I’m joining the SOSers again this Saturday sharing six items of interest from my garden. Winter brings tropical fruit and flowers to the garden in South Florida. I have been enjoying Rangpur limes for the past couple of weeks. I just noted my new Finger Limes are flowering and bearing fruit! The bees have been busy and the first mango of the year has set fruit. Exciting times.
To see other SOS garden posts, visit Jim at GardenRuminations.
The Australian Finger Lime, also called Caviar Limes, looks like caviar when squeezed out of the rind. These are native to low lying areas in Australia. I am looking forward to trying this. Once again facing the “when is it ripe?” dilemma.
Fruit setting on the Australian Finger Lime.
The weather this week was cool. A good time to do battle with oddly growing tropical fruit trees. I donned my leather gloves and arm covers and pruned the Rangpur limes. See why above. The branches that bear fruit have some serious thorns.
The trunks of the Rangpur lime are smooth and the fragrance is wonderful when pruning. It is a pleasant experience if the thorns on the branches can be avoided. This lime tree has taken a strange shape. I hope I have cleaned it up and made the fruit easier to pick next year.
The first tiny Nam Doc Mai mangoes of the year. I was happy to see the bees at work on the flowers this week. Sometimes it is too windy for the flowers to bee pollinated and you get no mangoes. Interestingly, I have flowers on the opposite side of the tree this year. Last year all the fruit was on one side. 100 days from flower to fruit on mangoes is the mantra. I am not so sure about that!
As the song goes “Put the Lime in the Coconut” here’s the coconut. These are baby coconuts on a tree in my neighbor’s yard.
That’s all from South Florida this Saturday. Happy Garden Dreaming..
The Shrub Queen 
For finger limes, I choose them that are slightly soft to the touch. And in general, this is the period when the fruits tend to fall off on their own. This is the best time when they are ripe. You can also pick them slightly before when they are at the optimal size, put them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and take them out a few more days in your kitchen before eating them. The temperature changes induce the final ripening.
We’ll meet up( online) in 100 days to see the mangoes then!
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Thanks, Fred, these limes are about 50 mm. How big were yours that were ripe?
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The biggest of mine are about 80-90 mm long and 20mm in diameter. It is a variety that produces a fruit with green yellow skin when ripe, but there are other varieties with smaller fruits and almost black skin when ripe.
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Merci, I am looking forward to tasting one.
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Mmmm, I’m envious of your fabulous tropical fruit. Especially the mangoes!
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I LOVE mangoes!! Anticipation starts today.
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Australian finger lime is available from a citrus nursery where I worked in the early 1990s. I noticed it only a few years ago, and am now considering acquiring one for the home garden. I will not likely do so, since I prefer to limit the number of citrus trees. You know how easy it is to overdo it. Of course, I could acquire one for a garden at work. The particular garden is not as ornamental as it is intended to provide interesting vegetation for children’s ‘outdoor science’ classes. Some of what we put there is somewhat odd. It is the same garden where we justified a few species of Eucalyptus that we would not allow anywhere else. Rangpur lime happens to be one of the citrus cultivars that I intend to acquire for my exclusive home garden.
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I know. I really want a Keitt mango..and Meyer’s lemon.. I could probably eat them all!
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Is ‘Meyer’ lemon uncommon there? It is the most common citrus here.
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Ahh, the dream of fresh fruit in January!
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I have been lurking at the local farmer’s market. Lots of stuff to eat.
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Finger Limes sound interesting. Do they taste the same as the limes in the grocery store? Are you getting any of the Arctic cold? We are bracing for snow and everyone has been out panic buying as the last cold snap left us without power.
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They do. I have no idea, these are my first finger limes. We are too far south for the cold, 80 here today.
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Limes and mangoes and coconuts, OH MY! 😉 Your photos are beautiful.
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Thank you
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So interesting seeing such rarities and interested to learn that finger limes come from Australia.
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I love seeing your tropical garden… esp. when snow is forecast tomorrow! 😉
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80 here today..
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👍🏼 👏🏼
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I ahve never seen a finger lime! Who knew such a fruit existed 🙂
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They are new to me as well. I hope I get to taste it.
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I am impressed Amelia. I know you have avocados among other things, and now limes and mangoes too. 😃 The thorns do look mean, but the fruits will no doubt be reward enough!
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Thanks, Cathy. I hope I have pruned the lime so that I won’t get stabbed. Still learning. The limes are good – figuring out what to do with 40 or so limes is a trick. I have some new dessert recipes and juice and zest in the freezer!
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Is there a lime equivalent to lemonade? 😉 We used to have Rose’s lime cordial when I was a child – I had forgotten about it until now. It was so refreshing mixed with water.
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yes, juice, sugar or honey and water. It’s good. These limes make a great glaze for cakes.
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Fun! I learned lots of new things from this post, and now I’m thirsty…and hungry. 😉
Beth@PlantPostings.com
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Thanks, tropical gardening is a whole different thing.
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