A little while ago I posted a pic of our fecund and burgeoning lemon tree, fat with fruit, ready for it's bi-annual explosion of more-lemons-than-one-(extended)-family-and-neighbours-and-random-strangers can eat.
That picture caused Julochka to comment on my 'ginormous mutant lemons'. That comment made me think about my lemons a bit more thoroughly, and that little think made me realise I got a whole post worth of lemon related trivia here. Brace yourself.
- our lemons are so prolific that my mother has been known to fill shopping bags and give them away to passing policemen
- I once lined lemons up all along our garden wall for passers-by to help themselves. They looked very pretty but few got taken. Do people really think there is no such thing as a free lunch?
- after Frieda was born we gave my obstetrician a 'Thank You Lemon Basket' - a gift purely of our own invention. It had a pretty ribbon on the handle
- we like to call our lemons 'organic'
- we suspect they could be that size 'cos they're growing over a septic tank
- my Mum says deep yellow lemons against a dark stormy sky is one of her iconic Cape winter images
- our whole backyard smells heavenly when the tree blooms
- our whole backyard smells frikkin awful mid-fruit when a bunch of lemons lie, rotting and inaccessible, on the roof of the shed
- our lemons have thick, knobbly skins so they're perfect for zesting
- this also makes them far superior to smooth-skinned, hot-house, shop-bought lemons
- those knobbly skins sure can collect a lot of grime
- our lemon tree has some mean-ass thorns and harvesting lemons is a hazardous task
And yes, that's my one-of-a-kind absolutely divinely gorgeous Skinny laMinx bag in the background : )
12 comments:
they are weirdest lemons I've seen. perhaps the passers-by thought this is a freak show?
I bet they taste good though, shame we can't grow lemons in England
haha!
i really like your mutant lemons. i can only imagine the weird stares they get when people walk by.
I didn't even know lemon trees had thorns. I feel like that's something I should have known. Sigh.
This is hilarious, I'm laughing out loud like a loon. Thank goodness MrSpud is out. LOVE this tale, I'm sure this is the beginning of a winning short story btw.
Yes, I've noticed that the bushes around our septic tank are rather..erm...verdant?
I didn't know they had thorns either! Weird.
I love the image of the yellow lemons against a dark stormy sky. Photo and paste so I can see it!
I can add my name to the list of people that hadn't seen a nobbly lemon before and who did't know that lemon trees had thorns.
i think they might be chernobyl lemons. you know. altered by something (perhaps the septic tank, tho' i'm thinking something more sinister). none of which stops me from wanting my own basket of them (despite not doing anything to help you deliver your child). sigh....
i am desperately envious of your skinny bag....sigh again...
Wowie! Nevers seen lemons like that before! Or should I call them lemom-sters!
♥ Chaitra
I'm intrigued by the fact that you would give your obstetrician lemons after the birth of your child. I think there is some interesting and analysis-worthy symbolism there.
Also, my VW is so filthy my train of thought is headed to somewhere no one wants it to go to.
Love your mutant lemons! Think you hit the nail on the head with the septic tank observation :)
My lemon tree is a baby and looking a little sad this winter.
Do you want to send some this way? Paying for lemons just seems so wrong. We had the same problem - so many that we couldn't give them away!
We also have a mutant lemon tree, a Meyer lemon. The past two or three years we have more mutants than regulars but both types grew together. Can't blame it on a septic tank. We live in Indio, CA on city sewer system. Maybe they love the heat! Just picked some of the largest, measured nearly 24"around.
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