All posts in Grove Update

Looking down a row of our 25 year-old grapefruit you can see how we keep the trees pruned and the ground clean under the trees with grassed centers. This is part of our cultural care program. The trees are kept at a manageable size which aids in the harvesting and movement of equipment up and down the rows and reducing mechanical injuries to the fruit and trees. The ground under the trees is kept clean and the grass middles mowed. This aids in air circulation and helps prevent the harboring of insects. You can see copper residue on the fruit…

The nice straight tree row is accomplished by hedging the trees each year. The hedging is done by a large ?hedging? machine with special high speed circular saw blades mounted vertically on booms cutting both sides as it travels down the tree rows. This maintains a manageable height and width between trees which aids in harvesting and production while reducing mechanical damage to the fruit and trees as equipment travels up and down the rows. By stepping back you can see how many pieces are on this 30-year-old Navel tree and how consistent the sizes are. This is a strong…

The classic navel on the bottom of a navel orange is actually a secondary fruit formed within the navel orange itself. Testing the navels with a refractometer to check the Brix/sugar in the fruit. We do this in the field to verify it meets our quality standards before packing.   Our late season navels are harvested from our older trees. These mature trees have a big canopy and large root system that allows them to draw up and store large volumes of water and nutrients. This aids in the fruit being able to hang on the tree till late in…

Picking one of our spring tangelos to test the sugar and acid levels. In this late maturing tangelo it?s important that we monitor the acid so we can harvest at the peak of maturity. This is when we reach the ideal sugar to acid ratio making for a delicious sweet and slightly tangy tangelo. Our spring tangelos are our latest maturing tangelo. The cool winter nights slow down the reduction in the citrus acid allowing the fruit to stay on the tree longer while continuing to build sugars. A crop of delicious, bright orange, easy peeling spring tangelos.

After testing hundreds of individual fruit, and spending dawn to dusk in the grove caring for trees, the harvest of our delectable Cara Cara oranges is finally here. In this tree, the beautiful fruit of our labor are displayed in astounding numbers. Deep in the grove, early morning light casts a glow upon our perfectly ripe Cara Cara oranges. These seedless treasures are ready for us to pick by hand, and carefully ship to you in refrigerated trucks. The Cara Cara oranges you receive from us will have been on the tree just days before arriving on your table. The…

It?s time for the annual Temple Orange harvest. These medium-sized oranges are a super-sweet hybrid of tangerine and orange. They are easy to peel, have few seeds, and are the perfect flavor and juiciness to enjoy out of hand. Abundant ripe Temple Oranges hang low on our trees in the grove. This Florida favorite is only available in February, and we pick each one by hand to protect their thin, easy-peeling skin. Temple Oranges have bright orange flesh and few seeds. They are perfectly juicy without being overly wet, so you can enjoy them by peeling and eating them anywhere.…

A thin skin makes Honeybells easy to peel, but also makes them far more delicate in the field. We cradle each individual Honeybell by hand and pick them by clipping the stem. This method is slower, but we do it to ensure that your Honeybells always arrive in perfect condition. Honeybells are a cross between the richly flavored Dancy Tangerine, and the honey-sweet Duncan Grapefruit. The result is a 3-inch delight that is bell-shaped, easy to peel, has very few seeds, and a treasured taste. These bright orange, ripe Honeybells in our groves have a very short season. They are…

Citrus groves are unique in the world of farming in that they provide many areas of tree canopy not only from the citrus trees themselves, but from trees used as windbreaks. Here an egret uses a tree line as cover to take flight in an open area. A statuesque red shouldered hawk keeps a watchful eye over the grove. Birds of prey are one of nature?s most symbiotic forms of pest control, and spotting one is always a treat. Testing and monitoring fruit for quality begins as soon as the fruit sets. Here we inspect a navel on its way…

In the grove an irrigation pipe provides the perfect perch for a tri-colored heron on the hunt for an early morning meal. Clear blue skies frame the deep green foliage and abundant fruit of the new navel orange crop. Warm sunny days and good rainfall are helping these fruit to mature right on schedule. As we measure the progress of navels in the grove, we find that they are already achieving healthy sizes for this time of year. They will soon turn orange and ripen fully. Although the fruit is still green on the outside, a look within reveals the…