Making Juicy Jim’s Florida Citrus Nectar

One of my favorite Florida pastimes is picking and squeezing oranges to give out to friends and family. This year I made orange juice from the fruit of the Pineapple Orange tree. For maximum sweetness, I always wait until the very last minute to pick these oranges. Last year they were ready at the end of February and this year they were ready in the middle of February.

The Pineapple Orange originated from seedlings planted about 1860 near Citra, FL. Pineapples are medium large, somewhat flattened on both ends, with a moderately thick, smooth peel. Pineapples mature about Thanksgiving and get sweeter the longer they hang on the tree until late February.

I planted the trees 13 years ago and and fertilized them with citrus stakes for the first 8 years. I have used no fertilizer or pesticides on the trees during the last 5 years. The trees have always produced good fruit and last year they began producing the sweetest fruit – and lots of it.

I started picking the fruit on February 16 and began juicing it right away. I filled gallon and half-gallon sized containers for family. I put the rest in quart-sized Ball jars for gifting. I made some labels in the tacky tradition of weird Florida kitsch.

Here are the pictures I took during the process of making Juicy Jim’s Florida Citrus Nectar  (2013 batch).

Pineapple Orange Tree

Pineapple Oranges On The Tree

Pineapple Oranges Have A Beautiful Color

The Juice Is A Good Color

It Took 3 Days To Juice All Of The Oranges

I Made Some Kitschy Labels For The Juice Containters

I Packaged The Juice In Quart Sized Ball Jars

Juicy Jim’s Florida Citrus Nectar Is Ready To Distribute To Friends And Family

If you want some of Juicy Jim’s Florida Citrus Nectar, you will have to wait until next February.

By: Jim Weeks