Finger limes
![](https://sharedkitchen.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Finger-Limes-2-70-1.jpg)
Finger limes are native to Australia. The small pods are packed with tiny seeds bursting with citrussy limey tang.
To extract the seeds (often referred to as pearls), slit a finger lime down the length and slide the back of a knife along the finger lime to push out the seeds. Alternatively, cut a finger lime in half around the waist and squeeze the ends to force the seeds out.
![Finger Limes](https://sharedkitchen.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Finger-Limes-1-70.jpg)
Use anywhere you might want a burst of citrus. Garnish guacamole, pan-fried fish, oysters, smoked salmon or creamy desserts with the small ‘pearls’. Or roll the pearls in sushi, stir into vinaigrette, sprinkle into salads … their use is endless.
The trees are available at garden centres if you want to grow your own. They will take three- four years before they fruit. The trees don’t like frost, and grow best in sunny warm areas. They grow well enough in large pots in a warm spot on a deck, but they are covered in thorns, so are not so suitable if you have children or pets.
![Finger Limes](https://sharedkitchen.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Finger-lime-tree-70.jpg)