Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Ripening lemons
• Method 2 of 2: Ripening Meyer Lemons
• What do you need

Lemons and other citrus fruits ripen in the trees. If you buy lemons from the supermarket, they should be ripe and can be refrigerated for several weeks. Regular lemons and Meyer lemons differ in flavor and texture when ripe, so determine the ripeness of your lemons based on the variety. Unlike other fruits, lemons cannot ripen after being plucked from the tree.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Ripening lemons

1. 1 Expect lemons to ripen in about three years. Most lemon trees take time to develop root systems before they begin to bear fruit. Sometimes the tree begins to bear fruit, but the lemons dry out and fall off if it is not strong enough.
2. 2 Expect fruit to appear between late November and mid-January. Leaving lemons on trees after the second half of January is likely to hinder next year's harvest.
3. 3 Plan to harvest lemons four months after flowering. The fruits ripen slowly. However, they must ripen on the tree.
4. 4 Yellowed lemons are the first sign that they are almost ripe. However, you shouldn't be guided only by this sign, as you can pick the still green lemons.
5. 5 Pluck ripe lemons that have a smooth and glossy rind. They should be firm and approximately 5 to 7.6 cm in size for a medium-sized tree.
6. 6Watch out for skin wrinkles, which means your lemon is overripe.
7. 7 It is best to determine the ripeness of lemons by taste. Pick a lemon. If it's not sweet enough, wait two weeks and test it again in the same way.
8. 8 Buy a refractometer if you don't want to check the ripeness of the fruit for taste or appearance. Squeeze a drop of lemon juice onto a refractometer handle and look at the Brix scale. Choose lemons with sucrose or Brix levels of 6 to 12 and 8 to 12 percent.

Method 2 of 2: Ripening Meyer Lemons

1. 1 Do not pick Meyer lemons until they are ripe. They are usually green in color and look a bit like limes. Like plain lemons and most citrus fruits, Meyer lemons cannot ripen after they have been plucked.
2. 2 Wait for the Meyer lemons to turn yellow. When ripe, they can take on an orange tint. It is said that the Meyer lemon variety was obtained by crossing lemons and tangerines.
3. 3 Ripe Meyer lemons should be soft to the touch. Regular lemons remain firm when ripe, while Meyer lemons have thinner skin so they are softer. If you can push the lemon more than 1 inch (0.6 cm), it could be overripe.
4. 4 Taste the Meyer lemon to make sure it's ripe. Yellowness and softness are the best proof that it is ripe and will taste sweet. These lemons are less acidic and more tender than regular lemons.

What do you need

• Refractometer