http://www.marshallnewsmessenger.com/featr/content/features/stories/2009/011710_web_lemon.html

Family enjoys bounty, taste of homegrown lemons


Mary Ann Furrh stands near the Meyer
lemon tree she purchased in 1990. The
tree has moved with them to their new
home. It is an import from China and
thought to be a cross between a lemon
and an orange.

By Cindy Anne Duncan, Contributing Writer

Saturday, January 16, 2010

It's has been sung that "the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat."

However, that is not the case with a variety called Meyer lemon, an import from China is that thought to be a cross between a true lemon and a Mandarin orange or sweet orange.

Mary Ann Furrh purchased her first Meyer lemon tree in 1990 for $3.50 at a local nursery, which go for about $30 these days.

Years later, it is a thriving, fragrant, bountiful and beautiful lemon tree producing more than 100 lemons a year.

"I share my lemons with family and friends, they are such a joy to grow, I love to share them with others, "said Ms. Furrh.

The Meyer lemon was introduced to the United States in 1908 by agricultural explorer Frank Nicholas Meyer, an employee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He collected a sample of three plants on a trip to China and returned to the United States with the plants.

The transplanted tree has done well. It has even survived a move to a new home, when the Furrhes left their home on Harper Drive for a new one on Shadowed Lake.

"The lemon tree seemed to love its new home on the Furrh's spacious deck on the back of their home," said their daughter, Theresa Furrh.

The tree had gotten to the point where it had to be replanted in the ground because it was too big to fit in the greenhouse.

To protect the tree, Tommy Furrh came up with the idea of building a cover from PVC piping and tarp. For added protection, he placed a heater inside the cover to protect it from the winter weather.

"A Meyer lemon can take temperatures as low as 40 degrees. They require a hearty diet of liquid fertilizer and plenty of water," said Ms. Furrh.

The Furrhes pamper the magnificent tree all summer and, in return, they and their friends reap the benefits of this unusual lemon.

The couple often has visitors stop to simply view the tree and visit or to take in the beauty and fragrance from the massive blooms this tree produces from spring into late fall.

Then, it rewards the Furrhes for their time, attention and care with delicious lemons!

This is the time of the year that the lemon is producing. The fragrant taste of this lemon seems to take on a new taste depending in which type of beverage you choose to use it.

Once the lemons are picked, the process begin all over again with the bud of a new bloom.