Citrus Leaves for Human consumption (EDIT: Toxic PhytoPhotoDermatitits Reaction Had)

Fruit in the Kitchen
#1

In case you did not know or do not grow a cold hardy citrus. The Value of adding citrus leaves to food and simply bruising them in your fingers to smell them or smelling the flowers when they are open is enough reason itself to house a citrus plant in your greenhouse or in a pot inside over winter. The fruits are also nice but I have not harvested any yet.

I have been making a smoothie lately that tastes like this breakfast cereal I had as a child “apple jacks” I think it was or it was “Fruity Loops” not sure exactly.

I just add one mature leaf (or like today 3 tiny freshly sprouted leaves that result in no noticeable fibers in the smoothie) and 2-3 liters of water, a handful of dates. That is it, it is very delicious.

How do others use Citrus leaves for human consumption?

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#2

are you talking about “normal” citrus, but than more cold hardy cultivars?

Or truly frost hardy plants like Poncirus trifoliata?

I have been thinking about getting a Poncirus trifoliata. But the reviews on the fruit taste aren’t that great.

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#3

I am eating leaves from a lime and a satsuma mandarine “unshiu”. I have some tiny trifoliate plants i can try eating some leaves from.

I would think it is more worth your time and effort to get a better fruiting citrus and bring it inside in winter as needed. -8c to -12c is possible with good fruits.

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#4

I regularly use Kaffir Lime leaves when cooking Thai recipes. Maybe it’s my imagination, but I feel like they have even more scent than other citrus leaves when crushed.

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#5

There must be a reason why they’re recommended above any other, but maybe it’s just the most common in the area of the cuisine.

I use yuzu leaves instead and it works quite well. My yuzu was very angry with this winter though.

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#6

I wonder if my Meyer lemon leaves can get crushed in for soups, flavoring? has anyone tried these?

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#7

my Owari satsuma set its 1st bloom so i used a Mineola blossom to pollinize it. does anyone think it will take ? my Mineola has dozens of blooms on a 5ft potted tree. should i limit fruit set on it? its in my bedroom window.

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#8

I think a 5ft tree can hold a lot of fruit. 20-100 fruit is my guess, depending on fertility, favorable temps and water.

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#9

I tried a trifoliate leaf today, it tasted extremely bitter. No positive flavor I could notice.

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#10

I’ll have to remember to give it a smell if I come across a citrus leaf.

I do enjoy a leaves from Sansho pepper tree, it’s in the same family as Citrus.

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#11

That was pureed? I’ve only tried trifoliate leaves cooked whole into a dish (like you would a bay leaf). I thought their flavor was comparable to lemon grass.

#12

Throw citrus leaves in your oil before frying chicken shrimp.

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#13

thanks for testing. Now i know i should not grow it for the leaves.

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#14

I have 2 grapefruit and 3 dwarf lemon trees that my kids and I started from seed just for fun. Just from store bought fruit. When I prune them I save the leaves and make tea. I’ll agree with the comment above that they do remind me of the smell of Fruit Loops cereal. When a leaf falls off one of them, if its still a little green I crush it and roll it in my hands to get the oils on my hands. Its a very invigorating smell. I’ve come close to getting rid of those trees a few times, I much prefer my succulent house plants, these citrus are thirsty divas. I can’t bring myself to do it though, I enjoy the leaves too much.

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#15

The smell of the flowers are also reason enough to grow a citrus plant

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#16

should see my 5ft. Mineola right now. its been covered in blooms for 3 weeks now and still more to come. i havent pollinated anything and its got roughly 30 1-2in fruit on it. how much is too much on a citrus this size? the 1st 4 fruit i got in feb were all 4-5in. ill be moving it outside in june and tying it to the railing on the deck for support. not much wind on the south side of the house there.

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#17

I’d say 30-60 fruits is fitting if it is healthy and growing in a good sized pot 6 gal+.

I am mostly familiar with in ground tropical citrus though, this is my first cold climate citrus experience.

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#18

its in a 7gal but the tree itself is only 1in caliper 2 years old.

#20

My satsuma mandarin is a bit over 1 inch trunk, about 2 feet tall with 2 large fruits and 1 small… I will prolly allow it to hold another 2-6 fruits from the current flowering set.

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#21

Well Bad news bears… I am over a weak unable to walk without intense pain which is a PITA with all to do in the orchards. Here is the story so far… But I wanted to say I will not be eating citrus leaves or fig leaves ever again.

So I had been often putting 3 leaves of lime into my smoothie for breakfast, Additionally I had Fig leaves occasionally as well. Rougly 1 week ago i laid out in the full sun to get a sun tan exposing my legs etc… After 2 days the sun burn got worse and worse… then unable to walk because of the pain, swollen legs and feet which i’ve never had before.

A couple more days go by applying oils, cremes, poultices… still no clear improvements, went to the doctor, they didn’t know exactly what it was but gave me some dermatitis creme. I did a lot of research while bed ridden and found some cases of lime juice and fig leaves causing PhytoPhotoDermatitis. The difference is I ate the leaves… But I have no other explanation for what happened so far. Still bed ridden but hoping to be good in a week or less :frowning:

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