I love Key limes, also known as the Mexican lime or West Indian lime, as you may know if you’ve perused this blog. After about 20 years, my beloved Key lime tree needed to be replaced. It produced so much beautiful fruit through the years, I was sad to see it go. You never know what you will get in a new fruit tree. Well, the new tree we planted more than 3 years ago has yet to disappoint. Last season was a bumper crop of the juicy, yellow delicacy. This season promised to be also but hopefully this year the tree will survive Hurricane Irma. When we returned from evacuating to Pensacola for the storm it was leaning, badly. Hubby has propped it up, staked it and we are babying it. Keeping an eye on it, closely.
That wasn’t the only damage when we returned home. We have a pool cage and, from what we are told, it was a tornado that took it out. It is literally hanging by a thread. Thankfully, no damage to our home. But so many have been devastated throughout the state of Florida and the Caribbean. So some blogger friends and I are joining forces to bring awareness and offer links to organizations that will help with Hurricane Irma recovery. You can find those links at the bottom of this post. Even now, there are so many without. Without power, shelter, food and more. Many, especially in the Florida Keys lost absolutely everything.
As a native Floridian and this was my fourth evacuation. Twice as a small child, then two weeks after my second son was born we evacuated for hurricane Charley. We evacuated thinking we were taking a direct hit. This time we evacuated thinking the direct hit would be very close, still not good. If you’ve never evacuated for a hurricane, it’s really hard to describe the emotions. You leave thinking you’ll never see your house or stuff again. It is just stuff but it’s memories of a lifetime, your kids, your marriage. Much to my husbands dismay I packed up EVERY SINGLE PHOTOGRAPH. Everything else can be replaced. My maternal grandparents wedding photo taken in 1921, one of only 2 photos I have of my grandfather. Photos of ancestors that date to the 1800’s. Baby pictures, you name it. I’m sure you get the picture.
Yes, Key limes are should be yellow. Not green like you find in stores. When you pick them, they should easily twist off the branch. If they do not, they are not ready. I don’t even test the green ones. I had so much fruit that I couldn’t use it all so I juiced the limes and froze the juice for later use.
With only four ingredients, this recipe is perfect for any skill level. So week 17 in the 52 Week New Recipe Challenge is a new to me recipe for Key lime pie. I have made others in the past but this one is frozen and no bake, making it perfect for summer. The texture is smooth and creamy. Very refreshing on a hot Florida day.
Ingredients
- 1 prepared graham cracker crust, 9-inch size
- 1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 /2 cup Key lime juice
- 1 cup whipping cream
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine the sweetened condensed milk and Key lime juice. It will take a bit to combine them well. The juice should be well incorporated.
- In a separate bowl beat the whipping cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. The tips should curl. Fold whipped cream into lime mixture until thoroughly combined. Spoon filling into graham cracker crust, smoothing evenly. Cover and freeze up to 4 hours or until firm. Remove from freezer about 10 minutes before serving to make serving easier. Return leftovers to freezer, covered.
Notes
There's no cook time, just freezer time.
Here’s how you can help:
Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida
South Florida Wildlife Center
This need is a bit unconventional. If you’ve spent any time in Florida you are familiar with Gatorama. It is one of the last roadside attractions of the 1950’s along with the likes of Weekie Wachee, home of the Mermaids, and Silver Springs, home of the glass bottom boats. Gatorama suffered extreme damage during hurricane Irma. If nostalgia is you’re thing this may be a good choice for a donation.
There are many great relief organizations and a great way to research who you give to is Charity Navigator. You can search, for free, a number of popular charities to see how they spend their money and just how much actually gets to the programs. If you decide to use it you may find some information surprising. Not all charities are what they seem to be and some get more media attention than others.
