Champagne Wishes and Caviar Lime Dreams
These adorable little gems are bursting with flavor. Literally! Cut these cuties open and you will find juicy lime “caviar.”
Citrus australasica is the botanical name for the Australian Finger Lime Tree, and as you probably guessed, it comes from Down Under. Native to sub-tropical rainforests of South-East Queensland, This fruit, also known as “caviar lime,” is a traditional food of the Aboriginal People of Australia.
Finger Limes are pretty tiny, maxing out at about 3 inches in length, and grow on thorny trees with small leaves. The fruit itself can vary in color – ranging from bright green to deep rose. The pulp (aka juice vesicles) are like tiny little beads of flavor that burst in yo’ mouth.
What do they taste like?
Basically, like a regular-ass lime, but perhaps a bit more bitter. You can use them in any way that you would a regular citrus, so garnish those key lime pies, fresh oysters, guacamole, and sushi rolls with reckless abandon! You can even add them to a cocktail for a pop of fresh citrus flavor.
Where to find them
These trees have only recently been imported from Australia into America, so they are still quite rare. Some small farms are growing them in California and Florida, which means you can get luck at a farmer’s market or stumble across them at a fancy-pants restaurant or hip bar.
You can also try your hand at growing your them, which is what I did! You can either plant it in the ground or in a large pot (my method).
Australian finger limes make very good houseplants They require less direct sun than the 6+ hours that citrus trees usually ask for. You can easily grow a potted finger lime on a bright windowsill or terrace. Because commercially-grown trees are often grafted onto dwarf rootstock, they are well-suited to pots; even a petite tree will make a finger lime crop once it's mature enough. These trees are also quite disease-resistant. In fact, they are currently being investigated to see if they can help save Florida and California citrus against “Greening Disease”, due to this crop’s natural immunity. So do your part, and plant one for yourself!
Be care of frost though! Finger limes should come inside or be covered with a tarp once overnight temperatures dip beneath 45 - 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can buy a tree from:
You can purchase online from:
The photo is from my first tree, which I have had for about a year. I just recently bought a second red Finger Lime from Sow Exotics. It’s just a baby though, so i’ll have to wait a few years before I can harvest those beauties.
