Plant Sour Oranges in your COVID-19 Therapeutic Garden

SOUR ORANGE

DISCLAIMER THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. PLEASE CONSULT A PROFESSIONAL FOR AGRICULTURAL, MEDICINAL AND HEALTH ADVICE.

Many West Indians have an affinity for this ungainly fruit known as sour orange. In its ripe state, it can be described as bumpy and wrinkly on the outside; and to the palette, quite bitter and sour. “Why such a love for sour orange?” you may ask. It is simple: we find it hard to forget the hot summer days when our mothers or grandmothers would beckon us indoors for a tall, ultra-refreshing glass of sour orange juice. In Jamaica, as reported in The Philadelphia Tribune article, “Sour Oranges in the U.S. Bring Back Caribbean Memories”, some had the pleasure of enjoying sour orange marmalade plastered on the local hard dough bread.

Sour Orange is also one of the five crops suggested by Barbadian health and wellness consultant Everton 'Heru' Holligan to plant in your COVID-19 therapeutic garden. Read this edition of Grown at Home Magazine (December 2022) for additional crops.

Other names

Bitter orange, Seville orange.

Some claim that sour orange and Seville orange are different – one has bumpy skin and the other has smooth.

Sour orange like all citrus fruits is rich in vitamin C. Although many say that research is starting to reveal that vitamin C is not effective against fighting colds and flus, some natural health practitioners disagree. Also, The National Library of Medicine, U.S.A., reported that vitamin C “strengthens the immune system overall”. It continued to state,

“Patients with hypovitaminosis C or severe respiratory illnesses, such as COVID-19, may benefit from taking vitamin C, due to its good safety profile, simplicity of use and potential for rapid production scaling.”

Uses

Other uses of the sour orange include:

• The making of liqueurs from the peel and juice of this orange

• Steeping of the flowers for orange blossom water or tea

• Extracting the essential oils from the peel for perfumes

Age of Maturity

8 – 10 years from the planting of the seed.

3 – 5 years, if acquired as a small tree. 8 months for fruit to ripen.

How Sour Orange Grows

Planting

Our tropical climate is ideal for sour orange to grow but it gets fungus from high humidity so it is best to keep it in a bright, sunny location.

Get some fruit from someone who has a tree. After using the fruit, keep the seeds.

Leave the seeds on a paper napkin on the kitchen counter to dry for 2 - 7 days. Save some seeds in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator and start your indigenous seed bank.

Obtain soil with a slightly acidic pH.

Plant in potting soil about 1 inch deep.

Maintaining

Water regularly so that the root ball never dries out but do not let it get water logged.

If possible, use low-lime water – collected rainwater is best.

If leaves turn light green, fertilise once a week. This is a sign of deficiency.

Once a year, prune your tree into a compact crown.

Harvesting

When the fruit turns orange, you may harvest. Pick all of the ripe fruit from the tree to encourage quality fruit development in the next season.

(CA)

6 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT CLEANING WITH CITRUS JUICES

Extracts are taken from Heinen’s Grocery Store article of February, 2022, written by Halle Snavely.

People do not eat the sour orange fruit straight from the tree due to the intense taste but the fruit has numerous uses.

1. When added with tartar it removes stains such as wine and coffee

2. Rids areas of foul odors such as garlic and fish

3. Cleans hardened grease from stovetops when used with salt

4. Eradicates lime build up from faucets

5. Removes mildew from grout

6. Polishes furniture when added with olive oil.

For more details, go to https:// www.heinens.com/stories/10-ways-toclean-and-freshen-your-home-withitrus/#:~:text=Citrus%20is%20certainly%20 versatile%20as,every%20area%20of%20 your%20home.

REFERENCES

Thanks to:

The Philadelphia Tribune - Sour Oranges in the U.S. Bring Back Caribbean Memories

https://www.phillytrib.com/commentary/ sour-oranges-in-the-u-s-bring-backcaribbean-memories/article_bdaedcf91153-5cbb-b903-ef15c0464846.html

National Library of Medicine - AIMS Microbiology

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC8995185/

Heinen’s - 10 Ways to Clean and Freshen Your Home with Citrus

https://www.heinens.com/stories/10ways-to-clean-and-freshen-your-homewith-citrus/#:~:text=Citrus%20is%20 certainly%20versatile%20as,every%20 area%20of%20your%20home.

Plantura Magazine – Bitter orange: care, flowering & use of Seville oranges

https://plantura.garden/uk/fruits/bitterorange/bitter-orange-overview

Orange Tree – Growing Tips, Care & Maintenance

https://farmplasticsupply.com/blog/orangetree-growing-tips-care-maintenance