The Ghanaian Journal

Claire Patmore

There is little to beat having your own supply of lemons. Whether in the ground or in a pot, fresh lemons are as easy to grow as (lemon meringue) pie!

Lemons like a sunny spot. If they can sun themselves for six hours a day, then they are happy. A soil that has been well enriched with acid compost makes for good strong roots and a healthy tree. Lemons flower in the spring and the aroma of lemon blossom is heavenly. Ensure that your trees get a good deep watering to maximize fruit production.

Lemons are hungry plants and enjoy a good feeding three times a year. The best fertilizer is Rose food, which contains the potassium that they need. A new tree needs about 300g at each feed but a fully-grown tree needs about 2kg at each feeding. Scatter the fertilizer evenly around the tree from the stem to the drip line. Magnesium Sulphate or Epsom salts is a real treat. This can also be given to the lemon tree three times per year, using about 75g per application. Remember to water the fertilizer in very well.

Different lemon varieties are available with Eureka being the most popular. This is a thin-skinned juicy lemon with few pips. An older but popular variety is the Cape Roughskin, which as its name implies, has a thick rough feel. The juice is also a little sweeter.

So in the words of a popular song, all a garden needs to see is “just another lemon tree!”

Here’s a lovely lemon meringue pie recipe, courtesy of Keisha Mayhew.

Ingredients

For the base:
# 1 packet of Marie biscuits

# 4 tablespoons melted butter

For the filling:
# 3 egg yolks

# 1 tin of condensed milk

# juice of one lemon

For the topping:
# White of four eggs

# 4 tablespoons of castor sugar

Crush the biscuits and mix with the melted butter, then layer a pie or baking dish and set aside.

To make the filling, mix the egg yolks, condensed milk and lemon juice.

Pour the filling over the biscuit base.

Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees Celcius for 12 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile mix four egg whites with four tablespoons of castor sugar until peaks are formed.

Remove pie from oven and scoop topping over the filling.

Return to oven and continue baking until topping is done.

Remove and allow to cool before serving.