I find that Meyers Lemons do not necessarily make a good direct substitutes for the Lisbon or Eureka Lemons commonly found in the grocery stores, however Meyers do have their place, for example they make excellent lemon icebox style pies. I would suggest giving them a chance, try them in different lemon recipes and see where they fit in best. Sometimes different is good, sometimes its not.

They're milder than store-bought (Eureka lemon) and, in my opinion, an acquired taste. Also, they can hang on the tree for a long time but, if for too long, their taste goes "off."

But, for folks who are trying to grow lemons in cold climates, Meyer is easier to manage when hauling indoors and out. They also tolerate lower temps than do Eurekas.

Yup. Not everyone likes them. I'm not crazy about them, even though I have a small plant. I like the look of them on the tree! LOL! But I much prefer edible sweet citrus -- mandarins, oranges, grapefruit. Regular lemons I can buy at the store for the few times I use them. I do use my key limes in pie.

I’m not a fan of the taste either, but have not tried cooking with them as Ike mentioned.

The secret to Meyer Lemons is the skin. I use them in recipes that specifically call for Meyers and includes the skin.

I have both meyer and eureka and grew up with both types. They are different and I like both varieties. As they say different strokes for different folks. Some like a more tart aspect in there mandarins and I prefer the sweeter the better and the same with my oranges which is why I only grow the washington navel and do not really care for the other types. I got rid of my thornless blackberry last year because it wasn't sweet enough for my liking.

There isn't anything wrong with your family :). I was so surprised the first time I tasted a meyer (from my own tree, which I had nurtured for several years prior) I thought that the taste was possibly down to my growing conditions. I didn't like it at all. I found that it had a medicinally/herby taste that I was not expecting.

I think if I had not been expecting a lemon I would have liked the taste. People also LOVE meyers so I assumed it was my overly sensitive taste buds.

I loved my little tree however (it was pretty, produced the most beautiful blossoms and was prolific to a fault) so I persisted. I started looking up meyer lemon recipes and started experimenting. Meyers are less acildic and very juicy and are great for dressings and baking. If there are recipes that I'm used to pre-meyer I'll tread with caution and may reach for an eureka or lisbon instead.

I think you should experiment :). There is a link full of meyer lemon recipes that someone provided on another thread I'll dig it out for you and post it here.

http://www.latimes.com/style/la-fo-meyerlemons16jan16-story.html

John Merr provided this link. He is an expert grower of citrus, especially meyers. Hopefully this helps.

I recently was able to compare the ST and Meyer side by side from my trees. As a lemon, I liked the ST better which I hate to admit bc I love my Meyer trees. However, I have made lemon bars, chicken soup, and many other recipes with my meyers and love them there. As Salty said, I’d experiment a bit before getting the ax ;). And they are extremely juicy and beautiful!

Thank you all for those great responses and many wonderful suggestions.

It was heartening to know there are others like my family members who may not have taken to the Meyer Lemon right away as well. Maybe there is hope for my family. But I am going to plant a Eureka anyway so I know I will have a backup lemon whenever I need it.

And yes, I suppose I will have to use up this year's Meyer harvest. Will definitely try the lemonade and look for other recipes on the net. Thanks all.

The good thing is with meyer lemonade you can use much less sugar as they are naturally sweeter :)

I once had an in ground Meyer lemon tree, I did not like the taste and had it dug out then replaced by a Saint Teresa Lemon. A better choice.

I agree with Silica, why don’t you plant a ST instead of eureka? They are wonderful lemons.

Nothing is wrong with your family... Meyers have a nice colour to look at (Nice orangy yellow) and are very juicy. In my opinion the taste is not good and it smells unpleasant (I've tried over a dozen meyers from the store and they all had the weird Orange/lemon scent, didn't mix well).

I don't think the Meyer is much more cold tolerant than other lemons, and if it is, it's 2-3F which is barely noticeable anywhere except for zone 8B where the 2 degrees may make or break you. If you go to zone 6 or 7 for example, those 2 degrees won't make a difference.

Also, might just be a coincidence but I've notice many people have problems with Meyers. I'm not sure if it's a problematic tree or if it's because most novice gardeners begin with a Meyer.

I personally bought a Ponderosa as my first tree, and a Limequat/Meyer Cocktail shortly after. The Ponderosa has lost a few leaves since being inside, the Limequat lost 30-40% of it's leaves and the Meyer lost all but 1 leaf. They're all given the same care and conditions. Both the Ponderosa and Limequat has given me fruit and has new growth indoors while the Meyer has sever branch dieback and no signs of bouncing back.

In my opinion and knowing what I know now, I would stay away from the Meyer and I think it's overrated.... I can't wait to replace it with a Blood Orange.

no more room in my yard otherwise I would get a S.T.

How much does climate and the area that meyers are grown in play in flavor ?

I like the ones that come from my tree and so does everyone who has tried them.

I use my mine for lemonade only. I enjoy them. The flavor is more complex to me and I use less sugar. I do add an eureka to the mix sometimes because I have both. The smell of the flowers are amazing.

Meyer's are a hybrid (lemon x orange), so of course the taste is going to be different than a true lemon.

I agree, those flowers are amazing in fragrance.

Citrus hybridize eagerly..., the more the merrier in my opinion.

I do not like Meyer lemons.

When did you harvest them? Climate and when you harvest makes a huge difference in taste and nose. My myers here in norcal are ready when they start changing from green ..just a bit yellow. Phenomenal. If you wait until they turn an orange tint, the sweetness is more pronounced, and the aroma different. I suspect that the time to harvest in southern California begins in late November; perhaps a bit earlier than up in NorCal.

But, then again its personal taste... I have 4 highly productive meyers... and many happy friends that love them November and through March.

I detest the smell of the Meyer flowers. But, I really don't like flower smell of any flowers. I love the lemon though. I make strawberry lemonade with it almost weekly during the time my tree is full(tail end of it now). I inherited my tree as well. I planted a lisbon and while, i like the lemon, the Meyer is so much juicier. I also use it in stir fry and soup. Good luck! Since you have three why not just take one out and replace it with something else. If you still don't love it maybe replace 2. We inherited a ponderosa also and it was no good.

There is no substitute for personal taste; but, to quote the editor of the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, "Until you have tried a Meyer lemon martini, you have not experienced that small piece of Heaven on Earth". I would say the same for Meyer lemon meringue pie, Meyer lemon cardamom ice cream, our Meyer lemon freeze, or our Mayancello (Limoncello made with fresh Meyer lemons).

Nick,

Meyer lemon freeze is a proprietary product fashioned after the famous Merlino's orange freeze of Sacramento, CA Summertime fame. Like its predecessor, it is a delight that, once tasted is forever wished for.

Thanks for the info John that sounds really tasty :)

I'm not a Meyer fan either. I think it has a lot to do with personal preference of the individual.

In case you're wondering, Meyer is in a different group from other lemons. Meyer is believed to have originated from hybridization between citron and mandarin, whereas other lemons came about from hybridization between citron and sour orange. Meyer has a bit more mandarin ancestry than other lemons, so it's sweeter and more cold tolerant, though some (like me) feel it has less flavor/fragrance.

For other people though, Meyer is their favorite lemon.

Meyer lemons should not be called lemons! They are aweful fruit that you have to doctor up in all sorts of ways to make them edible! I dont get it. The They are some kind of marketing BS that everybody with good intentions are trying everything to make work. Bless their hearts. They are attractive trees though. But so are REAL lemons🤩

I guess the taste may lie with the tree itself. I have a Meyer and it is wonderful and my family always steals a bunch over Christmas. My Meyer tastes as it should... like an mild orangy lemon. If the LEMON flavor is what you think it will taste like, then no, but taste bad? .... not mine.

I think they taste like camphor. Very medicinal. I wanted to scrape my younger until the flavor was gone. Not a fan 😢

It is because they are Meyer lemons. They just aren't any good.

Thanks poncirusguy6b452xx. My family Agrees with you.😜

 Maybe It's the Meyer lemon variety and like All varieties some Will taste better than others

Howard

I like mine when they just turn 90% yellow. Won't eat them when they have been yellow on the tree for more then a couple of weeks. Big change in flavor.

Matt

 Again like I said It could be the Meyer lemon variety for there are many of them  and different varieties have different flavors