May 2010 - Spring has finally arrived and the trees are starting to leaf out - the young leaves of Lime trees are supposedly edible - let's give them a try..

The Lime Tree

This is the Lime tree just around the corner from my home - the same one I picked flowers and fruits from on the previous pages.

Quite commonly for Limes, this tree is surrounded at the base by a bushy tangle of thin branches arising from the bottom of the trunk.

At this time of year the leaves are only just emerging and they're delicate and soft.

I picked a few handfuls of the most tender young leaves from the tips of the new growth.

I put the leaves in layers with grated cheddar between slices of buttered soft white bread.

Eating Lime Leaves

The taste of lime leaves is delicate - something like a blend of leafy-salad and cucumber flavours.

At this young stage, the leaves are still quite downy, so the mouthfeel of the sandwich was a little dry - it was improved considerably by a little bit of salad cream (mayonnaise would also work).

Verdict

Pretty good - certainly worthwhile as a source of green salad - for the brief period they are available without bugs all over them.

When the leaves are young, downy and crinkly like this, I expect they would take a dressing well, if they were shredded and added to a green salad.