Summer on a Sumo Citrus farm doesn’t look quite the same as on other citrus farms. That should come as no surprise, since no other citrus is quite the same as Sumo Citrus.
A few things happen in summer to ensure that every single piece of fruit you sink your teeth into is super-sweet, extra-juicy, and enormous in size by harvesting season.
How do growers tend to Sumo Citrus in the summer months?
1. A focus on quality over quantity
All season long, growers are surveying the land to make sure the fruit is growing to its fullest potential, producing only the sweetest, juiciest, most enormous fruit fans wait for every year!
2. Careful watering
As soon as the weather gets hot enough for sunscreen, that means irrigation season has arrived. In summer and fall, it doesn’t rain much in California’s San Joaquin Valley where Sumo Citrus is grown.
“It gets hotter out here,” says Neufeld.
In order to grow enormously delicious fruit, growers irrigate the groves to ensure our Sumo Citrus trees receive sufficient water throughout the drier months.
All this work pays off, in the form of the world’s most perfect fruit! It’s a difference you’ll taste for yourself in a few months’ time.
3. Protect the bumpy skin!
Like many of us, Sumo Citrus loves warm, sunny weather — but the fruit needs sun protection to avoid damage.
Every summer, growers take careful precautions to protect the fruit from harsh summer rays in the Central Valley. Their careful pampering of the delicate fruit ensures a successful harvest next season.
By the time January rolls around, you have the dedicated growers and their meticulous practices to thank for the fruit’s unique bumpy skin.
Although it’s always a test of patience awaiting the return of Sumo Citrus every year, these important growing practices in the offseason are crucial to producing the fruit that’s truly unlike anything else in the grocery store. Luckily, there’s only 5 more months to go until our favorite fruit returns! We can hardly wait.