Lemon cultivation requires a lot of care, it becomes extremely delicate at these latitudes due to the low temperatures, in fact the lemon grows at 12°C and dies at 0°C. The cultivation of lemons in the ground is in fact limited by the parallel of Naples: further north than this it can only be grown in pots, or with the shelter of a greenhouse during the winter (as was the case in the Tuscan or Ligurian 'Orangerie').The mild climate of the lake certainly meant that these plants could be planted in the ground, producing many more lemons than those grown in pots. The plants require light, well-tended soil, as the roots are very shallow, and regular fertilisation and an abundance of water are also necessary. The lemon is a fruit with infinite qualities, it is sugar-free (11 calories per 100 g), rich in essential oil, citric acid, malic acid, mineral salts and trace elements, vitamin C, group B and A, which counteracts the formation of free radicals and strengthens the natural immune defences.
Between 40 and 50 g of vitamin C can be found in 100 g of juice, which is more or less the result of squeezing two to three high-yield lemons. Citric acid, used against scurvy, in dyeing and printing textiles, as a Ph regulator and in the preparation of alkyl resins, was isolated from lemon juice at the end of the 18th century but its constitution was not clarified until 1879. The lemon plants here (which are now about 40 years old) are all grafted onto bitter orange plants to make them more resistant to gummosis, a disease that in the past decimated all the original lemon trees.
Flowering
In April we have the first flowering, which is the most abundant, followed by the much more moderate summer flowering in June and July, known as 'agostana', until the much more moderate flowering in September and October.
Harvesting
In April and May, the lemons that had blossomed a year earlier are harvested, this is the most abundant harvest called 'spicanda' where we find a rougher and less rounded fruit. This is followed by the June and July harvest where the best fruit with a smoother skin and a rounder shape is picked. Finally we have the August harvest in which smaller, seedless fruits are picked. The plants are therefore productive all year round. A healthy lemon plant produces up to 600 lemons in the most abundant harvests. The fruits are picked by hand standing on special steps called 'scalì' and in the past they were placed in an animal skin bag called 'grumial'.
