Spring time in the San Joaquin Valley

Spring has decended on the valley with the sweet smell of citrus blossom.  We are heading into the home stretch of our navel harvest and will soon begin our valencia harvest. 

This past season has been a busy one, with a cold winter that took much time and resources to hold back any frost damage to a very dry year that has left us with very little snow pack and low levels in our lakes.  But every year has its challenges and this one is no different.  When you farm for as living, you must deal with what Mother Nature gives you, both good and bad; and this season has seen both good and bad.  We survived any damage from the cold weather; however, we had to contend with a large crop of some very small fruit. Those growers with large sized navels will have a good year and those with the smaller size will make less than an average year.  Those growers with speciality crops also have seen a good return for their Cara Cara and Morro Blood oranges.

The valencias are also on the small size, but like all our crops this year, they have very high sugar levels and excellent flavor.  Our valencia harvest will begin mid-april and will continue through September.