Care & Handling

Availability
Green Giant Fresh Limes are available year round.

Varieties
There are essentially two species of limes in common use. The larger Tahitian type is known as the Bearss lime in California and the Persian lime in Florida. The smaller Mexican, or bartender's lime, is known as the Key lime of Florida.

Persian limes are the main variety found in American markets. Although technically it is fully ripe when the skin is pale yellow, the Persian lime is generally sold only when it is still a green color. It is larger then the Key lime, has virtually no seeds (unlike the Key lime), but it is less aromatic and less flavorful than the Key lime.

Key limes are more sensitive to cold and need more heat to fully develop their flavor. When conditions are right, the fruit becomes highly aromatic and more intensely flavorful than Tahitian-type limes. It is smaller and rounder with a thinner, more leathery skin that ranges from light green to yellow, and straw yellow flesh. Key limes are in much shorter supply than Persian limes. They don't store as well as the Persian Lime (they dry out quickly) so their juice is most often bottled and found in gourmet shops or sold in catalogs.

Selection
Limes should be firm, glossy, and bright in color. Persian limes should be a dark green. Key limes should be pale green to yellow. For the juiciest limes, select ones that are heavy for their size with thin skins. Avoid fruit that is hard or spongy and soft, although it should have some give.

Storage
If you are planning to use limes quickly, you can leave them in a basket at room temperature; they will keep for about two weeks without refrigeration. Limes stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper will keep for up to six weeks.

If you have extra limes on hand and want to save them before they spoil, squeeze the juice into an ice-cube tray, then transfer the frozen juice cubes to a plastic bag.

Preparation
The outermost skin of the lime, the zest, is most often used grated. Freeze limes first to make grating easier. The zest can also be cut into strips and used to flavor poaching liquid for fruit. It can also be cut into julienne strips (matchstick size) or minced.

Use a vegetable peeler or a grater to remove the zest for any of these purposes, and try to avoid getting too much of the bitter, white pith (the inner skin.) If you use a lot of julienne strips of citrus zest, there is a hand zester tool available at good cooking specialty stores. Because limes and other citrus products are usually sprayed with chemicals, it's important to wash and dry them well before using the peel.

There are numerous ways to juice limes without using an electrical appliance. The most effective and least expensive way is to use a citrus juice reamer. These are usually ridged cones set atop dishes that catch juice or allow juice to filter into a container below. In a pinch, squeezing the juice through an upturned hand, with fingers split just enough to let juice through, but still catching the pits, will do.

If you don't need all the juice from a lime, you can use a toothpick. When using a toothpick, pierce the fruit, squeeze out the juice needed, and then reinsert the toothpick. To get maximum juice, up to 30 percent more, make sure the lime is at room temperature, and then roll it around on a countertop with the heel of your hand until it softens before juicing. If you don't have time to wait for the lime to come to room temperature, microwave it for about 30 seconds.

1 medium lime will create approximately 1 teaspoon of zest and approximatley 1 tablespoon of juice.