Hope's kids would play tricks on their friends, by offering them the tree's orange fruit, then step back and watch their faces as they bit into it. While the fruit resembled oranges, they sure didn't taste like them.

After much trial, inquiry and speculation, Hope found the best use for the fruit, that resembles a small tangerine, but is actually, in fact, a Rangpur Lime. It seems to have no particular season (at least in Southern California), as there are blossoms and fruit all year long. Hope's tree has been producing fruit for about forty years! She freezes the juice in 1 1/2 cup portions, which are great for making a batch of punch (recipe link follows).

We thank Hope Randell and her daughter Sharon LaBurn for sharing their recipe for the most refreshing punch we have ever tasted. If you don't have orange Rangpur Limes growing in your yard, you can still make punch using ordinary limes, although you'll have to use more limes, as the Rangpur variety produce a lot of juice.

If you'd like a tree like Hope's in your own yard, ask your nursery for a dwarf Rangpur Lime Tree. They are hardy and easy to care for.