Lemonade

Description

Lemonade is a New Zealand-bred low-acid lemon-type citrus, described by Waimea Nurseries as a hybrid of lemon and mandarin with a mild, refreshing grapefruit-like flavour. It was selected specifically so the fruit can be eaten fresh straight from the tree: the medium-sized fruit (7-10 cm) has smooth, glossy, bright-yellow skin with aromatic oil glands, a thin layer of semi-sweet white pith, and soft, aqueous golden-yellow flesh in 9-11 segments that is seedless or holds only a few ivory seeds. Because acidity is very low, the natural sugars come through as a sweet, tangy, lemonade-like flavour without the sour bite of a true lemon. Trees are hardy, evergreen, and heavy cropping (around 2 m in NZ gardens), with fragrant blossom, and fruit is available from late autumn through early spring with the main crop in winter. The fruit is eaten fresh, sliced into salads, or juiced without added sugar, but it does not replace high-acid culinary lemons in cooking. Fruit keeps well both on the tree and in storage. Grow in full sun in deep, well-drained soil, sheltered from frost; a good container subject.