Monthly Tip

By now, you may still have a lot of navel oranges on the trees. Valencia oranges are harvested through summer. For the rest, rather than leave it to rot or be eaten by rats, pick what is left soon. Even the ones that don’t fall will not stay good forever. The skin may start to ripple as the fruit inside starts to dry and suffer in quality.  You can store them in the refrigerator for several weeks, but keep an eye out for mold. You can freeze orange sections for later use in orange juice or smoothies, or you can make marmalade or other orange recipes if you have already eaten enough fresh oranges. Picking the remainder allows the tree to put more energy into the current blossoms which will become next year’s fruit. 

 

More information: Storing and Preserving Oranges