Hale’s Indian River Groves in October
(con’t…)
The summer breezes from the Gulf Stream, just off the coast, help temper Florida’s heat throughout the protected Indian River growing region, on Florida’s southeast coast. The breezes cool the fruit, but the swaying of the tree sometimes cause minor external blemishes (wind scarring) from the fruit rubbing up against other fruit and branches. Ronnie tells us that fortunately it hasn’t been an extremely windy season, meaning the citrus this season has a very clean appearance. The photo in this newsletter of Hale’s Navels was taken recently on an 88 degree fall day; that’s a good warm temperature needed for the fruit to fully mature.
Ronnie cut into a piece during this inspection, and finds the Navel taking on the orange color and noting that it’s quite juicy (he carries paper towels in his truck!); the sugar level is just not there yet. He’s estimating a bountiful harvest, and observing a good run of sizes (grove talk) for all of our various gifts. The harvest size and fruit sizes are important because, despite the amount of fruit in the grove, only a small fraction will actually clear Hale’s exclusive grading process, much higher than the highest legally required USDA grade, which is what all other citrus is judged by.
By next month, some of the fruit will start to be fully sized, the green gives way to orange, the skin thins and the sugar content increases. You would think that as the size increases and the sweetness increases, it’s easy to tell when the fruit is ready, right? Not so fast. As the size increases, the ratio of juice increases to the amount of sugar; it’s key that as fruit increases in size, that the sugar content increase at lease proportionately- if not, well, have you ever had watery fruit that wasn’t all that sweet? Now you know why. It’s critical that citrus, more so than some other fruit, be harvested at the peak of perfection. Don’t tell Ronnie, but the real decision as to when we decide to pick and ship the fruit happens in a lab, where we scientifically test sample fruit from each grove for sugar levels. The upside to this obsessive attention to detail and patience? Citrus doesn’t continue to ripen once picked, and when stored in the proper environment, can last up to two months!
Of course, even though it would be A LOT easier to pick and store the fruit in some refrigerated warehouse and simply wait for an order, we absolutely refuse to do that. We are not a grocery store, nor will we ever be confused with one. We made a commitment to not only offer the best tasting gifts nature could provide, but also the freshest. Besides, the fresher we pick it, the longer YOU can enjoy it…it is, after all, all about you.
So, where IS your fruit when you place each and every order with Hale Groves?
Here’s a hint: it’s green, bees are buzzing around it, it smells like orange blossoms and it sways in a sub-tropical breeze. It’s in our own fresh warehouse: the grove. We always appreciate you ordering a few more days ahead of time than you would from other companies, so that we have time to freshly pick your gift from the groves. As people, nature doesn’t always cooperate with our sense of timing, but if you are patient, you can get the freshest and best tasting fruit, as nature intended. And that truly is a gift.
Thank you for allowing us to do what we do, right here in the USA, since 1947.
Taste the Sunshine with Hale Groves
At Hale Groves, we believe the best gifts come from the land, not a factory. For generations, our fruit has been grown slowly under the Florida sun, picked at its peak, and delivered fresh to your door. From sweet Navel Oranges to rare Honeybells, every gift shares the simple joy of real flavor—perfect for holidays, milestones, or everyday moments worth celebrating.
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