Well, are at full throttle at the ranch, Our citrus season just kicked into high gear. I can honestly say I struggling to keep up. Everyone else has been through this before but this is my first season. In as few words as possible,... its CRAZY!

Folks are calling from all over wanting product. Lisles phone, fax and email hasn't stopped. When I was told not to worry we would have more orders than product. Lisle wasn't kidding! We spent a large portion of the day yesterday testing sugars in the feild. The unseasonable hot weather couple with the few cold snaps has sweetened the the citrus up early. The acids are down and the fruit is INCREDIBLE!

Operations are beefing up. We are adding field staff as well as packers. Everything is running like clockwork. I'm in awe how quickly but also how smoothly everything has gone during this seasons start-up.

There are some mechanical items that will need to be addressed in the near future. We have a new packing line and bagger to bring online. I have to source air and a dryer for the new bagging system then we need to train on operations, maintenance and upkeep.

Being Organic we don't pick and refrigerate. We leave the fruit on the trees and pick to order. It's an awesome concept which guarantees only the freshest fruit possible will reach the end user.

Our Canadian partner, Thrifty Foods, introduced the concept years ago and we have adopted it as a standard.

Our fruit is brushed, not waxed. The sheen on the outside of the fruit is produced by the natural oils during respiration which aids in the appearance and presentation but also the taste. You have to only try our citrus to understand the difference.

Well, back to work!... It's gonna be a great day!

More later..... :-)

Satsuma Mandarins are ready!

Being an organic farm we leave the fruit on the trees and pick to order. Yesterday we made the decision our Satsumas were ready and let our customers know. Wow!.. The orders are pouring in. It's the first time I've ever seen a triage order situation. We will run out of fruit before we fill all the orders. I guess it's a good problem to have. Now through the end of April, according to my mentor and owner, Lisle Babcock, as soon as the fruit is ready to sell. We let the customers know and its pretty much a rush. We are the premiere Organic citrus supplier for Thrifty Foods in Vancouver Canada and their customers love Buck Brand Citrus! I still have a bit of a learning curve but I love what I'm doing...

Our Palestine Sweet Limes are ready!

Palestine Sweet limes Look like a lime, smells like a lime, but it's sweet flavor doesn't taste like a lime. A hybrid of unknown origin, this vigorous grower flowers and fruits throughout the year. Formerly listed as Citrus limon "Sweet Form."
We have about ten acres on the farm. They are high producers and we get a large yield every year. The owners o the ranch do not make any income on the limes. They grow them for humanitarian reasons. The limes act as a natural antacid and when the juice is consumed on a regular basis it reduces the acidity in your body. We send out cases for free to mostly cancer patients who are experiencing stomach nausea and discomforts caused by their treatment. Most of these folks report back that the juice from the limes had great affects on them and many attribute their success in dealing with the disease to these sweet limes. If you, a family member or friend ever need these just contact me here and we will get some out to them right away.

Our Naval Oranges are Ready!

This morning I was exposed to a very important piece of equipment for a Citrus farmer. It's called a refractometer or Brix meter.

Brix is primarily used in fruit juice, wine making and the sugar industry for measuring the approximate amount of sugars in fruits, vegetables, juices, wine and soft drinks.

For fruit juices, one degree Brix is about 1-2% sugar by weight. This usually correlates well with perceived sweetness.

Modern Brix meters are digital refractometers that calculate the Brix value based on refractive index.

Good sugar content is usually around 13 Brix. This morning we measured one at 18! One of the sweetest we've ever measured. It's going to be a great year for Navals.