Citrus
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Tangors For Backyard Gardens
Tangors are sour-sweet and full-flavored citrus. They are hybrids between mandarins and sweet oranges. Tangors are sometimes mislabeled as oranges. Tangors have bright orange rinds and pulps. Though their rinds are thick, tangors are easy to peel. The name “tangor” is a formation from the “tang” of tangerine (a name often applied to deep orange-colored […] More
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Kumquats for Backyard Gardens
Kumquats can be eaten fresh out of hand whole—rind and all. The skin of the kumquat is sweeter than the flesh. Roll a kumquat between your fingers to mingle the sweet skin and tart flesh, then eat the whole fruit or slice it and add it to fruit salads. Kumquats can be used to make […] More
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Grapefruits for Backyard Gardens
Tangy grapefruit can be eaten raw—by the half or peeled and sectioned, it can be added to green and fruit salads and compotes, and it can be juiced. Grapefruits require heat to develop their sweet-tart flavor. A grapefruit that feels heavy for its size is ripe and ready to eat or juice. Grapefruits are best […] More
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Limes for Backyard Gardens
Limes are too tart to eat on their own, but like lemons, they add a refreshing tang to both sweet and savory dishes. Limes are grown mostly in Florida, California, along the Gulf Coast, and in Mexico. Limes are the least cold-tolerant of citrus fruits. They are best grown where summers are hot and winter […] More
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Lemons for Backyard Gardens
Lemons are too tart to eat on their own, but they are probably used more than any other fruit. Lemons are the defining flavor in many desserts, and they add zest to just about all savory dishes. Lemons grow where other citrus trees won’t. They have a lower heat requirement than sweet oranges and grapefruits. […] More
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Oranges for Backyard Gardens
Oranges can be divided into three basic groups—sweet oranges, blood oranges, and sour oranges. Sweet oranges can be divided into two subgroups—navel oranges and common oranges. Navel oranges and common oranges are the most commonly grown oranges both in home gardens and commercially. Navel oranges are mostly peeled and eaten fresh out of hand. Common […] More
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How to Plant, Grow, Prune, and Harvest Citrus
Citrus—oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, and kumquats—thrive outdoors where summers are warm and winters are mild. But citrus is not only for warm climates. Citrus fruits can be grown in cool regions in pots or planters that can sit outdoors in warm weather and be moved indoors in cool weather. Citrus fruits take months to ripen—six […] More
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Citrus Tree Pruning
Citrus trees are largely self-shaping, requiring little pruning. Occasional pruning to shape leggy branches or to give a citrus tree the desired shape can be done any time of the year except winter. Pinch back tips of new growth to help round out citrus trees. Cut back erratic new growth or trunk suckers not wanted above […] More
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Common Oranges: Valencia and Trovita
Common oranges are sweet oranges that are not navel oranges or blood oranges. Common oranges are juicier than navel oranges, but they also have more seeds and are more difficult to peel. Because the juice of common oranges is sweet and does not have a bitter aftertaste or turn bitter when stored—like some other sweet […] More
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in Citrus Fruits, Prepare
Clementines: Kitchen Basics
The clementine is a small mandarin orange that packs a rich juicy sweet-tangy taste. The clementine has a thin, smooth, bright red-orange skin that is very easy to peel and delicate, red-orange flesh that is virtually seedless. Here’s something to keep in mind about the clementine: the smaller the fruit the more intense the flavor. […] More
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in Citrus Fruits, Fruits
Satsuma Mandarin Orange
The first or earliest harvested mandarin orange is the Satsuma mandarin. Satsuma is a small bright orange mandarin with a delicate, sweet flavor. It is seedless and contains less acid than most other mandarins. If you have ever bought a can of imported mandarin oranges, you have probably tasted the Satsuma. At the farm market, […] More
Stephen Albert
