Typical size for a mature producing tree would be slightly smaller than a quarter. They normally have a mountain of seeds. In the Philippines it is the primary "lemon"; and the joke is they have one servant whose only job is to get the juice from the calamansi (the name for calamondin in Philippines) My farm manager has one tree at his doorstep and it ALWAYS has fruit; he uses it for cooking.

How exciting! My calamondin is getting big but hasn't flowered yet. I can't wait to try one! I am so excited to hear that you got a fruit! From what I have read, one day we will be swimming in calamondins! Haha!

John, That's good to know that the quarter sized fruit was the right size, I am very impressed by this plant it has taken off with a great flush of new growth. It looks the best of all my trees at the moment. Amanda, I can't wait to be swimming in fruit from my trees, I hope yours flowers this year! mine is starting some buds now so hopefully yours wont be far behind!

I had no interest in calomondin until I went to hawaii and had shave ice (calamansi) made of it. It really has a unique flavor and I can see why they use it in drinks in Philippines.

I LOVE calamondin marmalade. I still have two jars in my fridge from my latest batch. It has a unique flavor and is quite tasty. I'm glad you liked it. I would like to find more recipes to use then in cooking. I was just looking at my tree today and thinking I am going to need to find more recipes...it is loaded again! Good problem to have ;-)

I agree, the flavor is unique. In some recipes, it's my secret ingredient; I have tried lemon, orange or kumquat in the same dish/drink, and it was just different and not as good for that particular dish/drink.

If you are new to calamondin tasting, you should try the peel.

My first experience with calamondins was out in a Satsuma orange grove. I saw a tree loaded with these little orange fruit (calamondins in fact) that resembled kumquats but the tree was way too tall for kumquat. I asked the old gentleman who was walking me out to the orange grove what it was. He said he couldn't remember the name but said they were really sour and only about 10% of the population could stand the tartness and enjoy eating them. He said the peel is sweet and the meat is sour as a lemon. He said the peel was the only part he could eat. A friend had given him the tree and suggested he plant it near a path in his orchard so people tempted to pick and eat haphazardly in his orchard would be taught a lesson.

Over the years he has invited me to pick from his calamondin tree and I finally planted one of my own. I do enjoy eating one fresh off the tree once in a while and I just pop the whole thing in my mouth and eat it peel and all. As subtripx said, it makes a GREAT ingredient to tweak the flavor a bit. Clearly Laura LaRosa isn't one of these people but some say using 100% calamondins in marmalade is a bit strong for them. I tend to agree but LOVE substituting for part of the lemon juice in pies, lemonade, jellies, and such. It does take a lot of them to make much juice but it's a gorgeous orange color. I cut the fruit in half and squeeze them by hand and then rub the half against a screen sieve to get the last drops of juice and to increase the pulp content. If you make a pie or marmalade, I recommend just removing the seeds and using the whole fruit, peel and all.

I wonder if my future fruit will be more tart, it clearly had a tad of a lemon zing to it but not too much to make me pucker, I would say it was quite pleasant. I won't eat oranges usually because they are too sour for me and upset my stomach but things like lemons and limes I don't have an issue with. Mandarins are hit and miss but I love the flavor of a sweet one so I keep trying. Thankfully the Calamondin sided more with the lemon type flavor/zing than the orange type, it must be from the kumquat parentage, though I've had to spit out every kumquat I've tried over the years but that had more to do with the intense bitterness than the tartness. I am pretty positive all the kumquats I've had were Nagamis and I'd be wanting to try a Meiwa. But for now I am very pleased with my Calamondin and feel like it was a great choice, Thank you to everyone who has championed them! I never would have gotten one if they weren't so highly praised here.

Do try a Meiwa kumquat some day but, even then, there is a huge difference in flavor depending on the tree. I have one I love right off the tree, and another that is off in the bland and unexciting direction....both Meiwas, within 40ft of each other, and both plenty old enough to have matured into their flavors.

Another plus for the calamondin....if you ever move to a warm climate and can plant in-ground (9a works for me), they make a really nice tall and shapely tree.

John, I'll keep an eye out for a chance to try a Meiwa. I have seen some sites that say calamondins are hardy to zone 8. I may try planting it in the ground after we move into a place we plan to stay for a few years and giving it protection for its first couple winters. My (any most people's) dream is to move somewhere that lets me grow them all in ground and stop futzing with containers. For me in Oregon the logical choice is California but because of quarantine I would have to get rid of all my trees and start over, and that would break my heart. But I am sure that I would get over it once I saw how quickly they would grow in ground and a better climate.

Will do Laura, I can't wait to start cooking with them. I foresee lots of Filipino food in my future.

Laura, we also all wish you could send us samples! :>P

I love calamondin fruit so much that beside my big mama calamondin (about 33 years old?), I have a 3 foot I bought last year, 3 two year olds I started from seed, 3 one year olds I started from seed and a variegated in a 4 inch pot I got from Logee's. If I run across a decent 3 year or older tree I will buy it.

Just went out to water and the calamondin is loaded with buds. It's crazy how you can look a tree one day and three days later it's exploding with buds. Can't wait for more tasty fruits. How long does it take from flower to fruit usually?

Vladimir, are any of your seedlings blooming yet? I have a few baby calamondins myself. I do enjoy them!

None of the seedlings is blooming. The oldest are only going to be 2 years old this summer so they may bloom this summer but more likely next summer. One is 3 feet tall. I will let you know when they bloom. Am also waiting for a key lime I started from seed but did not keep a record of when I started it. It is at least 2 years old and is 3 feet tall.

YuK! Eating the fruit right off the tree that is.

The vinaigrette sounds awesome)