Friday, January 7, 2011

The First Lemon of Winter

Look what I found in the cold frame this afternoon. The Meyer lemon trees are in blossom. There's a few lemons, even. One minute I was slogging and slithering around in the wet grass, thinking how muddy and slippery it was, and the next I was opening the most magical, fragrant gift possible. Hard to believe, really. Those old Christmas lights are pretty effective.
Here's where the two lemon trees are living: covered with the cold frame and tucked in with straw. My dad is building me a frame into which he's putting his old glass deck door, and it's going to go on top of some 4 X 4s and some concrete blocks to create a Lovely Lemon House (stay tuned for the sign, lol). I didn't think they'd do so well, to be honest. I was sure they'd be shrivelled and brown by this point, but those Christmas lights are doing an amazing job of insulating them. I've even got lights in the greenhouse, keeping the broccoli and cabbage seedlings going.

Here's what started it all: my allée. Yes, I can blush modestly, for this IS my future allée. Anyhow, there I was, contemplating my future allée, because I'd been looking at pictures of Martha's allee (note to Martha: there is an accent on this word, get your minions on it, stat) and thinking to myself, "I need an allée in this area" (yes, I DO think with accents). Then I got sidetracked by the mud in front of the cold frame and wondered how the lemons were doing.

And now we know.

5 comments:

Samantha said...

You grew a lemon! That's amazing!! It's so cute!

When I first saw your last photo, I thought to myself, "Hmm, I wonder when that photo was taken..." But then I remembered that on the coast there isn't a big pile of snow covering your grass (I haven't seen mine for months) so it's likely that you took the photo recently.

Is that sunshine I see as well? Very nice!

sheila said...

It's been the weirdest weather, S, really really cold and not very wet. The upshot of that is all the sun.

I took those pictures today. Minutes before I posted them. You can't see the slime of mud and water, but it's there. But no snow...for now.

Andrea said...

I am so jealous of your lemons! I want a Myers lemon tree!

sheila said...

Heck, when I read about you breaking up your lamb club my first thought was "I want a lamb!" lol I wish I lived nearer you - I'd love to see how your farm life works.

Andrea said...

Sheila, my SHEEP are baaing angrily that you would refer to their precious, much higher in milk solids and by all means superior product of their smaller but just as special mammary glands as 'g--- milk' (can't say the g-word out loud or even type it, they are so sensitive and so tired of being mistaken for g----). They say I am to come on here and call your lemons limes....

But yes, my mouth is watering at the thought of soft, lemony cheeses (made from SHEEP's milk)spread on a toasted whole grain bread....