The only thing more sour than limes this weekend is how much they cost. If you haven’t noticed, the price of a lime bought in Central Florida is about 50 cents more than it was just a month ago. When you can find them, they’re not as big as they used to be.
“We feel that we have a quality of product that is often times superior to some of our competitors," said Anthony Willson with Freshfields Farm in Orlando. "So, we don’t want to sacrifice on that just to have a lime on the shelf.”
Heavy rains and tree disease are hurting an already sparse lime crop, and drug cartels are reportedly stealing limes from farmers. As Freshfields Farm’s purchasing manager, Anthony Wilson said that’s all having an impact on the price. We’re paying at least 50 cents more for that zingy freshness in tons of the foods we eat, like desserts.
“I’ll probably see the escalation in the next shipment. But we haven’t felt that yet,” said The Dessert Lady, Patti Schmidt.
Schmidt bakes gourmet desserts and said she buys the key ingredient in her Key Lime desserts in bulk in advance, but she is bracing for the impact. Although almost all of the limes we consume in the U.S. come from Mexico, Schmidt said she gets her special ingredient from Key West and insists there’s a difference between a Key Lime lime and a traditional lime.
“It’s very, very tart. And, it’s special," said Schmidt. "It’s not like a normal lime. A normal lime is a more subtle taste.”
Regardless, demand remains the same and prices are up. With today’s shoppers picking through the slim selection, prices and quantities are expected to stabilize gradually.
“I’ve heard 4-6 weeks, until limes get reasonably back to normal," Wilson said. "But, again, that’s a ballpark.”
In the meantime, just expect to pay more.