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YARD AND GARDEN

Totally off the wall topic — citrus fruit.

Sure, it's gardening-related and citrus is a year-round business with fruit available from January through December. Most of us don't think often about growing orange and lemon trees in the middle of the back 40. And for good reason — the trees would freeze out every year. You might as well just send me the money.

David Robson

Maybe it's the connotation that citrus only grows where it's warm (Florida, Texas, Arizona) that makes it the perfect winter fruit while the snow is flying, the temperatures are hovering in the minus category and the woodpile keeps shrinking.

On the other hand, many varieties of citrus trees will grow indoors, and, occasionally, if you have enough ceiling room (re. 12 feet), you might get some edible quality fruit to impress your friends with, if they can make it through the snow to your house.

Like apples, many of the citrus fruits can be kept in cold storage and sold throughout the year. Winter and early spring are the main harvesting seasons for Florida, Texas and southwestern U.S. fruits.

Short of having the fruit flown to you directly by well-meaning relatives, the grocery store may be your best bet.

Variety is a key word for the citrus family. There seem to be as many types as there are apples, though technically, probably not.

Some oranges, like the Navel orange, have a thicker, more pebbled skin than the Valencia. The skin also separates easier as do the segments, making the orange ideal for eating. Navels are generally seedless, though an occasional fruit seems to miss that message as it develops.

Valencias, on the other hand, are suited mainly for juice and slicing into salads. Tangerines tend to have a sweeter flavor than most oranges, and a thinner, more orange skin. However, they tend to have a zillion seeds per section, which makes it a little more difficult to eat.

The principal difference between the grapefruits is the color of the flesh. White is most common, but the pink or ruby red grapefruit flesh is becoming increasingly popular.

Lemons and limes are essentially lemons and limes. There are different cultivars, but we don't see them on the market. Size is the biggest difference, but may not be that crucial.

The biggest difference people run into is skin thickness. Most people hate thick skins, except on other people. On citrus it's a sign that you're throwing a good portion of the fruit away, though I would like to remind you that orange rinds really freshen up a garbage disposal. And candied citrus peel is a delicacy and easy to make on a winter day.

Telling skin thickness is difficult. You can weigh the fruit in your hand and judge the weight compared to the size. Skin weighs less than the fleshy sections. The lighter the large orange feels, the thicker the skin. All citrus should feel heavy.

Another key is pore size. Look on the citrus skin and observe the spacing between the pores. Are they big and large like a whiffle or golf ball? If so, the skin could be thick.

If, on the other hand, the pores are like pinpricks and everywhere, you're probably feeling a thin-skinned fruit.

Most citrus skins have been artificially colored to be the vivid oranges, yellows and greens. Fruit is picked and shoved into coolers with high carbon dioxide contents. The result is a brightly colored fruit.

Don't despair if some lemons and oranges are green. They may actually be at a proper stage and not overripe, Russeting or brown mottling of the fruit is more of an appearance problem than a taste or quality problem.

If a grapefruit is pointed at the stem end, it's likely to have a thick skin. Rough, ridged or wrinkled skin can be an indication of thick skin, pulpiness and lack of juice.

Avoid fruit with dull colors. It could be older than the hills and pithy.

David Robson is an Extension Educator, Horticulture, at the Springfield Extension Center, University of Illinois Extension. You can write to Robson in care of Illinois Country Living, PO. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708. Telephone: (217) 782-6515.
E-Mail: robsond@mail.aces.uiuc.edu

16 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING FEBRUARY 2000