Blood oranges

Aguane,
In another thread you said you had a blood orange. Do you know what variety it is? I've eaten imported Taroccos & thought I'd gone to heaven. I bought some local Moros, but at least the ones I tasted were pretty sour. I've been wondering how the flavor of a Tarocco would be if grown around here.

Hello there, deserteden,
Off hand I don't know the variety of the blood orange I planted. I'll walk up the hill this week end to see if the tag is still on the trunk, let you know. At any rate, I can tell you that it is very delicious, sweet and by comparison not a refined taste. That is to say, a little gamey in the "orange world", not what you'd expect. It is, in the ripened stage, very , very blood red. It can actually temporarily stain your kitchen countertop. I love them. for as long as I can grow citrus I will grow Blood orange. I'll let you know what I find out about the variety if I can. Otherwise its prolific, sweet, different and they are small-ish. ... 3-4 inches

Yeah, I can confirm all of what Aguane says - I have a mature one (no idea what type)...

Thank you both, I'd sure like to find a yummy one - they can taste a bit like raspberries.

My Blood Orange variety is "Moro", and I have been very pleased with it. About 10 years old now, and providing a good crop. The fruit is blushed red, and very sweet and juicy. Another variety that does well here is "Sanguinelli". I feel the timing of picking the fruit is essential to the taste. My Moro is best in February and early March. Declines as the weather warms up. Sanguinelli seems to ripen a little later. I have no experience with Tarocco, but it is suggested for cooler climates.

Agreed, Jimdaz. The timing is essential. I get VERY deep red coloring (truly Blood color, if not deeper), juice and sweetness in Mid Feb. Prior to Feb its very blotchy in color and has little flavor.

I have a Moro (I think) also and it is delicious. I do notice that the fruit does not keep as well as other citrus, on or off the tree. So, when the tree is FULL of ripe oranges, they go to work with me, my husband and I make lots of blood red orange juice! mmmm! But then, they usually doesn't last that long once they get ripe, the trick is to keep the neighborhood kids from picking them when they turn orange. ggrrr They get a lovely deep red blush and or turn almost all red, then they are sweet! If they are picked before they are ripen, they do not get sweeter, as some citrus do, but are sour and not very juicy, in my opinion. One reason that you don't usually see them for sale very often at the store.

All citrus benefit from regular deep watering, to ensure the fruit is juicy and the rinds don't get thick and nasty. Feeding on schedule is also important.

Wow- you guys have convinced me that I need one! I've never had a blood orange from the store that either looked or smelled like what you're describing. Maybe it was a combination of timing, as Jim says, and the fact that they were from the store, aka heaven knows where. They've always been not-terribly red, dry, and downright bitter, with little or no good orange flavor. Oh- and really pricey, too. Guess I need to take a second look, huh? I always wondered what the fuss was about.

We had a blood orange tree at our old house. I am not sure what kind it was but it was heavenly! The oranges themselves were so sweet smelling .

That's okay Eileen - mine aren't *THAT* good, either! I have a plethora this year (they are really good producers) for anyone who would like to try them, I'll bring them to the swap/Round-up.

Marie, I saw the buds really forming on the citrus trees in my yard this morning. Definitely one of my favorite things is to sit outside in the mornings and evenings with my sweetie near the blooming trees and just drink it all in....

A couple of our new trees are budding. I am excited. The blood orange at the old house the actual oranges smelled sweet. I have never seen anything like it. You could walk by and the smell was awesome.