# This season's citrus fruits really suck so far **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 13, 2017, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-seasons-citrus-fruits-really-suck-so-far/798730 "2017-10-13T13:09:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-seasons-citrus-fruits-really-suck-so-far/798730/1 "2017-10-13T13:09:27Z")
I love oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, and similar, and they’re just coming into season. So I’m happy to see more sales and discounts at the supermarket. But man, they suck so far. Maybe in a ‘normal’ batch of 6-8 oranges or tangelos or whatever, 1 of them will be bad (bitter/sour/slightly rotten/etc.), at worst. But at least half of the ones I’ve been buying have been bad – usually too sour or bitter. Anyone else notice this? Could the hurricanes or other recent weather be the cause? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-seasons-citrus-fruits-really-suck-so-far/798730/2 "2017-10-13T13:12:24Z")
[Citrus greening disease](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citrus_greening_disease) has really ravaged the crop this year. Hurricane damage is going to be felt in the market soon, too. ---
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-seasons-citrus-fruits-really-suck-so-far/798730/3 "2017-10-13T17:48:38Z")
I’ve definitely noticed it. The last bunch of oranges I bought had practically no taste whatsoever. It’s disappointing because the lemon crop this year was amazing. We had trees buckling under the weight of the fruit and every one of them tasted fantastic. Our backyard oranges haven’t ripened yet but hopefully they’ll be better (if we don’t get decimated by the bugs Elvis mentions. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-seasons-citrus-fruits-really-suck-so-far/798730/4 "2017-10-13T18:32:47Z")
Isn’t it still early? I always think of the good citrus in the US coming in starting around Dec. My own oranges (I have a tree in my backyard) don’t ripen until late Feb/early Mar. But I live in NorCal, so we’re probably really late. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-seasons-citrus-fruits-really-suck-so-far/798730/5 "2017-10-13T18:55:00Z")
I don’t like citrus that much but I’ve noticed a lot of other lame fruit and produce this year. I’ll sometimes hear something about rainfall or lack of it or temperatures affecting a certain crop, but that’s not unusual, it’s unusual for most everything to end up under or over ripened, flavorless or sour. I don’t think it’s just the local suppliers, seems the same for Stop&Shop which gets most of it’s produce from large central warehouses. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-seasons-citrus-fruits-really-suck-so-far/798730/6 "2017-10-16T15:08:33Z")
This summer/fall it seems most of the fruit I bought sucked! During the summer I buy a large watermelon and 2 cantaloupes every week. The majority of them were either tasteless or overly ripe. I had only a few good ones of each. Now I’ve been buying grapes, apples, and clementines. The grapes have not been good at all - once again either overly ripe or tasteless. I have to really search for apples that look halfway decent. Lots of weird markings and bad spots. The clementines have been pretty good. Most have been sweet, but I’ll hit a sour or dry one once in a while. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-seasons-citrus-fruits-really-suck-so-far/798730/7 "2017-10-17T03:05:00Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Isn’t it still early? I always think of the good citrus in the US coming in starting around Dec. > > My own oranges (I have a tree in my backyard) don’t ripen until late Feb/early Mar. But I live in NorCal, so we’re probably really late. This. Although you’ll see local citrus fruit in markets already, it doesn’t really start getting sweet until late December/early January. It’s even better in spring. Be sure to nab some Sumo fruit during its brief window of availability in February. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-seasons-citrus-fruits-really-suck-so-far/798730/8 "2017-10-17T14:25:28Z")
I’ve noticed that, too, and read that Irma destroyed a lot of citrus crop. However, local Florida pomelos are in the (Florida) stores, and they seem pretty good so far. Overall, Florida citrus is better-tasting than California (sorry, Californians), and the loss of Florida citrus is a very sad thing. ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-seasons-citrus-fruits-really-suck-so-far/798730/9 "2017-10-17T19:56:40Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > This season’s citrus fruits really suck so far I heard they have oranges at Loaves and Fishes. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-seasons-citrus-fruits-really-suck-so-far/798730/10 "2017-10-17T23:33:34Z")
Yeah, as far as I’m concerned we’re knee deep in apple season at the moment. Pomegranates are starting to be ready. I’m sure there are other fruits as well. As someone noted above, we don’t really get citrus ready to eat here until December at the earliest. Often not until Jan/Feb. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-seasons-citrus-fruits-really-suck-so-far/798730/11 "2017-10-18T01:44:46Z")
I haven’t been able to buy decent produce this year. Between the drought and fires in California it now cost 90 cent for one orange at Market Basket and the oranges looks horrible . Mac and Cortland apples are green instead of red and sweets onions too. Forget about strawberries they were tasteless . I saw on the news people rushing to pick the oranges in Florida before the hurricane hit. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-seasons-citrus-fruits-really-suck-so-far/798730/12 "2017-10-18T15:16:36Z")
Florida’s groves have been hit pretty hard by Citrus Greening Disease (Huanglongbing) in recent years and the problem is getting worse.