Margarita drinkers, rejoice

[Bob Of Burleson]

The price squeeze on limes has ended

By Diane Smith
dianesmith@star-telegram.com

FORT WORTH — Just in time for the Mayor of Margaritaville’s concert at the Coyote Drive-In, the lime crisis of 2014 has ended.

“You’d be surprised how quick fruit grows on trees,” said Paul Gonzalez Jr., a buyer for River City Produce in San Antonio. “There’s ample fruit now.”

Prices skyrocketed this spring from the usual $10-12 for a 40-pound box of limes to up to $125, forcing shoppers and restaurateurs to do the unthinkable — substitute lemons in such staples as margaritas and guacamole.

The high prices were mostly caused by last year’s bad weather, when tropical storms and hurricanes blew the blooms off trees and delayed harvesting for much of Mexico’s lime crop. News articles explored the other reasons for the lime crisis, which included disease and the influence of Mexican drug cartels.

But as summer approaches — “as predicted, the limes loosened up,” Gonzalez said.

That’s good news for margarita drinkers, who will be out in full force Thursday as Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band play a concert at Fort Worth’s Coyote Drive-In, which will be broadcast live to more than 80 drive-ins nationwide.

Allen Smith, a purchasing agent for Chef’s Produce Co. in Dallas, said the limes — known as Persian limes — are now running $10 to $12 a box. He said Mexico’s lime production in the Veracruz region is back on track.

“This is the time of year when they have plenty of fruit,” Smith said.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/06/16 ... rylink=cpy

[Trixie]

This is great news. I'm not a huge marg drinker but I do love lime juice in my water and love to cook with freshly squeezed lime juice.

[FlashM]

They got up to 89 cents each at our Albertsons. I found I could make one go a very long way.

By the way, you can make a delicious fizzy limeade like the ones at Braum's with a Soda Stream.