Harvest to Table

Fruits are ripening by mid-summer. Keep fruit trees and vines thoroughly watered; avoid letting plants dry out, especially newly planted fruits and fruits growing in containers. Scavenging birds and insects will be looking for an opening as fruits ripen. Use bird netting or reflective tape to scare birds away; spray away insects with a strong [...]

Most soft fruits–strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and currants–are bearing or nearing maturity by early summer. Tree fruits–apples, pears, plums, peaches and nectarines–in early summer are developing fruit. Attention should be given to thinning, pruning, and watering. Here is a fruit-by-fruit growing guide for early summer: Support fruit trees. Support heavily laden branches with stout stakes [...]

Pears will grow almost everywhere apples grow and are nearly as cold tolerant. A standard pear tree requires about the same space as an apple tree and can be pruned to about 20 feet tall. Semi-dwarf pear trees grow to about 12 feet tall. There are two types of pears: European pears–with their classic pear [...]

Before you buy and plant an apple tree consider the following: ■ Space to grow and form of tree. How much space do you have? This will determine the form of the tree you choose. ■ Size of tree and type of rootstock. What size tree will fit the space? The ultimate size of an [...]

Bare-root fruit trees and vines can be planted at any time during their dormant season between leaf-fall and bud-burst–late fall to early spring–as long as the soil conditions are right and the ground is not too wet or frozen. Frosty weather and freezes need not stop fruit planting as long as the soil surface is [...]

Kumquats have a sweet rind and a zesty tart flesh. You can eat them raw out of hand like a grape or slice them and toss them in a salad. Kumquats look like small oranges. They are seldom larger than 1¼ inches (3 cm) across, about the size of a quail’s egg. The rind is [...]

Sour oranges are also called bitter oranges. These are oranges that are not sweet tasting. The best known sour oranges are Seville, Bouquet de Fleurs (also called Bouquet), Chinotto, and Bergamot. Sour oranges are harvested beginning in late fall and the harvest continues through spring depending upon the region and climate. Sour oranges have both [...]

The blood orange is a type of sweet orange that has a red blush skin and a streaked to full scarlet, crimson, or purple flesh. It is juicy and has a sweet-tart taste that is rich, flavorful and often hints of berry. Blood oranges are sometimes called the connoisseur’s or gourmet’s citrus. That is because [...]

The navel orange is a type of sweet orange that is large, seedless and has a rich, juicy flavor that is delicious for eating out of hand. There are several varieties of navel oranges. They all have thick, rough, bright orange skins that are easy to peel. The segments of the navel orange are easy [...]

There are three types of oranges: sweet oranges, bitter oranges, and mandarins. Sweet oranges are mostly commonly used for eating fresh and for juice. Bitter or sour oranges are used for making marmalade and orange-flavored liqueurs, and mandarins–which are also called tangerines and are not really oranges but a separate citrus—are used for eating fresh. [...]