From the Grove: What’s Growing Behind-the-Scenes at Uncle Matt’s
Growing citrus is a family affair for the Uncle Matt’s Organic team. Benny McLean, Uncle Matt’s dad and Head of Production, and Ben McLean III, Uncle Matt’s brother and Head of Research and Development are our insiders into the happenings in our local groves. This year, we’re working closely with Benny and Ben to offer a “behind the squeeze” look at what goes on in our groves every month, how we care for our beloved citrus, the progress we’re making with battling Citrus Greening disease and much more!
For those not familiar with citrus agriculture, January marks a new beginning and fresh start. For Ben and Benny, however, January is considered the end of early orange season as the hamlins, navels and tangelos are harvested, juiced and blended into the organic orange juice we find on our grocery store shelves. In this way, January is the culmination of the prior year’s agricultural efforts and a time to reflect on how the growing season fared.
Given the many curveballs thrown at the citrus industry in 2022, including an unseasonably dry, warm spring and summer for Florida, two strong hurricanes in the fall and some frigid cold snaps around the holidays, Ben was very pleased with our citrus production despite Mother Nature. While the total quantity of fruit wasn’t as high due to these weather events and the ongoing Citrus Greening epidemic, the internal quality of the fruit and juice exceeded our expectations.
One measurement of this success is something we call “brix.” Brix is the measure of internal sugar solids in the fruit – it’s what makes orange juice taste sweet! Our early season orange harvest raked in an average brix score in the 11 to 12 range, while the industry average for brix this time of year consistently ranks well below. We’re happy to report that we continue to produce high quality, naturally sweet organic oranges that make their way into Uncle Matt’s Organic juice blend – with no added sugar!
A little-known secret about the Uncle Matt’s juicing process is the effort we go through to be waste conscious. Once the oranges are juiced, we don’t just toss the peels in the trash. The peels are saved, dried out and then ground into a fine citrus peel powder. This process all occurred in January! We utilize a small portion of the powder in the groves as we are conducting an ongoing study in using this powder as a natural organic seed treatment and soil microbial stimulant on our cover crops to increase nitrogen content and carbon capture in the soil – two necessary elements to grow healthy trees. What’s more, this peel ‘powder’ can also be used in a number of ways and utilized for more sustainability. From spices to beer flavorings, citrus peel powder is a valuable ingredient within the larger food supply chain. So, the next time you indulge in a citrus-style beer, check the label for orange peel powder. It could be originally sourced from an Uncle Matt’s Organic grove – and if not, at least you know how the peel powder is made!
While January is considered the end of the prior year’s early orange citrus crop, that doesn’t mean all the work to help the grove flourish ends. We are still actively and vehemently combating Citrus Greening disease through our biological control program. Every week, Benny releases tamarixia wasps as a natural, organic deterrent to the Asian Citrus Psyllid, the culprit behind the spread of Greening. These releases help to control the psyllids in the grove while not impacting some of the beneficial insects and pollinators found naturally in our groves. In a conventional grove, it would be common practice to spray a pesticide to control the psyllid population, but doing so would have a profound and negative impact on honeybees, spiders, flies and other desirable insects we want in our groves. In an organic grove, we opt for the tamarixia wasp as a means of maintaining healthy biodiversity. Read more about our ongoing organic practices to combat Citrus Greening here.
January also turned out to be the perfect time for grove tours with the harvesting and juicing taking place. Plus, the weather was nice! Benny hosted several groups of special needs adults and children from Special Hearts Farms in Winter Garden, FL at our groves. He shared with them the history of citrus in Florida, the Uncle Matt’s family citrus story and what it means to be an organic grower. The best part of the tour is the hands-on experience! The tour groups get to pick their own oranges and see a live demonstration of how to properly peel and slice their fresh picks.
It may be a new year, but we’re only getting started! Our team is committed to organic best practices, improving the overall health of trees suffering from Greening and our long-term goal of increasing the nutrient density of Uncle Matt’s Organic Orange Juice. Stay tuned in the coming months for updates on what we’re doing when “From the Grove” returns next month!