Calamondin (kăl'ə-mŏn'dĭn). Panama orange? Acid orange? Others call it suter. I call it "pizzazz" for my authentic filipino- stye beefsteak a.k.a. "Bistek" and pancit noodles. Woohoo! It's none other than the little sour calamansi fruits-- which unfortunately isn't that popular here in the U.S. Using lemon in lieu of these green little round guys on the mouthwatering delicacies of Filipino exotic (exotic!) cuisine is a sacrilege, at least that's how I see it. A spritz of regular lemon on good old pancit palabok just doesn’t cut it!
And how about my dad's home-made mayonnaise recipe thats been handed down from my forebears? (3 egg yolks, 1 bottle of oil, calamansi, salt and lots of stirring --labor of love). Not good with lemon either! Or on my patis (fish sauce, yeah...yeah, fish sauce, I know...but I just love it). Not good with lemon either!
And so, as a housewarming present for myself, way before we picked any outdoor furniture for our backyard, I got me a Calamondin plant from Home Depot. It was the last one in the store that day, the cart was with hubby on the other side and I was so excited that I scooped the heavy pot bearing the 2-ft plant and marched down the aisles almost hugging it in VERY greedy demeanor. The pot now sits at a random spot on our yard for the mean time. They said I can keep it on the pot and use it as a home decor too, especially with those fruits and flowers! The tag says it can also be trained as a hedge shrub which is perfect for one corner of my yard beside some of my wrought-iron art pieces, a beautiful garden swing one day (you'd think it's me who wants the swing...nope, it's hubby!) and a patio set next to the fire pit (imaginary one for now)...I'm gushing. I'm not re-planting it yet though, because I still have to learn THAT skill or else it might end up joining the "souls" of the unfortunate foliage that passed on under the care (uncare) of my my non-green thumb hands, in all the places I've lived thus far.
Anyway, I can't wait until next summer when I can sit out there, read a book and drink a tall glass of iced cold lemonade...er, uhrm, calamansi-ade. Or am I pushing it too much? It's really good. Trust me!
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