The lemon is a citrus fruit, which is characterized by its intense acid taste, spherical shape and intense green color. This fruit is rich in water and fiber, contains high concentrations of citric acid and vitamin C being these elements one of its greatest nutritional wealth, also contains minerals such as: potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, and vitamin E, group B and acid folic.
There are many varieties of lemons that are differentiated by their size, thickness of the bark, amount of juice, number of seeds, maturation and harvest season. Among them we have: meyer, eureka, lisbon, femminello, real, interdonato, genova, primofiori, verna and fino. In Venezuela, the most cultivated lemon variety is:
Lemon Tahiti: Its fruit is large and has no seeds.
Subtle lemon: It is medium in size, juicy, with a thin crust and an oval shape. It is widely used to tan fish, an ingredient of ceviche.
Creole lemon: It is very similar to the subtle. It contains little juice and many seeds.
Lime lemon: Its peel is hard, has enough seed and its size varies. The tree begins to bear fruit after three years.
The most popular form in which lemon is consumed is lemonade, it can also be mixed with other fruits to enhance the flavor of beverages, as with papaya. The lemon is also used for the preparation of cocktails made with alcoholic beverages such as Cuba libre and mojito.
In the case of salads, it is used as a dressing, mainly in Arabic cuisine. It is also widely used in dishes made with fish and shellfish. For the pastry, the lemon peel is very used to give aroma and flavor to various sweets and cakes, lemon juice is used to prepare delicious desserts such as lemon cake.
The lemon is reproduced normally by seeds, according to the selected variety, however the graft is the most recommended practice, to obtain fruits in 2 or 3 years depending on the variety.
The best time for sowing is in the rainy season.
This plant adapts to poor soils and stony soils, however it develops better in those areas that are not limestone and with good organic fertilizer.
When the plant is obtained from a nursery, the procedure for sowing or transplanting consists of removing the bag and placing the base of the plant with the earth inside a hole that should measure 40 x 40 x 40 cm. When the seeds are sown directly, the recommended bed measures are 1 meter 20 centimeters wide by 10 meters long and 30 centimeters thick.
Irrigation should be constant, at least three times a week in the hottest seasons and between one and two times a week the rest of the year.
The soil must have good drainage to avoid saline soils.
Once the harvest is finished, pruning should be done, that is, to eliminate the dry branches as well as the shoots that are born at the base of the trunk.
To cultivate lemon at home is much simpler. For them we need:
Process:
The lemons are ideal to grow inside the house, do not require much light and smell delicious.
