Mexican Limes

by David R. Darrow 9" x 6" (22.9cm x 15.2cm)
Oil on Canvas on Birch Panel SOLD Collection of Ann Boudreau
Southbury, CT – USA

About This Painting

A couple of summers ago, a neighbor from across the street walked over with two small plants in plastic terra-cotta-colored pots, one in each hand.

"Would you like a lime tree or two?" she asked, holding one of them forward.

"Those are lime trees?" I asked. They were about 18" (47cm) tall, and mostly "trunk," generously speaking. With about 10mm at the base, with maybe 8 or 10 branches, what she was offering us looked just a little bigger than a seedling.

"I've had them for about a year, and now I am moving to a place they just won't grow, so if you want them..."

"Sure! And we'll make them grow some limes, someday. We promise."

"Oh, And these are Mexican limes. They are smaller than normal."

We gave one of the trees to a neighbor of ours and began a friendly contest to see whose would produce fruit first.

We won.

And now, two years later, with our careful, secret growing method involving 1. a bigger pot of soil, 2. water and 3. sunshine, the tree is about 3ft (1m) in diameter and about that tall, too. Though it now sports a 1.5" (3.8cm) diameter base, it's appears to be too small to hold the maybe 200 limes we got this year.

I figured the tree could spare a few for this painting.

Mexican limes are about the size of ping pong balls, and about as round. They are fully ripe when the rind turns yellow. The rind is only 1/16" (3mm) or less thick — probably not great for zesting — but the juice makes just about the greatest margaritas — you know, once you add sugar water and the other stuff.

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