Over the weekend, I made a lonchera run through SanTana to try new taco trucks (verdict: meh). But one thing I noticed at all of them was the stocking of lemon wedges instead of lime. AW FUCK…
So I checked in with my produce source, the same guy who told me two years ago that lime prices in the United States were rising exponentially because of the cartel wars in Michoacán, where a huge chunk of America’s limes are grown. The prices got so bad that a 40-pound case of limes was going for $90 (the historical asking price is $10-$15). Right now, it’s almost as bad—$60, according to my source—and expected to go higher before going back down in the summer.
About the only good thing out of this is that the narco wars aren’t affecting lime prices—this time. This surprisingly well-written article aggregated Mexican newspaper responses and claims the culprit were early rains and cold in Mexico’s lime-growing regions of Veracruz, Michoacán and Colima. Stateside, you know that horrible hit-and-run that happened in Vernon over the weekend where a big-rig driver unhitched his trailer and took off? The cargo container left at the scene had the log of one of the biggest lime importers in the U.S., so you know that’s going to be a bunch of fun for lime prices.
Moral of the story? Grow your own lime tree—and don’t forget that Mexicans call limes lemons.
