Oranges need Sun and Rain

The orange blossom is blooming and the heady scent is heavenly. It's a strange season with them as the trees will have blossom, green fruit, ripe fruit and rotting fruit on it at the same time. It's sad how much fruit falls to the ground.

Here are some photos taken last evening and all the pictures were taken within a ten minute period ...

 

LoL. You are only trying to make us jealous aren't you? It has persisted down most of the day here.

 

John, this is our rainy season, thank goodness, and these "waves" of light and darkness come and go. What do you think fell out of those black clouds ??????

Picked a few dropped oranges today and had a nice glass of the sweetest OJ you've ever tasted ... there, does that make you jealous?

 

When my small plants are in flower the scent can be very strong, so to have that lot in flower must really be something.
Why are there rotting fruit on the trees, dont they pick them?
Is it just a case of go around once or twice a year and pick whatever is ready.

 

It's very sad, pete. Portuguese oranges are not supposedly up to EU standards ... except there is one orchard/plantation just down from us that is. So, people don't bother. They fertilise, water, maintain the trees and, as I understand, the fruit goes to market or the grocery stores. It's very sad because it's the best juice you'll ever taste.

It's not just oranges, but tangerines, etc.

They do pick them, started last week but our rains started. They are picked by hand. In the fourth photo, to the right you'll see a low white building, that's a fruit "armazem" warehouse ... that's the guy who owns the orchards to my left ... to the right is my neighbour and I really don't know what he does with his oranges, tangerines, lemons, apples, plums, loquats, etc, etc.

It's all very sad actually ... such waste.

 

Sorry, just re-read this, the armazen owner owns the orchards to my right as I am taking the photo, my neighbour owns the ones to the left. So, perhaps a bit dislexic. :eek:

 

So they go to home use and cannot be exported to other EU countries.
Is it the varieties that the EU do not recognise or the quality?
Surely they could go for juice.

Could there perhaps be some protectionism creeping in from one of your neighbour countries.

 

Hey, we posted the same time.

No, they cannot be exported and it's so sad but I'm not into politics ... just enjoy the oranges etc.

The main variety here is called Encore (a cross) but as I said they do Tangerines as well as are they ever ace. The nebulous "they" don't take our lemons either so I understand.

Spain is now taking our almonds away from us as well as they use machinery and here it's still by hand.

Got to go have an ear of corn ... be back later.

 

Having said all of the above, they came and picked the oranges around us this past week!

The latest "threat" to orange farmers is their land being invaded to erect new high tension towers in the groves. I captured this new tower being erected today in an orchard near us ...



... and yes, that is a man top right scrabling around without support :eek: ...



We can see some of these from our deck, fourth picture down. I know one produces and one carries electricity, but I still prefer the wind turbines, also seen from our deck, third picture down ...