is it true the fruits don't get fully sweet until after the first frost? after the last 2 tough winters my 2 little Charlie Brown fruit trees 1- Meyer lemmon, 1- tangerine are dropping what little fruit there is before it seems fully ripe as in past years and not as sweet. trying desperately to get a batch of tonic/"rheumatiz medicine" (3 gallons) out of the 2 trees combined and it seems more bitter/less sweet, using extra sugar to try and make up the difference. all the work is done stuff is assembled, now the hard part doing nothing and letting it age for 6 months hopefully. maybe have a btl ready for Crocks B-day party, he owes us 1 for last year.any mathlettes out there (drop and give me long division) able to figure out how strong in proof or % it will be if I put 1.75 liters 150 proof grain and 1.75 liters 100 proof vodka in a total volume of 3 gallons? I want it strong enough not to freeze but not light on fire.
If you don't get any fermentation from the fruit juice and just figure the alcohol in the booze, you'll have 3 gallons of medicine that's about 42 proof or 21% alcohol.
Hmm, may have to kick it up a notch with another btl of grain "BAM". I doubt there will be any fermentation with that much alcohol in it already. thanks for crunching the #'s.
Normally the citrus trees will get sweeter after the first frost but you have to fertilize them too. I was walking some property with my father-in-law one time that had once been an orange grove and there were a few trees with some beautiful fruit on them. I picked and orange, peeled it and started to eat it but it was sour as heck! My father-in-law told me that it was because the trees hadn't been fertilized in a long time.
I have always been told since I was a kid that citrus fruit doesn't get sweet till the first frost. I am not really sure I believe that any more. I have an orange tree loaded, and a grape fruit tree loaded, and they are sweet as can be. I always figure right around turkey day they are ready. Unfortunately my tangerine tree did not produce ANY fruit this year. The air potato vine choked it out, and is killing the tree, as it is growing right on my creek bank
This whole area of town I live in was orange grove at one time. There are still parts near my house where there is still groves. As of yesterday and today the mexicans are picking them, so they must be ready. I fertilize one time/year, usually in the spring when they bloom. I get a bag of citrus fertilizer and split it between the three trees. I do that religiously. The tree I just cut down at my sisters was probably a 30 year old tree. I bet in the 13 years I lived there it produced a semi load of oranges from that one tree
And we dang sure aint had a frost this year. i think I've only worn a long sleeve shirt one time all year
Grapefruit
Orange
If anyone wants any grapefruit, and are in my area, PM me and come get them. I do utilize just about every orange
