This site uses cookies for analytics and to improve your experience. By clicking Accept, you consent to our use of cookies. Learn more in our privacy policy.

HARDY PLANTS

Satsuma, oranges and lemons in December

A tour of the citrus orchard.
In December, many varieties begin to ripen.


It has already frozen several times, not very hard, at around -2C.
That’s enough to turn the Satsuma mandarins orange.
The zests were still green a month ago. The repeated cold destroyed the chlorophyll and colored the fruit.
Two varieties of Satsuma mandarin: Iwasaki on the left, Owari on the right.
The fruits are similar in size, but the Iwasaki becomes sweet sooner.
Navelina orange trees planted in 2023 (3 years of growth) are starting to produce a little.
Some branches are too full. So we start picking a few.
A 220-gram Navelina orange, picked while still hard to the touch.
On December 23, it is already ripe and juicy, but it can still remain on the branch and ripen further.
A younger Fragola orange tree, planted in 2024 (two years of growth in the ground).
The fruits are smaller, but the tree probably bears a few too many for its age and size.
One Fragola orange, 140 grams. If you choose the softer ones around December 15, they’ll already be quite sweet, but with a pleasant acidity.
Enzo’s pomelos have turned yellow.
This will be the first harvest of Enzo pomelos (tree planted in 2023, 3 years of growth).
But it’s far too early – we’ll have to wait until next spring to try them out.
Kumquats are very productive. With no frost below -3/-4C, they bear fruit all winter long.
The jam is excellent, you just need time to prepare it: removing the seeds is a very long and painstaking job.
The Meyer lemons have grown in size, some weighing 200 grams, and are slowly turning from yellow to light orange.
At the end of December, there are some large, ripe lemons and a number of small lemons that came out in autumn. They’ll grow and ripen in spring, if it doesn’t freeze too hard this winter.
A different lemon tree, producing for the first time this year.
It’s a Citradia, planted in 2023 (3 years of growth).
The fruits have a distinctive rind and are ripe by the end of December.
Citradia is one of the most frost-resistant lemon trees (-13C).
A kilo and a half of fruit, just enough to make our first Citradia jam.
Citradia lemons are small (100 to 120 grams), with acidic, aromatic pulp. The zest is very interesting, with its distinctive fragrance.
Citradia jam has a very intense lemon flavor. It is made with the whole fruit, removing the bitterness from the zest (see our article on Sudachi jam).
And finally a Hana Yuzu with small fruits.
In December, it is late, so harvesting takes place in November.

Share this article

Subscribe to the newsletter to stay informed

Other articles