Lemon prices soar!

I noticed a couple weeks ago I went to Trader Joe's and price on non organic bag of small lemons (between 5 - 7) jumped from $1.49 to $2.49. This seems like a very large jump in price for Trader Joe's on any particular item. I was curious why the jump in price and found the following article about the price spike:

Lemons — workhorse citrus in cocktails, the anchor for many fish marinades and the foundation for refreshing summer tarts — are having a moment. A very expensive moment. Cartons that sold wholesale for about $37 in June now cost closer to $60.

The story of soaring prices starts in California, which produces about 95 percent of the domestically grown lemons. As the growing season winds down in June and July, prices often rise a bit. Many growers try to keep lemons on the trees late into the season to benefit from those higher prices. The gamble usually pays off. This year it backfired.

A heat wave settled on the state in early July, including the vital lemon groves around Ventura County, north of Los Angeles. Temperatures topped 105 degrees, causing the fruit to drop early, damaging about 15 to 18 percent of the crop, said Joel Nelsen, president of the California Citrus Mutual.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/ ... _170686963

I did a double take at the Pete's on Oak Park when I saw lemons for 99 cents apiece just the other day.

I'm calling complete bullshit on the reasons cited in the linked piece. A vast majority of California (and Arizona) lemons are typically harvested between November and February or (in some years) March. Bad weather may ultimately affect this year's crop but it would have absolutely nothing to do with any fruit that is on the trees now. Nor could it possibly be late enough right now to accurately gauge the size of this year's crop because it's still even too early for blossoming. This feels like nothing more than opportunism, based on the sad fact that there is a well-publicized, raging fire in the area. Giving the benefit of the doubt, perhaps the price increase is a function of a smaller crop last year, and therefore, less carry-over fruit, but that wasn't the case and commercial pricing has reflected as much.

In any case, one can hardly blame the growers for trying to get more money for their fruit. As the old saying goes, in a strong growing year, prices are too low to make any money. In a weak growing year, there's not enough fruit to make any money.

=R=

Everyone laughed at me when I sold my house, car, and children and put all of the money into lemons -- but my final laugh will be as sweet as these 23 lemons I still have left.

cilantro wrote:Everyone laughed at me when I sold my house, car, and children and put all of the money into lemons -- but my final laugh will be as sweet as these 23 lemons I still have left.

Talk about making lemonade!

=R=

cilantro wrote:Everyone laughed at me when I sold my house, car, and children and put all of the money into lemons -- but my final laugh will be as sweet as these 23 lemons I still have left.

Too bad you didn't read the Jack London cautionary tale "The One Thousand Dozen" before you did so!

"David Rasmunsen was a hustler, and, like many a greater man, a man of the one idea. Wherefore, when the clarion call of the North rang on his ear, he conceived an adventure in eggs and bent all his energy to its achievement. He figured briefly and to the point, and the adventure became iridescent-hued, splendid. That eggs would sell at Dawson for five dollars a dozen was a safe working premise. Whence it was incontrovertible that one thousand dozen would bring, in the Golden Metropolis, five thousand dollars."

http://www.online-literature.com/london/85/

zoid wrote:I did a double take at the Pete's on Oak Park when I saw lemons for 99 cents apiece just the other day.

I thought Pete's was high - Jewel wants $1.39

Jewel always wants $1.39 unless they are on sale. Some times Jewel carries 2 pound bags of lemons for something like $4 too. I don't go through a whole lot of lemons, and so I usually get them at Whole Foods, and especially if I want organic. If I am going to use the peel I usually buy organic, but I maybe go through 10 lemons a year.

I was in Tucson last week and tried to buy some lemons. I could not find any until the produce clerk pointed them out. The few they had were about the size of a gold ball and still green. Fortunately, I still have some frozen lemon juice from the bushel of lemons we had this past winter.

jlawrence01 wrote:I was in Tucson last week and tried to buy some lemons. I could not find any until the produce clerk pointed them out. The few they had were about the size of a gold ball and still green. Fortunately, I still have some frozen lemon juice from the bushel of lemons we had this past winter.

Were they worth their weight in gold?

^^^

They did not even look like lemons.

2 for $1 at Sprouts today and they were of excellent quality.

Jewel has always had that robber baron mentality when it comes to lemons. Plus the size of the lemons is always less than stellar. Normally I get my lemons at Sams fresh market in Des Plaines who up until July was selling them for 2 for a dollar. Two weeks ago the price was $2.49 a pound. Last week they were $2.79 a pound. They do offer 10 limes for a dollar if one needs to stock up for their gin pitchers. And Sams does have decent sized tangerines from Peru at $2.49 a pound if one wants to make a tangerine lime drink. The tangerines are very juicy; only takes 2-3 to get a cup. Back to lemons, I would say that the fruit markets; Sams, Jerry's fruit and garden in Niles would be the best bet to try and get decent sized lemons at a fair price.

When lemons are pricey and not season peak, limes are in and peaking. So you may want to switch for a while.

I spoke too soon.Lemons today at Sam's were $2.99 a pound;Limes were now 6 for a dollar and Tangerines were unchanged at $2.49 a pound.

Today I bought a two-pound bag of lemons for $2.99 at Aldi on the North Center side of Montrose. There are eight lemons in the bag, product of Mexico.
Edit to correct price.

I have been buying good quality lemons 2/$1 ... imported from Limonada in Chile. That is a new one!