LIMES
Bright-green Florida Persian limes are the familiar market variety, relatively large in size, seedless and juicy. Limes enhance the flavor and visual appeal of drinks and dishes of almost any kind and are more fragrant and less acidic than lemons.

History
Like other citrus fruits, limes are believed to be native to southeastern Asia and have been cultivated for thousands of years. When Columbus made his second voyage to the Western Hemisphere in 1493 to establish a colony, he stopped at the Canary Islands and obtained seeds of various fruits and vegetables, including limes to take with him. He planted the limes on the island of Hispaniola, in his settlement of Isabella. Later, Spanish conquistadores took limes from these groves with them to the mainland and planted them at St. Augustine, Florida.

Selection, Care & Handling
Select limes that look fresh, not leathery or shriveled at the stem. Avoid those with a brownish circle at the pointed end or any pitted areas, indicating rot or dryness. Refrigerate the fruit in a plastic bag up to a week.

Preperation & Serving Suggestions
Sweet, yet tart, limes are wonderful in refreshing drinks, exquisite desserts and flavorful salad dressings. To get the most juice from the limes, keep at room temperature for one hour before squeezing; one medium lime contains approximately ¼ cup of juice. Sprinkling lime juice on sliced apples, avocados, bananas and pears prevents discoloring, while serving a wedge of lime with papayas and other tropical fruits highlights their subtle flavor.

Avocado Lime Cheescake
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cream
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
2 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 (8 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1 tablespoon oil for deep frying

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until small bubbles appear around edges. Remove from heat and stir sugar into the cream until it dissolves. Transfer to a medium bowl, and allow to cool.

Combine the avocado and cream cheese in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the lime juice and process until smooth, then whisk into the cooled cream mixture.

Fill an ice cream maker with the mixture, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Spoon into the prepared pie crust. Smooth surface with a spatula. Freeze at least 2 hours in freezer before serving.

Lime Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 medium lime
Calorie: 250	Calories from fat: 0
	% Daily Value
Total Fat: 0g	0%
Saturated fat: 0g	0%
Cholesterol: 0mg	0%
Sodium: 0mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate: 7g	2%
Dietary Fiber: 2g	8%
Sugars: 2g	Protein: 1g
Vitamin A: 0%	Vitamin C: 35%
Calcium: 0%	Iron: 0%