Monday, January 13, 2014

The oranges are ripe!

In Southern California, if you have a garden of virtually any size, you will at some point acquire a citrus tree - it's a botanical rite of passage.  Even in my former tiny, shady garden, I tried growing a lemon tree in a large pot.  It didn't thrive and I ultimately gave up on it.  However, when we moved to our current house 3 years ago, we inherited 4 mature citrus trees, a major boon!  There's a row of citrus at the back of our vegetable garden and a lemon tree at the bottom of our slope.

Our citrus alley along the back of the vegetable garden - the Mandarin orange is on the left, the Washington navel in the middle, and tree on the right is a lime



Our oranges are 100 times sweeter than those we buy from the market.  Each year since we moved here, we've eagerly awaited the moment when the oranges ripen.  Well, that day is here!  The Washington navel oranges are now ripe enough to pick.  Unlike the Mandarin oranges, the Washington navels hide behind the tree's foliage.

The fruit is hardly visible behind the foliage

Last year, after the fruit was harvested, I climbed into the thicket and cut out the dead wood - it looks as though I'll be doing that again this year



I went out early this morning and picked oranges for my husband and I and lemons for my friend LD2, who consumes them in mass quantities.  I need to find someone who loves limes as they tend to go to waste, littering the ground below the tree.







We'll enjoy the oranges for several weeks and, when they're gone, the Mandarin oranges should be good enough to pick!





Life is good.

12 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Too bad I didn't know that before last weekend's trip to the Valley, Eric. Remind me and I'll bring you some the next time I'm out that way.

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  2. Wow, to have oranges growing and ready for picking in your own yard! Life is good indeed :)

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    Replies
    1. Indeed it it! I love it when the oranges are ripe.

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  3. I admire your citrus garden very much! Yummy! Too cold for those here, unless I had a heated greenhouse.

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    Replies
    1. They do need warmth - and lots of sun - but that's something southern California has in great supply.

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  4. Wonderful! If I lived near you, I would definitely take the limes off your hands.

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    Replies
    1. Last year, I had such an oversupply of lemons, I left bags of them on the curbside with an invitation to neighbors to take what they wanted. Maybe I need to do the same thing with the limes this year...

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  5. So jealous but also so happy you appreciate your good fortune. I've never tasted a grapefruit as good as the ones I picked and ate in my brothers backyard in Phoenix.

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    Replies
    1. They really do taste better - not that I'm prejudiced or anything.

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  6. I'm so glad you're fighting the scourge of scurvy! I squeeze lime over anything--I'm so jealous of your bounty.

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