Orchards of Gold

Orchards of Gold

Everything You Wanted to Know About Valley Citrus

Words by Dave Bazar

Everyone has a list of favorite smells. Perhaps yours includes freshly baked cookies or puppy breath. But a fragrance near the top of my own list comes from an abundant crop in our community: citrus. That beautiful scent as you peel a December Navel orange, the bright note as oils burst from the peel, or the heady perfume that fills the air in late April as citrus orchards burst into bloom—these are the fragrances that make us stop and breathe deeply. Beyond its vibrant spring scent, citrus is an economic powerhouse in Tulare County.

Consider this: California is the top producer of fresh citrus in the United States, providing over 90% of the nation’s supply. (Not Florida—they primarily produce juice.) What county in California has the largest citrus acreage? Our very own Tulare County, where over 40% of all California citrus grows. According to the office of the Tulare County Ag Commissioner, citrus gross agricultural production is valued close to $1.5 billion. We should all take pride in our community’s role in feeding the country.

Channel your pride in local citrus into knowledge‒and impress your cousin from Ohio at the Christmas dinner table.

The Start of Citrus

“Citrus” is an all-encompassing term covering a wide range of varieties: oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, mandarins, blood oranges, pink lemons, seedless lemons, tangelos, and so many more, each with distinct flavors and appearances. Unlike peaches, plums, and apples, whose flavors vary subtly, citrus offers a bolder spectrum. Originating in the foothills of the Himalayas in Asia, citrus made its way to California via the Spanish Missions. The first commercial orchards began in Los Angeles County around 1840 but moved north to the San

Joaquin Valley as urban development made it more profitable to sell houses than oranges. Another major milestone for California citrus came in the 1870s with the arrival of navel orange cuttings from Brazil. The large, sweet, seedless fruit saw instant demand. Before the navel’s arrival, oranges were grown from seeds, resulting in inconsistency, sometimes small-seeded and lacking sweetness. Today, all citrus grown is from specific varieties grafted onto special rootstocks that enhance fruit quality and provide disease and pest resistance. Navel oranges, with varieties like Atwoods, Washington, and Cara Cara, still dominate the citrus industry. Recently, however, mandarins have challenged this dominance. Most of us recognize mandarins by names like Cuties or Halos, but behind those brands lie multiple varieties, explaining the slight flavor differences you might notice throughout the season. Still, the goal is consistent: sweet, seedless, and easy-to peel fruit. And if you’ve noticed some orchards covered in nets during bloom time, that’s to prevent bee pollination, which can cause some mandarin varieties to produce seeds.

The Right Conditions

What does it take to grow citrus? Perhaps the most limiting factor is cold. Once temperatures drop below freezing, growers start to worry. The riper the fruit, the more sugar it contains, and the more resistant it becomes to damage. Some varieties are more cold-hardy, while others, like lemons, are sensitive enough to face possible tree death from hard freezes. This is one reason lemon acreage is greater in Ventura County, though Tulare is still second in the state. Interestingly, it takes cooler winter temperatures to color the fruit. In places like South America, oranges stay green even when ripe.

Most of Tulare County's citrus acreage sits on the east side to avoid freezing conditions. During cold spells, an inversion layer—a weather condition where warmer air sits above cooler air—often traps the cooler air near the ground. As cold air, being heavier, settles into the lowest areas, the east-side orchards are kept warmer. Wind machines help mix warm air from higher up with the colder air below, helping raise the average temperature around the trees and prevent frost damage.

Besides a moderate climate, good soil and water are essential for citrus. Citrus water demands fall in the low to middle range, using approximately 2.5 acre-feet of water per acre, compared to almond crops, which require closer to 4 acre-feet per acre. Tulare’s climate is ideal, with typical foggy nights keeping temperatures not too cold or hot, allowing fruit to hold longer on the tree for a more extended market period. Bloom typically begins in late April—you’ll know it by the scent—and harvest generally starts in mid-October with Satsumas, winding down around May with late navels, although Valencias can hold fruit over a year.

Tree to Table

Once harvested, the fruit goes to packing sheds to be washed, graded, packed, and marketed. These sheds vary from small independents to large cooperatives like Sunkist.

So, who grows the fruit? It’s our neighbors—like my old classmate Allan Lombardi, a third-generation farmer with deep roots stretching from Woodville to Porterville, whose family orchards thrive in Exeter and Lindsay. Having grown up among the trees, Allan has raised his family with the same dedication to citrus. Alongside him are giants like Paramount Citrus and every grower in between. From family farms to large-scale operations, hard-working people at every level come together each day to produce this vital food and fragrant gift to the world. The next time you savor a local orange or catch the perfume of spring citrus blossoms, remember: you’re taking in the heart of Tulare County, one sweet scent at a time.