With all this cold weather lately we can now say its officially winter. The cold temperatures have also started to colour up all the citrus especially the Oranges which are all starting to be ready to harvest. As they become ripe i will give a review below of the taste & look of each that i try.
Cipo
Cipo Oranges are a unique weeping selection of orange with sweet and juicy fruit with a slight pineapple tang that are ready from late June. Ideal for pots to show off its weeping form.
Cipo Oranges are a unique weeping selection of orange with sweet and juicy fruit with a slight pineapple tang that are ready from late June. Ideal for pots to show off its weeping form.
I tried one on the 9th June still quite tart and would say they need a few more weeks to sweeten up. Really just regular Orange flavour so far none of the promised Pineapple flavour notes that i could tell. I will try another soon & report back. Fruit size was on the small side but it is its first fruiting season.
June 29th: Good amount of sweetness now. Fairly normal Orange flavour as you would taste in supermarket Oranges. Will wait another few weeks to see if the flavour develops more.
Cara Cara
Cara Cara oranges are a early to mid-season navel orange. Initially they were a cross between two navels and a mutation then occurred on one branch of Washington navel orange tree, it was discovered in 1976 at Hacienda Cara Cara in Venezuela. Now, they're largely grown in California.
Cara Caras have the same round shape and bright orange rind as traditional navels. What really sets these oranges apart is what's on the inside. Cara Cara oranges have distinct pinkish-red and orange flesh this is due to Lycopene. It's not just their beautiful color that makes them stand out, they have a remarkable taste that goes right along with it. Compared to traditional navels, Cara Caras are sweeter, slightly tangy, and less acidic, with a hint of red fruit, like cranberry or blackberry. They are also seedless.
June 29th: Good amount of sweetness now. Fairly normal Orange flavour as you would taste in supermarket Oranges. Will wait another few weeks to see if the flavour develops more.
Cara Cara
Cara Cara oranges are a early to mid-season navel orange. Initially they were a cross between two navels and a mutation then occurred on one branch of Washington navel orange tree, it was discovered in 1976 at Hacienda Cara Cara in Venezuela. Now, they're largely grown in California.
Cara Caras have the same round shape and bright orange rind as traditional navels. What really sets these oranges apart is what's on the inside. Cara Cara oranges have distinct pinkish-red and orange flesh this is due to Lycopene. It's not just their beautiful color that makes them stand out, they have a remarkable taste that goes right along with it. Compared to traditional navels, Cara Caras are sweeter, slightly tangy, and less acidic, with a hint of red fruit, like cranberry or blackberry. They are also seedless.
I tried the one below on 13th June it has the signature dark orange, slightly pink look to the flesh that you'd expect from a Cara Cara. Taste was still a little tart & puckery these guys will also need to wait a few weeks to sweeten up.
Update: June 28th: Good amount of sweetness now & interesting berry flavours have developed.
The next picture is about a lesson i learnt in relation to young citrus trees. We've all heard the nerdy nurseryman telling us to take off all the young fruit in the first year or two. I would scoff at such talk thinking i want to try that fruit as soon as possible! This year my young Cara Cara worked really hard to produce about 6 Oranges for me. Unfortunately the fork in the central leader couldn't bear the weight of them all even though it was staked for support it split the tree in half. A sad day indeed. Now i will have to prune off that whole side & wait for new growth to balance out that side. Luckily i have another larger Cara Cara as a back up for next year. Lesson to be had was let your tree grow to a point that it is strong enough to carry the weight of its fruit. If not you must thin the fruit to a sustainable amount or support the limbs with adequate stakes. I also figure that in its first few years that it would be a better idea for the tree to focus its energy on building its root system and structure than to produce fruit.
Mandarin: Scarlett Burgess
I tried one today as the fruit are almost completely coloured a bright deep orange with only a few tinted green. The fruit i tried was beautifully sweet with good rich mandarin flavour. Only negative would be the seeds: about 3 per fruit. I ate a supermarket Mandarin to compare afterward and it was pale in comparison for its watery flavour and wasn't as crisp & fresh no surprise.
Blood Oranges: Moro & Sanguinelli
Update: June 28th: Good amount of sweetness now & interesting berry flavours have developed.
The next picture is about a lesson i learnt in relation to young citrus trees. We've all heard the nerdy nurseryman telling us to take off all the young fruit in the first year or two. I would scoff at such talk thinking i want to try that fruit as soon as possible! This year my young Cara Cara worked really hard to produce about 6 Oranges for me. Unfortunately the fork in the central leader couldn't bear the weight of them all even though it was staked for support it split the tree in half. A sad day indeed. Now i will have to prune off that whole side & wait for new growth to balance out that side. Luckily i have another larger Cara Cara as a back up for next year. Lesson to be had was let your tree grow to a point that it is strong enough to carry the weight of its fruit. If not you must thin the fruit to a sustainable amount or support the limbs with adequate stakes. I also figure that in its first few years that it would be a better idea for the tree to focus its energy on building its root system and structure than to produce fruit.
Mandarin: Scarlett Burgess
I tried one today as the fruit are almost completely coloured a bright deep orange with only a few tinted green. The fruit i tried was beautifully sweet with good rich mandarin flavour. Only negative would be the seeds: about 3 per fruit. I ate a supermarket Mandarin to compare afterward and it was pale in comparison for its watery flavour and wasn't as crisp & fresh no surprise.
Blood Oranges: Moro & Sanguinelli
As at 19th June still yellow in colour looks like maybe late July will be ready.
Tangors
Tangors
As at 19th June still light green
I enjoy your blog. I'd love to know what you think of New Zealand Lemonade tree ! Thanks from Alabama USA. Tom
ReplyDeleteThanks Tom glad you're enjoying it!
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of emabarrased to say i haven't tried the Lemonade as yet. Considering it was developed down here! I only have two Lemon trees at the moment Meyer & Eureka as i thought that covered my bases with a sweeter lemon & a classic European-style Lemon. I hear you can peel and eat them out of the hand like an Orange, so i am keen to try one.