Years ago when I first came to live in the Cape, there was a huge lemon tree in the back garden and it was laden with lemons.
I was so thrilled about this and even more surprised that the tree had lemons throughout the year.
The variety of lemon tree was the Cape Rough - so called due to its rough, bumpy skin.
I was in lemon heaven and proceeded to make marmalade, lemon curd, lemonade as well as the many other uses for this wonderful fruit.
Although these lemons have a thick skin and not as much juice as some other varieties, the cape rough is a hardy lemon tree and well worth growing.
The rough skin is fantastic for lemon zest - you get a lot off one lemon and it is so much easier to grate than the smooth skinned varieties.
Sadly, these lemon trees are not often see here in the Cape these days except in old established gardens where they were planted years ago - and I wish more people would plant them as they are available in some garden centers if you ask.
The one shown in my photo came from a friend of mine from her tree which is also an old tree still producing masses of lemons.
