toots sweet

Have been looking on here and found an old thread from 2014 about Algarve oranges. We have several orange trees,but we are up by the banks of the Tejo. So I'm assuming that the oranges here are a different variety. (reading about oranges there seem to be a number of varieties all ready from now through to March.They are (at the moment) about the size of a smallish tennis ball. Some feel quite softish. Does that mean they are ready to pick or will they get bigger with time and still be edible. Do you wait until they are almost falling off the tree? Could try one now, but don't want to take a bite and find it beyond edible!
Thanks for any advice..........

MrBife

When they turn from green to an even orange colour and soften just a little then they start to be ready, they can be left on the tree until needed and may increase in size and sweetness a little over the next month or two. When they start falling off the tree its because they are rotting or have a worm inside..

Hopefully you have more than one orange available? Pick one and juice it, if it tastes sweet then all is well.

liveaboard

When it pulls from the tree easily and has a bit of texture to the skin is what I'm told.
I have 12 trees, maybe 3 or 4 different varieties; they're all different.
Pick one and slice it open, taste it. That's how to learn about your fruit.

There are various parasites to look out for; medfly borrows in and lays eggs in the fruit [they can easily wipe out the whole harvest], mites cause leaf blackening and curl, and there's a weird tiny little waxy bug that takes over on the woody areas.