National Lemon Month – June 1, 2026

Expected National Lemon Month Deals

As National Lemon Month unfolds throughout June, expect a burst of tangy promotions from various brands. History shows grocery stores like Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s often feature discounts on fresh lemons and lemon-infused products. Beverage companies such as Simply Lemonade and Minute Maid typically roll out special offers on their lemonades and lemon-flavored drinks. Bakeries like Panera Bread might introduce seasonal lemon desserts, while restaurants like The Cheesecake Factory could highlight lemon-themed menu items. Even kitchenware brands like OXO may offer sales on citrus juicers and zesters. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as June approaches.

History of National Lemon Month

The history of lemons is rather interesting as no one knows for sure where the berry came from, although many historians and scientists suggest north-western India, where they have been cultivated for more than 2,500 years. Arab traders brought the lemons to the Middle East and Africa sometime after 100 A.D. They were introduced into southern Italy around 200 A.D., and later, cultivated in Egypt. After 1150, the crusaders returning from Palestine brought them to the rest of Europe.

However, lemons were not cultivated as food all that time. They were purely ornamental until around the 10th century. The full culinary use of lemon came into effect in Europe in the 1400s. Lemons arrived in the New World in 1493, when Christopher Colombus brought lemon seeds to Hispaniola. The Spanish conquest spread them throughout the New World for ornamental, culinary, and medicinal use.

Lemons were grown in pre-modern California by 1751 and in Florida in the 1800s, for cooking and more sophisticated flavoring. In the U.S., different varieties of lemon are used for diverse purposes including the production of lemon oil, juice, and food. Lemons are also crucial in protecting us from scurvy, a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C in the body. In fact, during the California Gold Rush when the miners’ diets were poor, food was scarce, and scurvy was on the rise, more lemon trees were planted in California to prevent the disease. Lemon Month celebrates the lemon harvest period in the U.S.