From the Grove: Citrus Farmer Secrets
Before your bottle of orange juice makes its way into your fridge, there’s a dedicated team of growers doing what they do best – working in harmony with Mother Nature to grow the most delicious and nutritious citrus… organically!
Did you know… our farmers are family! Uncle Matt’s own dad and brother are some of farmers behind our fruitful harvest. Here are some little known farmer secrets straight from those in-the-know!
- Morning citrus bliss. Ben and Benny agree the serenity of sunrise in the groves is the best way to begin the day. Benny walks 2 miles, a lot of times barefoot, through the groves every morning to ground himself and for a quick assessment of the trees’ overall health. Ben likes to listen to classical music and scout out wildlife found in those early morning hours.
- A positive mindset. According to Benny’s dad, who was also a citrus farmer, the trees can read your feelings. His dad used to say, “If you’ve got a bad attitude, don’t ride through my groves.” We still believe a positive outlook plays into the success of each year’s harvest.
- Bug checks. It’s not as icky as it sounds. There are friendly and not-so-friendly bugs to citrus trees. Our farmers are known to pull out magnifying glasses to check for the bad guys like rust and spider mites, and for the good guys like lady beetles, crab spiders and honeybees.
- Taste tests. As we get closer to picking time, Ben and Benny will taste oranges daily from different parts of the groves to measure the brix, or sweetness, of the oranges before they start picking.
- Sugar sampling. Aside from just tasting, there’s a special tool that shows when the citrus is prime for picking. The refractometer measures the brix of an orange by squeezing fresh juice onto the glass of what looks like a tiny telescope.
- Not just tractor drivers. While you may find Ben and Benny on tractors in the groves, they’re doing much more than that! From soil sampling to organic trials to equipment maintenance, our farmers spend a lot more time researching and analyzing than you may think!
- A-peel-ing smoothies. The ultimate zero-waste citrus farmer hack! After eating the inside of the fruit, Ben and Benny will bake fresh orange peels to dry them out, grind them into a powder and add them to a delicious fruit smoothie. Orange peels are packed with health-supporting nutrition like beneficial flavonoids, pectin and fiber!
Tags: From the Grove
