Re: Ripe oranges
In a message dated 9/15/99 11:13:47 PM EST, theryans@xtra.co.nz writes:
<< We have a cool-temperature-tolerant grapefruit (Morrison's Seedless),
and we are "destructive testing" these fruits right now. They are
already edible but still a trifle short of full-ripe. OTOH, it is
carrying a large crop, so we are not at all worried by using up a few at
this time. This kind of grapefruit is quite sweet when full-ripe and we
eat them instead of (and like) oranges when they are ready >>
I've never seen, nor even heard of that variety here in California, which
grows a large percentage of the citrus fruit (and every other kind of fruit,
nut, and vegetable, for that matter) produced in this country for eating
out-of-hand (Florida produces more citrus by volume, but it is mostly used
for juice). I would like to give it a go, if I could find a source. A house
that my sister and her family used to rent here in Stockton had an enormous
old pink grapefruit tree in the backyard, and the sweetest and most delicious
fruits were the oldest ones, and they had probably been hanging on the tree
for a couple of years or more. I have a couple of 3-year-old grapefruit
trees (really just shrubs at this point). One is "Star Ruby," which is
something of a standard pink grapefruit variety in California. The other is
"Rio Red," a variety from Texas. Both are on dwarfing rootstock, as they
would otherwise get too large for my garden. This is the first year that
both have set fruit, and they both have 3 or 4 fruits on them, so I'm going
to have to use the "destructive sampling" method with them to determine when
they are ready to eat. However, I have seven other mature citrus trees, so
we're not going to be suffering from scurvy any time soon! Despite its many
drawbacks (long, dry, insufferably hot summers, and almost equally long,
damp, cold, gloomy winters), our climate here in the Central Valley is ideal
for the home orchardist. We not only grow all of the stone fruits (peaches,
nectarines, plums, apricots) to perfection, but we are also able to grow
apples, pears, and quinces, all except the most tender of citrus trees, and
the usual assortment of subtropical fruits (figs, pomegranates, asian
persimmons, pineapple guavas, kiwis, etc.) This is also the perfect climate
for walnuts, almonds, and pistachios. Did I mention grapes? California
produces close to 100% of the fresh, seedless, grapes consumed in this
country and nearly 90% of the wine grapes. I was rather shocked recently
when I learned that the population of California is nearly twice that of
Australia, and 50% greater than that of Canada! A statistic that
Californians like to repeat is that, if our state were its own country, it
would be the 7th richest nation on earth. Few people from overseas realize
how diverse our population is. In my home town of Stockton, non-Hispanic
whites are just 51% of the population, Hispanics are 24%, Asians 18%, African
Americans are 5%, and the rest are American Indian or Pacific Islanders.
I'm always shocked when I go overseas at how homogeneous most countries are,
demographically. Also, when I return to this country from overseas, I'm
always amazed at how cheap food is here compared to any other developed
country I've ever visited. And not just in restaurants. On my way home from
picking up my daughter at school the other day, I passed a farm that had a
sign that said, "Super Sweet Corn, 10 for $1." We ended up buying 20 ears of
wonderfully sweet white corn and 3 golden-fleshed honeydew melons for $5.
That's what you might pay for a cup of coffee in Paris! I'm not sure where
I'm going with this, but, for all its problems, this is still a great place
to live.
Kurt Mize
Stockton, California
USDA Zone 9
