Looking for citrus Picking Tips in 2024? Scroll down this page and follow the links. And if you bring home some fruit or vegetables and want to can, freeze, make jam, salsa or pickles, see this page for simple, reliable, illustrated canning, freezing or preserving directions. There are plenty of other related resources, click on the resources dropdown above. If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days.
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Notes for October 2024: Summer is almost over and that means apples are here (see this new page for Apple Orchards in your area!), and except in northern areas, peaches and blueberries are finished. Some crops continue until frost, like raspberries, blackberries, figs, corn and tomatoes. Check your area's specific crop calendar (see this page) and call your local farms for seasonal updates.
See these pages to find a local Apple festival, and other festivals. We have a guide to apple varieties and a guide to peach varieties. Also recipes, canning and freezing directions for apples, tomatoes, corn blueberries, peaches, etc.
Don't forget about corn mazes and hayrides!
See our comprehensive list of easy home canning, jam and jelly making, preserving, drying and freezing directions. You can access recipes and other resources from the drop down menus at the top of the page or the site search. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to write me! It is easy to make your own ice cream, even gelato, or low fat or low sugar ice cream - see this page. Also note, there are many copycat website listing U-pick farms now. They have all copied their information from here and usually do not ever update. Since 2002, I've been updating the information every day but Christmas; so if you see anything wrong or outdated, please write me!
Children's Consignment Sales occur in both the Spring and Fall See our companion website to find a local community or church kid's consignment sale!
Citrus fruit, like oranges, grapefruit, lemons, satsumas, mandarins and tangerines are easy to pick and use, if you are lucky enough to live in the semi-tropical climates where they grow.
In the US, that means southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, southern Texas, Florida and sometimes in southern Louisiana and Mississippi. Citrus are fat-free, low sodium, and cholesterol-free.
Most modern orange, grapefruit, mandarin or tangerine orchards have dwarf trees that are very close to the ground - my 3 year old finds it easy to pick citrus! (photo above and below)
The color can be anything from dark green, to yellow, pink, orange, bright red, dark red or even a combination. It all depends on the variety. And color is not really how you tell when a citrus fruit is ripe. The key will be to ask the farmer which are ripe.
Look for firm, bruise-free skin
Look for a heavy, solid feel to the fruit. heavier and more solid means juicier!
The dimples should have small, fine dimples on the peels
Watch out for soft, tender spots or wrinkled, folds in the rind.
The smell of the the fruit should be a strong, sweet citrusy smell.
The farmer/orchardist will also know what characteristics to look for in the particular varieties that he is growing.
Citrus ripen from the outside of the tree towards the center, so the citrus out the outside of the tree will ripen first. Once they are picked, they stop ripening. Picking citrus directly from a tree is easy.. abut uniform orange color is not necessarily an indicator of a delicious, juicy orange. Notice the photo at right.
The best way to know if a citrus fruit is ripe is the smell and taste. Try one and you will know what to look for in appearance and smell with the others.
Keep in mind that these are typical, general dates. It can vary considerably upon weather, location, orchard and variety.
Navel oranges - November to June.
Valencia oranges - March to October.
Cara Cara oranges December to May.
Clementine oranges -October to December
Satsuma - October to January.
Pineapple sweet oranges - November to February.
In a refrigerator, citrus can last 2 or3 weeks.. Keep them in a bag that has holes for airflow, ie. they have a few holes in them . The airflow is important to prevent buildup of moisture or condensation which causes mold growth.
At room temperature, Citrus will keep for about a week.
The weight of the citrus fruit, and the number of fruit per bushel varies depending on the size of the fruit , their moisture content and variety. But, in general:
1 bushel = 48-72 oranges or 32-48 grapefruit.
3/4 bushel = 36-54 oranges or 24-36 grapefruit
1/2 bushel = 24-36 oranges or 16-24 grapefruit
Water bath canner with a jar rack
Pressure canners for gas, electric and induction stoves: Presto 23Qt or T-fal 22Qt
Canning scoop (this one is PERFECT)
Ball Blue book (most recent version)
Jars: 8oz canning jars for jams
Farm markets and roadside stands
Road trips and camping resources
Local Honey, apiaries, beekeepers
Consumer fraud and scams information
Home canning supplies at the best prices on the internet!
Maple Syrup Farms, sugarworks, maple syrup festivals
Environmental information and resources
Farms For Your Event for birthday parties, weddings, receptions, business meetings, retreats, etc.
Festivals - local fruit and vegetable festivals
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With this Presto 23 quart pressure canner and pressure cooker, you can "can" everything, fruits, vegetables, jams, jellies, salsa, applesauce, pickles, even meats, soups, stews. Model 01781
You can make jams, jellies, can fruit, applesauce, salsa and pickles with water bath canners, like this Granite Ware 12-Piece Canner Kit, Jar Rack, Blancher, Colander and 5 piece Canning Tool Set