Lime is a well-loved fruit known for its acidic taste. Join us as we tackled the different signs on how to tell if a lime is ripe to get that bursting flavors!
How To Tell If A Lime Is Ripe | Pad Outdoor
While lime can be
used whether it is ripe or unripe, but the ripe ones are mostly preferred
because of its balanced acidity that does not put off anyone’s taste.
Aside from discussing and sharing with you how to tell if a lime is ripe, we will also discuss another well-searched topic– how do you identify lime from a lemon?
Lime Vs Lemon: Know
The Difference
Limes and lemons
are both acidic fruits that belong to the citrus family. But in terms of
acidity level, lime has to be the winner. This green and small fruit contains a
much more sour with a bit of bitter taste to it.
In culinary, lemons
and limes are popular, them being a good ingredient to salads, pasta, and fish
and meat dishes. But if you want a more pronounced tangy flavor, lime is the
best choice while lemon is recommended for subtle acidic flavor.
To help you
differentiate the two, we made a quick comparison table below:
Lime
Lemon
Appearance
Green and smaller in size
Yellow and bigger in size
Acidity Level
Between 2.00 to 2.35 in the pH scale
Between 2.00 to 2.60 in the pH scale
Nutritional Content
(Vit C and Folate)
Vit C (30 mg) and Folate (10 8 mcg) per 100 gram
Has more Vit C (53 mg) and Folate (11 mcg) per 100 gram
4 Signs On How To
Tell If A Lime Is Ripe
Unlike other fruits
that change their color from green to yellow, red, orange, lime is a bit
different. The color change is very subtle and is only a matter of shade.
So, we have compiled the signs to help you know when a lime is ripe:
1. The Color
As
mentioned earlier, lime doesn’t change much in color. In fact, the ripe lime is
still green in color but the shade becomes lighter. Therefore, you need to have
a good eye to spot the change.
The
unripe lime has a dark green color, and this changes to light green as the
fruit ripens. However, there are different varieties of lime and some varieties
can have a tinge of yellow color but not the whole fruit turns yellow.
2. The Texture
The texture is also a great tell-tale sign to determine if a lime is ripe or not. So, how to tell if a lime is ripe through its texture?
Simple,
just put the fruit in your palm and feel its texture. Usually, the lime with
the hard, wrinkled, and bumpy body is an indication that the fruit is already
overripe. The lime that has the right level of ripeness has a smooth body and
shiny glow to it.
3. The Scent
Next
is the scent. Of course, lime is a from a citrus family and has a distinct
acidic smell that makes it easy for us to tell if it is ripe or not.
The
best indication is when the lime-y scent is too strong, then the fruit is ready
to be harvest and is already riped. You can scratch a bit of the fruit’s body
to get a good sniff of its scent. If it has a fresh fruity smell, you go ahead
and use it.
4. The Weight
A
ripe lime usually gets heavier and grows a bit in size. The additional weight
means that there is enough juice accumulated inside, so the fruit is now juicy
and ready to be eaten.
If
you squeeze an unripe lime, you don’t get much of its juice, unlike the ripe
ones in which you can collect a lot of tangy juice in just a single fruit.
How to tell if a lime is ripe may confuse others, but if you are familiar and know exactly how to differentiate the ripe limes from the unripe ones, then this task is just a piece of cake.
You don’t want to ruin your dish or cocktail by using unripe limes, do you? So remember these friendly tips so that you can identify when the limes are ripe.
