They may not be waxed. Meyer lemons do have very smooth, shiny skin. Very different than regular lemons. The younger mine are on the tree, the shinier they are. The older they are, the softer the skin becomes, and less shiny. You can wash them, though, to remove what might be wax. The wax by the way, is harmless. The USDA requires a non-petroleum wax (carnuba or shellac) for our fruits, not sure about other countries, though. They may allow petroleum-based waxes. Again, in any event, you can wash the wax off by using baking soda and water, or vinegar and water. Or, by using plain dishwashing detergent (not the kind with anti-microbal chemicals added). Use a terry washcloth for a little gentle abrasion. I wash all my produce from the store this way, anyway, to take off coatings, dirts, leftover pesticides (if I'm not buying organic).

Patty S.

Virtually all citrus are waxed before shipping to extend the shelf life and keep them from drying out in refrigeration. I am sure any Meyer you buy in the store will have been waxed; we use a carnauba water wax that is as edible as any part of the fruit; even our labels are edible!! As for the size, the demand for Meyers and the relatively small production means even lemons that are ridiculously small are still marketable. Here is photo of some Meyers I found in a California produce store last year in Pasadena

Forgot to mention that the Meyer has a lot of natural wax in the peel; so sometimes we leave our show lemons unwaxed and just buff them with a cloth; but those lemons are never refrigerated. They will last more than a month like that. As for grated rind with wax, the natural skin would have much more wax than the very small amount of protective wax added for shipping; and again, virtually any lemon or other citrus, as well as most fruits that you find in the store would be similarly treated.

Thank you Johnmerr,
So glad you are on the forum to provide expert information. These lemons had so much wax on them they no longer had that citrus texture-they were as smooth as an apple skin. They looked artificial to me--no problem for me because my crop is coming in. Maybe I will try buffing the ones I give to friends. I always look for Meyers in the grocery store to compare prices with the other lemons. Hope it won't be too long till I can find your Mayan Meyers here in NC.