IN A NUTSHELL...
The essential ingredients: a family house with a few dozens Menton lemon trees (Protected Geographical Indication), the Côte d'Azur sun, two people passionate about travel and gastronomy, a "responsible" agriculture.
The results: hand-made products with lemons of Menton, in limited quantity, with elegant flavors, a moderate sugar level and several original recipes, which will certainly surprise you! With no chemical additives, preservatives, added aromas, coloring, etc...
A THOROUGH ARTISANAL PROCESS
All lemons used in our manufacturing process come from our property. All stages are made by hand, from the harvesting to the fruit preparation and bottling or poting. We only use traditional ustensils.
Our recipes mix creativity and elegance. To respect the unique taste of the Menton lemon, our jams are prepared in batches of maximum 2 kilos of pulp, with 55g of fruits for 100g, and very short cooking time, while our limoncello (lemon liquor) has limited sugar, and is slightly more intense in alcohol (33% vol.) and flavor than usual limoncellos.
Finally, for our original recipes, we select natural spices and herbs such as vanilla from Madagascar, safran from Iran, Sichuan pepper and jasmine tea from China, and banish any additives (colouring, pectin, preservatives, acidifier, added aromas…).
Lemontrees of Menton at Villa Baïna
Lemons of Menton at Villa Baïna
Lemon flowers buds
Lemon flower buds
Lemons of Menton at Villa Baïna
Limoncello made by Villa Baïna
Limoncello made by Villa Baïna
Lemon jams made by Villa Baïna
Lemons of Menton at Villa Baïna
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Agriculture: our property is managed with responsible agricultural practices, we only use organic products, and in limited quantity.
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Harvesting: hand-made, we start in December and finish in May, in order to pick each lemon at its full maturity. They are then hand-washed before processing.
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Lemon zesting: we are very keen on doing it without taking the white part of the skin, which would give a bitter taste and force us to add sugar. The zests are then macerated in pure alcohol for a duration and in proportions that are kept confidential! ;).
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Removing the albedo (white part): it counts for 20 to 30% of the total weight, that we throw away, to only keep the pulp.
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Pulp preparation: hand cutting and pips removal with a knife
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Jam cooking: in copper jam bowls of maximum 2 kg, here again, with some personal tricks to preserve the lemon flavor.
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Limoncello bottling: several weeks later, we filter the alcohol and mix it with a home-made syrup.
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Varieties: for our non-nature products, we use various methods to extract in the best way the aromas of our added herbs and spices (cinnamon, thyme from the garden, vanilla of Madagascar, Chinese basil, saffron, etc.).
PRODUCTION STEPS
 Lemons from our gardenJust harvested and washed |
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 ZestsOnly the yellow part, not the white one |
 Zests macerationIn glass containers with pure alcohol |
 Limoncello of lemons of MentonOur classic receipee |
 Lemons of Menton without zestsAfter the zests are peeled, we use the lemons for the jams. |
 Bitter white part of the skinThis white part of the skin represents 20% to 30% of the fruit, and is hand-peeled and thrown away |
 Lemons without skinLemons ready to be cut for our jam preparations |
 Cut and pips removed lemon pieces2 kgs maximum of pulp per bowl |
 Pulp cookingIn copper bowl |
 Short cookingAt this stage, sugar has been added. The jam is ready to be put in pots. |
 Our jams : several varietiesLemons jams from Villa Baïna |