Read somewhere that in a box in the hut under which the boogy man was hiding, were rotting oranges.
In the winter, we drink fresh orange juice from southern Taiwan. In the Spring and Summer months, the oranges are imported from Flori-duh.
How long will oranges remain edible once they are taken off the tree?
One of my coworkers says it must be at least two years because trading ships were stocked with them before they sailed from England to the East Indies.
Who knows?
Two years??? I hope you aren’t allergic to penicillin.
I did a quick search and found that oranges are said to have shelf lives of from 1 to 4 weeks. Longer shelf life results from refrigeration and from waxing or other coatings. I would guess shelf life would be a good bit longer if mold and mushiness doesn’t bother you.
It appears that the most common way to carry Vitamin C rations for the long term was in orange and lemon juice concentrates, which last much longer than the fruit which is susceptible to mold. Interestingly enough, I found that lime juice was almost never used in spite of the term “Limeys”. Also, sauerkaut was also an efficient way to store Vitamin C.
Citrus fruits do pose a problem in relation to other fruits.
Most fruits can be picked unripe, shipped, and ripened just before being sold, by exposing them to ethylene gas. This triggers the ripening, converts starch to sugar, changes the colour and makes the fruit soft, tasty and aromatic.
Citrus fruits, however, will not create any more sugars after being picked, and the sole reason they are treated with gas is to give an even colouring. This means that they have to remain on the trees until the sugar content is high enough. Consequently they have to be shipped when fully ripe
I read the British used the term Lime for what we now call Lemons. That would explain the fact the Brits were called Limeys but didn’t use limes.