Lemon Aspen

We respect and thank our Aboriginal supply partners for imparting their incredible knowledge to us about this amazing plant.

Many of the Indigenous fruits bear unlikely names given to them by European settlers who struggled to come to terms with their environment by calling the new (to them) fruits and trees by old familiar names. The Lemon Aspen is not an aspen at all, but probably reminded someone of the American aspens. It is actually an Australian rainforest tree that's closest relative is a similar species in India. The Lemon Aspen bears clusters of delicious fruit and is one of a number of  Acronychia distributed in the tropical and sub-tropical north eastern coastal rainforest regions that have edible fruit. It grows from the lower sub-tropical latituders of NSW all the way to far North Queensland's Atherton Tablelands and into the Cape country.

The Lemon Aspen is a medium-to-tall tree and has dark-green , oval shaped leaves and masses of creamy-yellow flowers.

Lemon Aspen are usually ready to harvest from April through to July and it's best to pick the fruit just as it is ripe-even a touch under-ripe for harvesting. Its typical of many native fruit trees in that it fruits abundantly every second year.

We have sourced Lemon Aspen from all the regions it grows but now source it from sustainable plantations in NSW and hope to source from a burgeoning one in the the Cape country we have supported

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Lemon Aspen has an amazing flavour. Your first reaction, when tasting this lovely fruit, is surprise at the strength and the tartness of the fruit - it is extraordinarily sharp lemon, citrus in flavour, but there are other subtle, special aftertastes that demand attention - complex secondary flavours of eucalyptus and honey creep in and surprise the palate. 

Lemon Aspen are a pale greenish, lemon coloured fruit about the size of a Waltham grape, rounded, but with a crenelated top where the fruit joins the stalk. Lemon Aspens have a very thin, edible outer skin and a firm, but juicy flesh that surrounds a little hard inner core, with tiny black seeds. This is an exciting fruit to eat and to cook with. While the flavour is intense and acidic, it is also deliciously refreshing and evocative.

Lemon Aspen is wonderful added to cold sauces or dressings and it can also be added to hot sauces such as butter sauces, it's best result will be obtained if it's added toward the end of the process. Lemon Aspen Superfruit Powder is wonderful as a coating on tuna or salmon sashimi. Fold the Powder through creme fraiche, yoghurt  or marscapone to serve with sweet or ordinary potatoes, smoked salmon or oysters.

Make a mayonnaise and add Lemon Aspen Superfruit Powder and serve with freshly grilled prawns or on artichoke hearts . Use the mayonnaise to make a divine summer salad of chicken, cantaloupe or mango cubes, fresh mint and butter lettuce. Sprinkle the Lemon Aspen Superfruit powder on to fresh fish and char-grilled prawn or baby octopus. And of course Lemon Aspen in dessert is wonderful. Try making Lemon Aspen Meringue Pie Ice-cream Cake pictured above. It's also lovely in panna cotta too.

Lemon Aspen fruit are high in calcium, potassium, iron and magnesium. They also contain high levels of phosphorus, folate and zinc. Lemon Aspen fruits contain higher levels of antioxidants than blueberries. Lemon Aspen, as with most Australian Indigenous ingredients, is a good fruit source of Vitamin C and antioxidants. and essential minerals

• The antioxidants in Lemon Aspen are those that especially assist with skin repair and these compounds assist in skin regeneration over the long term. Vitamin C can assists our skin since it amplifies the synthesis of collagen and the antioxidants help reduce skin damage caused by  those pesky free radicals and overall improve the appearance of our skin
• Lemon Aspen fruits contain higher levels of antioxidants than blueberries and blueberries are considered a high antioxidant fruit, internationally.
• These antioxidants help protect us by the scavenging of free-radicals that attack our cells are may assist in the delay or prevention of of Alzheimer's Disease, autoimmune and cardiovascular disease , some cancers and diabetes!
• Lemon Aspen fruit are high in potassium. 30g of our Superfruit Powder is equal to 85% of the Daily Adequate Intake for women and 65% of men's Daily Adequate Intake.
• and also a good fruit source of calcium, potassium, iron and magnesium. 
• They also contain high levels of phosphorus, folate and zinc.

Nutritional information - 30g Lemon Aspen Superfruit Powder

Per 30g
Energy	15.6kJ	Zinc (ZN)	.5 mg
Protein	.2 g	Magnesium (Mg)	192 mg
Total Fat	0 g	Calcium(ca)	17.3 mg
- saturated fat	0 g	Iron (Fe)	1.7 mg
Carbohydrates	.24 g	Phosphorous (P)	16.7mg
-sugars	.24g	Potassium (K)	1966 mg
sodium	5.8 mg	Manganese(Mn)	1.3 mg
		Copper(Cu)	.10 mg