripens, explains Beverlin. They strip all the fruits of each tree at one time, and they do it when the majority of the limes are still green because green limes travel better. And since the most common lime variety sold at U.S. supermarkets is a Bearrs (aka Persian or Tahitian) lime that’s traveled from Mexico, post-travel quality is key.
In the Union Square Greenmarket in Manhattan, red (and orange, and yellow, and purple) bell peppers are usually at least 50 cents more per lb than green.
NYC is a very different market. My friend who’s on sabbatical there from Berkeley was so disappointed by the produce, including Union Square, that she just shops at Whole Foods.
I find Whole Foods inferior to the good stuff at the greenmarket, but if you want lemons and mangoes, obviously the greenmarket is not going to be useful.
It’s not that my friend thinks Whole Foods is better, she was just so disappointed in what was at the farmers markets compared with what she’s used to that she’s not cooking vegetables.
Any idea what month she was there? Because January is not very impressive. But if she visited on a June Saturday and still couldn’t find anything she liked, I’m going to have to conclude that she’s just nuts.
Since the first week of September.
We’re pretty spoiled in California. There’s a reason so many NY chefs open restaurants here.
Oh, I know. I marvel at the beautiful artichokes every time I’m out there. But anyone who can’t find a thing to like about the Union Square greenmarket is simply determined not to.
I think it’s mostly sabbatical mentality. It’s better at home, so why bother? Just go out to eat more, like NYers.
Today in Berkeley: Brokaw Hass avocados and Riverdog green garlic. I’ll pick ripe yellow limes from the tree to make guacamole.
That makes sense to me. I’m very unlikely to get bagels or pizza when I’m on the road.