Get up, have some toast and coffee and slog down to the orchard.

This was not where the orchard was when we bought the house. The first owner had planted some saplings three feet apart in clay soil. They didn’t grow and she had no idea why. We moved them to a nice area with rich deep soil and lots of sun and wow did they take off. They took off, but until we had them pruned last year, they didn’t really produce much fruit. That has changed...

Sara, she was the first owner, had planted five "mandarina" tangerine trees. Do you have any idea how much fruit five mandarina trees can produce (properly pruned, that is)? I never thought I would say this, but there can be too much of a good thing. So far, I have picked - “I” because Metric Man arranged to be away on a sailing trip and I don’t sail – about 250 pounds of fruit. I have also discovered a huge wasp nest in one of the trees.

Wasps don’t like me.

I don’t like them back.

After spraying the wasps thoroughly, I picked more fruit. Then I sprayed the wasp nest again. Then I moved to another tree that I learned - too late – was hiding a nest. The wasps saw me first. Now, when I head to the orchard, I take ‘Sting Eze’ or ‘After Bite’ with me. Sometimes I take chemicals.

It has come down to picking fruit every day or every two days at least. Then, carrying it back to the car (too far to the house to carry it all), taking it inside and squeezing it for juice.

Believe me, I have tried to give it away but everyone I know seems to have at least one mandarina tree and they are all fruiting. Some went to friends who are renting or who just moved in and haven’t got any trees yet. Still, trying to give away mandarinas is like trying to give away zucchini in August in the U.S. Everyone else has a bumper crop.

There is a partial solution – juicing and freezing. Thank heavens I have an electric juicer although I still have to hold the fruit down and press... my shoulder is killing me. We bought a new freezer recently and it is just about full, what with the bumper crop of black raspberries (note to self – bake another pie) and now the mandarina crop.


Plant of the week. Tangerine trees (Citrus tangerina) are small, evergreen citrus trees, typically reaching 10–20 feet, known for producing sweet, fragrant orange fruit in late fall to winter. They need full sun, well-draining soil, and regular watering.