The Price of Limes

**buad hai** · 26-05-2007, 04:30 PM

I think limes must vary in price more than any other fruit. A few months ago you could get them everywhere for one baht each. Then the price began to climb until a bag of four costs 25-30 baht at the supermarkets in town.

A week ago I bought them for four baht each at the fresh market near our house. A day or two later a lady with a cart came down our street selling limes and bananas. I bought a bag of four limes for five baht.

Today on the way home from lunch we passed a truck selling very nice limes for 20 baht per kilo (about 40 limes).

So, in the space of two weeks we have limes priced from a high of 7.50 baht each to a low of .50 baht. The most expensive cost 15 times what the cheapest are selling for. Amazing.

(Why do I care so much about the price of limes? Easy. I drink a lot of gin and tonics.)

**man with no head** · 26-05-2007, 05:04 PM

That's amazing. At the local Japanese store they've been 10/$1 for over 3 years. Never changes.

**stroller** · 26-05-2007, 05:12 PM

Been wondering about this myself, 'normal' price is 1-2 bt/piece, depending on size and season, then, during the dry season, prices shoot up to 7bt for a juicy decent size one!

There's got to be some money in there.

**Thetyim** · 26-05-2007, 05:19 PM

^ Tried it already.

I stored the limes for 3 months Feb- May
The skins turned brown but the insides were fine and juicy.
OK for personal use but i couldn't sell them and that was the purpose of the exercise.

I got a chest freezer now so I could try again next year but I would have to turn it on and off for an hour each day as they need to be cooled not frozen, I think

**stroller** · 26-05-2007, 05:26 PM

Been thinking of digging an European style "cellar" somewhere in the garden to store things and maybe get some cheese going.
Would be a bugger to keep it dry.

**MeMock** · 26-05-2007, 06:26 PM

Here at the local supermarket they are about 140 baht per kg.

Thank goodness my brother has a tree full of em.

**ChiangMai noon** · 26-05-2007, 08:38 PM

interesting thread.
I recently started drinking gin again and was astounded to pay 30 baht for 6 lime at Lotus.
The very next day they were 4 baht a pop.
Still outrageously pricey.
time for a lime tree in the garden.

**MeMock** · 26-05-2007, 08:45 PM

I thought you didn't drink.

**kingwilly** · 26-05-2007, 08:48 PM

gotta love a good G&T.

i just noticed that the bladdy maid has let the limes run out again.

yer just caint get good help these days!

**MeMock** · 26-05-2007, 08:52 PM

Originally Posted by kingwillyhggtb

yer just caint get good help these days!

especially if they are welsh.

**blackgang** · 26-05-2007, 09:45 PM

Damn, Expensive limes, I bet that really knocking down on the power of the pound. know them Brits got to have their limes,, get scurvy everytime with out em.

**buad hai** · 27-05-2007, 06:17 AM

So, it's not only here.

Anyway, we do have a lime tree in the new garden and it's already got a few on it....

**peterpan** · 27-05-2007, 06:19 AM

Originally Posted by buad hai

So, it's not only here.

Anyway, we do have a lime tree in the new garden and it's already got a few on it....

Can you grow Lemons here ?

**buad hai** · 27-05-2007, 06:23 AM

Originally Posted by peterpan

Can you grow Lemons here ?

I'm sure you can. I had a few lemon trees on Saipan which has the same climate. But, you sure don't see lemon trees growing or lemons for sale in the markets, do you?

**blackgang** · 27-05-2007, 09:22 AM

No you don't, I have looked for them, asked about them, and no one seems to know where they are grown.
But did get something that was close to a lemon, was a real green, rough knobby thing but did make lemon juice when cut and squeezed, they call em KAFFIR limes.

**dirtydog** · 27-05-2007, 06:32 PM

I think the only way lemons can be grown here is if they are grafted onto a lime tree.

We have a load of bitter orange trees, well bushes, I used to goto the flower market every week and ask for Lime trees and they would sell me these bitter orange trees, then my girlfriend would ask me why I kept buying bitter orange trees, I didn't bother explaining why to her, anyway these taste the same as limes so we use them, always seem to have oranges on at least a couple of them.

**stroller** · 27-05-2007, 06:56 PM

Originally Posted by blackgang

No you don't, I have looked for them, asked about them, and no one seems to know where they are grown.
But did get something that was close to a lemon, was a real green, rough knobby thing but did make lemon juice when cut and squeezed, they call em KAFFIR limes.

Isn't Kaffir lime "Makrut"? Tastes bitter and smells nice, nothing like lemon, the peel and leaves are used as spice.
Up here (Nan) they grow green lemons, must be some cross between lime and lemon, it's a different tree, they are the size, shape and texture of lemon, but not as sour.

**ChiangMai noon** · 27-05-2007, 06:58 PM

Yup.
bai makrut is used to make good food taste bad as far as I'm concerned.
they chuck it into most dishes.
I always order my food with a "mai sai bai makrut".
totally overwhelming flavour.

**NickA** · 27-05-2007, 07:12 PM

^I bet the guy at the chippy looks at you funny

**buad hai** · 27-05-2007, 07:49 PM

A Keiffer Lime (Citrus hystrix) is not actually a lime (Citrus aurantifolia) or a lemon (Citrus limon). I have to agree that the taste is rather off-putting. I especially dislike the roasted leaves that guys around here eat when drinking. According to wikipedia the oil from the fruit of the keiffer lime has "strong insecticidal properties". No wonder we don't much like it.

Citrus hybridize easily, so normally can't be grown true from seed; they are almost always grafted on to root stock that is hardy and disease resistant. So, it should be as easy to grow lemons here as it is to grow limes.

For some reason, they just don't....

**blackgang** · 27-05-2007, 09:44 PM

there was a couple layin on the table once, I cut into one and it smelled lemon, so I squeezed both of em and put in some water and sugar and it was lemon juice I thought, made lemon aide anyway, dont remember really what it tasted like tho, but later I used a couple more she drug in from somewhere on some baked salmon I had made,, coarse was frozen salmon so would have been hard to make it any worse.

**buad hai** · 28-05-2007, 07:49 AM

Ms. B's mother just got home from a weekend in Cha Am. She brought home a kilo of beautiful big limes that she got for only ten baht.

Time to squeeze and freeze!

**The_Dude** · 28-05-2007, 09:44 AM

In the States ,California to be exact. i walked into a Safeway Store (yesterday) they where 2 - $1.00, then today I needed some fruit to feed some Monks. Went into a Food Co. they where 10-.98 cents! WTF!!!

Maybe Safeway limes come with Tequila.

The Dude.

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