Northern California Reaches Peak Citrus Season
Late winter and early spring mark the peak of the local citrus season in Northern California, offering the best prices and quality for oranges and mandarins. For home gardeners, this is also a prime time to care for citrus trees to encourage sweeter fruit.
- Key varieties available during this peak season include Navel oranges, known as the classic "eating orange," which are typically harvested from December through April, and Satsuma mandarins, which ripen in the late fall and early winter. - Fremont residents can find local and regional citrus at the year-round Irvington Farmers' Market on Sundays, where vendors like Diaz Farms from Fowler offer a variety of seasonal citrus including mandarins, oranges, and lemons. - Northern California's citrus history is significant, with the first orange tree in the region, the "Mother Orange Tree," having been planted in Butte County in 1856; this tree is still alive. - When selecting mandarins, smell is a better indicator of ripeness than color, so a sweet-smelling fruit that is still partially green can be a good choice. For other citrus, choose fruit that is firm and heavy for its size, avoiding those with soft spots or bruises. - Popular mandarin varieties extend the season; Clementine mandarins ripen in December and January, just as the Satsuma season ends, while W. Murcott mandarins are available from mid-February through April. - The cost of producing citrus in California has been rising, with farming costs for navel oranges increasing by 171% between 2005 and 2025 due to factors like higher wages, fuel, and fertilizer prices. - Beyond Navel oranges, other varieties to look for include the Cara Cara, a navel orange with pink flesh and a flavor profile with notes of berry, and the Valencia orange, which is considered a "juice orange" and has its peak season from spring through summer. - Blood oranges, known for their deep red flesh, get their color from anthocyanins, the same antioxidants found in blueberries, and are typically in season from mid-January through April.
