Lemons?

My Dad used to make the BEST lemon meringue pie.  I wanted to make an attempt at his delicious dessert but I can't find any lemons!  In 'school' they teach you that lemon is "limon" in Spanish... wrong!  "Limon" is actually "lime" and I haven't seen the first lemon anywhere around here nor do most people that I have asked even know a name for it in Spanish.  

 

However, I do find myself in the lime growing capital of the region. If you don't see fields of sugar cane, then it's lime trees.  I also happen to have one three feet from my front door.

 



 

I also have a great helper for picking, even if she sometimes happens to pick off leaves and things from the wrong tree (this is the nanche tree, which gives fruit that looks like yellow cherries).

 

 

 

Cold water, fresh squeezed lime juice, and some sugar from the local factory that processes our town's sugar cane.  Now that will make me drink more water like I need to.

 

 

 

I never used many limes in the U.S. because you only got two or three for one dollar.  Here, the farmers are only able to sell a whole box to the packing companies for $20 pesos (about $1.70 USD today).  

The fact that there are plentiful limes is great as most Mexican food calls for lime juice/zest or slices of lime on the side.  However, I'm still in search of a few lemons, or maybe I will just invent some sort of lime meringue pie.