I thought I had a Persian Lime, but just read that they don't have thorns! My tree does! I live in southern Florida and have had the tree for about 2 years now. It had one lime on it when I planted it in my yard. It has not flowered since! Help!!!!
Yes. Even though they tell you not to, I've never made a key lime pie with actual key limes. I've just never found them.
Key limes are not readily available in much of the country, so I always use the good old green Persian limes in my Key Lime pies. If you really want to use Key Lime juice, you can find the Key Lime Juice in most supermarkets. Be sure your recipe state the liquid measurement for the amount of lime juice called for and not the number of limes. Key limes are smaller than Persian limes but often have more juice. To get the most juice out a lime roll it on the counter while pushing it down with your hand or pierce it with fork or knife then microwave it for about 10-15 seconds.
Key limes have a much more intense tartness and overall flavor than the regular limes most often found in your local grocery store. They even have more color to their juice. I have used regular limes in place of the key limes and there is a definite difference. I have also used the key lime juice and found that this produces pretty much the exact taste of the original key lime pie. The brand most often found in the states comes in a large bottle and will cost slightly more than fresh limes but the bottle makes two full pies. The brand is Nelly Joe's and worth the cost of any price difference to cheaper juices...be sure and put the bottle in the fridge even if it's still sealed. Rose's Lime Juice is good too.
BTW, a gardener on TV said that the main reason that key limes are pretty rare is because the trees are ~intensely~ thorny, like they draw blood. It's hard to get anybody to pick them in any quantity. A quote below: >Key limes are generally not harvested commercially in the United States due to the ferocious nature of the trees.
