I see on another thread that Helen mentioned she bought a bag of lemons.

Oh how I wish I could share my abundance of citrus fruit. I take bag fulls wherever I can, but it is only foodies who are interested - I even tell folks to put juice or slices in their water bottles!

There is a box of limes at my gate with a big free sign on it. I hate to see lovely fruit wasted and there is only so much I can do myself,

Ali, just a little tale that may empty the box of limes from your letterbox.

I can't remember the item, but a friend had it on the roadside with a sign free to a good home. It never moved so they brought it inside, left it for some time so it was out of everyone's memories, and then put up a sign saying For Sale $100. It was taken (ie stolen) in next to no time

So put a sign out saying Limes for sale $1 each

Or do you have a local cafe/restaurant you could ask if they want them?

I am down to my last lemon on the tree, and am going to have to start buying lemons until the fruit is ready again

Ha ha Irene.....too true, often things aren't valued when they are free.

If they are still there tomorrow I am going to take them to the hospital kitchen.

I'm also taking bags of limes in to work with me tonight. I put bags out at the gate too and they didn't move. But my foodie friends do relieve me of a reasonable amount. However I never have difficulty giving away the passionfruit when they are in season!

A suggestion for foodie friends overwhelmed with citrus fruit when it's in season. One thing that works for me is to squeeze limes and NZ navel oranges into ice cube trays with their zest, tip the cubes into margarine containers and put them back in the freezer, with a label saying how many cubes = 1 fruit. Then I have them on hand when they are not in season - and I don't have to buy imported ones. I'd do the same with lemons except that we seem to have them available as giveaways all year round here.

I am willing my little lemon and lime trees to grow, grow! My adult lemon tree was damaged by severe frosts about 4/5 years ago and although I thought it might recover, it has just struggled to survive and only in the last week has my husband removed it altogether. I have never had a lime, so I am looking forward to my little tree fruiting in the next couple of years. I buy packaged lemons, tomatoes and other fruit and veges when available from service stations selling them locally at a pretty good price.

One thing I do with all fruit i.e. pears, lemons, oranges and apples, also pumpkins when I purchase them is to set them out to dry off (without touching) on newspaper on a bench or table (inside) for at least 24 hours, turning them over at about the 12 hour mark. Then I can put them into the fruit bowl with much less fear of them showing up a rot spot. If they have been in a plastic bag they sweat and by making sure they are thoroughly dry means I don't find rot areas which can happen very quickly when they are damp and not refrigerated. Fruit in some households doesn't last very long because they get devoured very quickly, but in a twosome household it works for us.
Regards,
Dawn.

Took a very large bag of limes to work today, and handful by handful they disappeared. Made me so happy to see them gone to be used up.

Dawn, I have a Tahitian lime, they look like little green lemons which turn yellow as they ripen. It has the most unbelievable crop every year. It seems to thrive on neglect.

Stephanie, Tahitian lime is what I have planted and I'm glad you've mentioned yours thrives on neglect - that will suit me fine. That's what my lovely lemon tree was like before the frost got to it - a bit neglected. I planted my Tahitian lime and lemon trees last year and I'm hoping they might produce their first fruits for me next year. Could be wishful thinking too!
Regards,
Dawn.

Yes, mine is a tahitian lime as well. Pretty neglected, but in quite a sheltered spot, but it does get frosted several times most winters.

I planted my lime tree a few years before it had fully developed fruit on it. It would flower, then the tiny buds wouldn't grow any bigger. Our neighbour had an enormous magnolia tree growing on the other side of the fence. When he cut the magnolia down, my Tahitian lime really thrived and this year I had my first fully grown limes.