When Summer Gives You Lemons, Make A Baltimore Lemon Stick

SOUTHERN MARYLAND, Md. — We may not be in Baltimore, but summer is a good time to try one of the city’s sweetest — and sourest — traditions.

The Baltimore lemon stick is made by pressing a soft peppermint stick into a fresh lemon and sipping the juice through the candy. It may sound like an unusual combination, but the treat has been served at Baltimore’s Flower Mart for generations.

With only two ingredients and a little rolling to get the juices flowing, it is an easy Maryland tradition to learn about — and even easier to try at home.

A Tradition Born On The Streets Of Baltimore

Baltimore’s famous lemon stick is more than a quirky candy-and-citrus combination — it is one of the signature treats of Flower Mart, the city’s oldest free public festival. Founded in 1911 by the Women’s Civic League, the spring celebration fills Mount Vernon with flowers, vendors and visitors gathering around the Washington Monument. Over the years, the sweet-and-sour lemon stick became one of the festival traditions people look forward to most.

The exact origin of the treat remains uncertain, but records place lemon sticks at the festival as early as 1911, the year the first Flower Mart was held in Mount Vernon Place.

There are several theories about how lemon sticks reached Baltimore. Some accounts trace similar treats to France or England, while another theory suggests someone encountered the combination in New Orleans and brought the idea home. None of those stories has been definitively proven, leaving the lemon stick’s earliest history almost as unusual as the treat itself.

Whatever its true origin, Maryland ran with it. Over the years, the unlikely combination became one of the Flower Mart’s signature attractions. Flower Mart organizers now sell upward of 2,000 lemon sticks a year, and finding the right peppermint stick has become something of a science. Candy canes, it turns out, are not the ideal delivery method — they are too hard and too solid to work as a straw.

The treat remains one of Flower Mart’s biggest attractions. The Mount Vernon Place Conservancy sold 7,200 lemon sticks during the 2025 festival. Organizers prepared 8,000 for the festival’s 115th anniversary in 2026 — and sold out of every one.

Do Not Grab An Ordinary Candy Cane

The candy may look like a straightened Christmas candy cane, but the type of peppermint stick matters.

A traditional hard candy cane is usually too solid to absorb and mix with the lemon juice properly. The Baltimore treat calls for a softer, more porous peppermint stick that begins to dissolve as it sits inside the fruit.

For the closest match to the classic treat, use one King Leo Soft Peppermint Stick per lemon. King Leo has made peppermint candy since 1901, and its soft red-and-white sticks have become a go-to choice for Baltimore lemon sticks because their porous texture allows the lemon juice to flow through the candy.

How To Build A Baltimore Lemon Stick

Before cutting the lemon, place it on the counter and roll it firmly beneath the palm of your hand for about 15 to 20 seconds.

Rolling softens the fruit and helps break open some of the juice-filled inside, making it easier to release the juice once the peppermint stick is inserted.

---