Hey Suzy, I think citrus in general stores almost as good out on the counter (maybe up to a week in cool weather). I think the main issue is your humidity level. If your house or your climate is pretty dry, it may dry your fruit out and they loose that firm feel...but are probably still just fine to eat. If you want to put them in the 'fridge, maybe put them in the crisper so they won't be as apt to dry out. There is a balance since you also don't want to have too much humidity and mold. From your other calamondin posts, I assume you are trying to accumulate enough calamondins for the recipies you have. Can you just leave them on the tree until you get enough?

This post was edited by johnorange on Thu, Nov 14, 13 at 12:17

Thank you very much for the information John, I am learning a lot from you. You are right I am collecting calamodins for a recipe. I guess that I am still learning and a little impatient. I will try to leave them on the tree longer. I'm afraid if I leave them on the tree some will get over ripe. Another problem is not having enough fruit on the tree at one time so I might have to save some till I get enough.

Suzy,
Refrigerators seriously dehydrate any food or fruit. If you are not going to wax your fruits, better to leave them at room temperature. In short time you will have calamondins all the year and you can experiment with how to treat them and preserve them. My lemon farm manager has a calamondin and he loves it; harvests fruit every day of the year.

That is sure good to know. Thank you I love my tree too. I have had it since May & have made a oie. Now i am trying marmalade. Last night I put one in Cream of Wheat, tryed them in ice tea and just eat one but that was very sour. I have some in the fridge for 2 days is it ok to take them out and put them on the counter?

Okay to take them out of the refri; alternatively, you can put them in ziplock bags in the refri to keep them from dehydrating.

This post was edited by Johnmerr on Fri, Nov 15, 13 at 15:23

I've accumulated key limes in the freezer and Meyer lemons till I had enough to make a pie or needed a little lemon juice on fish--they worked just fine and after thawing them in warm water I think they gave more juice. It seems to me you could do the same with your calamodins.

I've accumulated key limes in the freezer and Meyer lemons till I had enough to make a pie or needed a little lemon juice on fish--they worked just fine and after thawing them in warm water I think they gave more juice. It seems to me you could do the same with your calamodins.

You frizzed them whole? That sounds great!

Yes, just pop the whole fruit into plastic bag and add more as they ripen until I have enough to make a pie. A recent article suggested freezing whole lemons and then grating the whole lemon (or part of) onto what ever food. I tried that with my Meyers and grating didn't work so well for me so I cut slivers of the frozen lemon onto fish and then put the rest of the lemon back in bag and freezer. I have a bumper crop of lemons to freeze and will take lime as they fall and freeze them till I have enough to make a pie. I take the little limes out and place them in hot water to defrost quickly before I juice them and they actually give up more juice than fresh ones.

You can find lots of articles about freezing and using whole lemons on Google-as well as articles saying you can't or shoudn't freeze them whole-also amazing reports about how the whole lemon has limonoids that have anti-cancer ,anti inflammatory, etc. qualities. We learned about freezing them last year and it is a real blessing when they are ripening a few at a time. I don't think they are good for putting a slice on a drink because when they defrost the slices are kind limp, but for juice and cooking they are great. They have to be grated while they are still frozen but my grater doesn't work well for either fresh or frozen-too slow. I prefer the slices cooked on top of food and that way you would never know whether they started out fresh or frozen. anyway-Google and read about frozen whole lemons.

In my experience not all lemons freeze as well, as long, or as unadulterated as the Meyer. I have frozen juice and peel (zest) for a year with no notable difference in flavor or quality. The peel does tend to lose a bit of the bright yellow color; but the flavor is the same. BTW candied Meyer peel is to die for; as the Meyer contains none of the bitterness of the ELB's (Eureka, Lisbon, Berna). I have never tried freezing the lemons whole; maybe I will give it a try one of these days. Could be a new way of marketing them.

Try it, may work. Fun to try. Thanks for your help john :) I will try your. Idea.my meyer will have fruit one day I hope. I may buy a few meyers.

Anne thank you very much for the idea of the ziplock bag . I tried it, worked wonders. The fruit got hard. Again. it's great thanks

Hey I just made my calAmodin marmalade, it's great. It has no preservatives. I was wondering because it has no preservatives can it be sent through the mail and
not refrigerated for a few days untill it gets there?

Citric acid and sugar are both preservatives; it is how my grandparents made jellies and jams without artificial preservatives. If you want, you can pour a little hot paraffin wax on the top of the product before putting on the lid; it is just another sealing layer. As for sending through the mail, you would have to ask your local postal service. Alternatively, you can send by FedEx or UPS; but if it looks too good, the carrier will take it home; and they will re-imburse you for the shipping. It happened to my Mother when she sent Meyer lemons to friends... they got "lost"!!

Really! He kept it? That is sooo funny. Must have looked very good. Thanks much John :)