Just a few of pics of the fruit picked this morning.

Left to right Shiranui, Shasta Gold, Variegated Minneola, New Zealand lemon, Meyer Lemon, Eureka lemon, and a bunch of Minneola's in the background.

Shasta Gold which was a very large fruit.

Variegated Minneola

Brian

Brian, you going to upset the applecart? I grow all three of the Gold series, they are all big, Yosemite had the most mandarins this winter. In my little booklet they suppose to be picked around late January into February. Anyway all three are keepers. Good for you, you is pretty sharp, know your stuff , just the best right?

Thanks Bob your very sharp at this citrus thing to my friend. Bob my Shasta tree is buried at the back of the greenhouse a real pain to get at but I was well rewarded . Last year I might have rated Shiranui as #1 but this year not its very very good but this year it had tartness that I'm not used to . Bob the Boukhobza was a very close # 1 very close but Shasta had that little extra . Very interesting taste Shasta has like no other mandarin I've tried . All in all a very good year for moi and my citrus . Thx Bob

Brian

Brian this made my day!!! WOW look at all that JUICE it’s practically leaping out of the screen I can almost taste it :) oh dear you know what I saw on the phoenix‘s citrus pre order list? A Shasta gold lol oh no brian you’re killing me between you and Amy and now bob I feel a second greenhouse is inevitable lol Brian your variegated minneola looks just so beautiful with the orange stripes I just love it! How old is the Shasta tree Brian and Is this the first fruit you’ve gotten off it? If so that’s fantastic if it’s this good you’ve sold me lol I’m not sure if it’s the cough syrup talking or the fever but I’ve been on a buying streak lately! Can’t wait to see some pictures of your trees :) stay safe my friend!

I have all the gold family but only 2 of them are producing fruit. My Tahoe and Gold Nuggets.

Several of my kids say the best citrus they have ever tasted are my Tahoe Golds. Personally I like the GN's better. Now from what I've read the least favorites of the Yosemite, Tahoe and Shasta's are the Tahoe's. So I'm really looking forward to my Yosemite and Shasta producing fruit next year.

FYI- my citrus are in containers. I just transplanted my GN from a wine barrel into the ground last season and also I just transplanted my Cara Cara in the ground. I'm keeping my Morro in a 1/2 wine barrel. I also have a Washington Navel in a 1/2 wine barrel.

Brian, I am with Jan!! Wow, look at that rich color and the juice. You know, you can tell you are growing organic fruit for sure. They never look that rich in stores unless they are died and waxed and not even that compares buddy. Still hard to believe that anyone in Canada with the extreme cold that you get and with just 4 hours of direct sun about now and with colder temps inside can do such an amazing job. They look better than those grown outside in Florida or somewhere warm buddy. Brian, because of you that is next on my list, the Shasta. I don't have any of this one. Brian, do you have a 'clemetine' tree? I googled it the other day and heard it is one the sweetes, easily to peel and seedless you can buy. I figured the experts here could share their experience. Brian buddy. did you get that 2 feet of snow they were talking about this morning? I heard some parts of Canada have seen more snow than ever before. Rather strange buddy. Pooor Sugar, Don't forget to take pics of his fashion gear please. lol Hugs buddy. Stay warm my friend

Jan, are you sick? Cough syrup? I hope you are doing ok. I wonder how much fruit youmust be geetting too. I'm guessing we should own Shasta now, lol. Be safe and keep warm my friend. Hugs to you too.

Bob, I can't leave you out. Nice pics you have there. I must say btween you and Brian, there is enough fruit to go around here. Ha

Nick, I never heard of a Tahoe? I shall have to look that up. Why do you kids like it so much? I am guessing 'sweet'??

mike it is very sweet but also has the nice tangy flavor as well.

Brian, moi too! So what now Brian, what for a encore, anything else stashed in that plantation hide out of yours?

Hello gang just finished the snow blowing and digging out the greenhouse from all the snow we received last night real fun stuff .

Jan oh no I didn't mean to enable no no no . Jan my Shasta is about 8 yrs old I will have to check the tag . It's about 6 ft tall by 4 ft wide and it's a big producer . Jan if you don't like trees with thorns then stay away from this one some of the thorns are huge but I've heard with age they become less thorny . The Shasta fruit are definitely getting better with tree age not like my Satsuma which I'm really beginning to dislike . Jan the Shasta fruit this year is the sweetest I've ever had from it , its packed with a sweet tropical flavor not like any other mandarin I've tasted . If the fruit continues to be as good every season like this season it will probably end up being my favorite. I have a feeling though the Boukhobza in a few years will beat Shasta as my favorite just a feeling . My Boukhobza tree is very young and small and the fruit this year were fantastic extremely sweet and loaded with juice . I have about 7 fruit left on the Boukhobza when I pic one I will take a pic . Jan my dear friend I hope that you get well very fast . I've had a bad cold since early last week such a pain . Its one of those one step forward two step back viruses just as you thinking it's gone it's right back even worse . How could this happen to us Jan lol . You would think with all the vitamin C in our greenhouses we would never get sick still scratching my head on this one . I think its Bobs fault . Take care of yourself Jan!!!!!

Bob very nice looking Yosemite and Tahoe. Just curious Bob how do these fruit taste to you? Have you ever eaten a mandarin that taste like these guys? Moi never lol . You caught that your good !

Mikey Mikey Mikey can you please take some of our snow please !!! Actually my friend it's very nice it really brightens things up . Mikey it's going to -6 F tonight I so hate that deep freeze thing . Crazy winter this has been by Wednesday , Thursday we go above freezing only probably to get hit again with another snowstorm next weekend. Mikey we have to take the punches I guess it could be much worse did you see any video coming out of Newfoundland . Mikey they were hit by a snow hurricane seriously the winds were gusting to 160 km hr crazy. With almost 3ft of snow that fell can you imagine the drifts from that wind , some snow drifts are right up to their roof !!! Mikey your so kind thank you so much for your encouragement with my citrus thing your just as good my friend and we both live in garbage climates lol. Mikey about 6 years ago I had a nules clementine tree a very nice clementine tree it was . Mikey the fruit if I remember right were good but they were Very seedy. There are many varieties of clementine just do you research before buying you want a seedless one I'm sure. What about Tango not a clementine but very good . Mikey lol you can see I don't use pesticides on my trees lol most fruit don't look good but the all important thing they taste great . After I pick the fruit I scrub the heck out of them with a wire brush I don't want bugs or sooty mold in my drinks lol . Mikey thanks for letting me know about neem I love that stuff !! I sprayed my trees before they came in and no bug issues this winter .

Nick the Shasta's are really good probably similar to the Tahoe in flavor . I love Gold Nuggets to they are very sweet like Shiranui but the golds have a very different mandarin flavor and are very sweet a flavor you just can't help falling in love with .

Brian

Brian, all three seems somewhat the same, they have not develop that rich taste, they are suppose to have. So have to wait, but they are going into that direction hopefully soon.

Yosemite,is the biggest.

Those fruit look wonderful and such a harvest of varieties. I assume you're lucky enough that these are all in ground?

Thanks Bob , my Shasta always had that wonderful I call tropical flavor but this is a first for intense sweetness . Bob wishing you what I had tasted soon .

Thanks Ken my trees are all in pots and for four and a half months late spring - summer they are outdoors the other seven and a half months they live in a greenhouse. I'm in zone 4 Ontario Canada .

Brian

Greenhouse life... the other growing zone 10! Curious, how large your trees are?

Brian.... I ache with moving my 7 gallon pots, can't imagine how heavy your trees are. But the rewards are apparent!

I was in the greenhouse this morning to turn off the heating and I took a couple of pics.

Check out the ice on the greenhouse door it is currently -2 F

Lots of Lemons still Meyer and eureka.

Minneola's are pretty much gone.

Another view of the lemons. Ice and snow that I can't remove from the north side of the GH.

Way back in the jungle are my two largest trees that were trimmed severally before coming in.

Brian

Thanks Ken . I am very fortunate to get help bringing them in . It takes 3 to lift them and then angle them through the doors of the greenhouse .

Brian

If a greenhouse is in your future, take a good look at Brian’s setup, first, size, way to small.

Second, not crowded enough, need more tree’s! Third, bigger greenhouse? Way more money, Brian, pretty smart here, you got to handed to him. So what are you waiting for?

Lol Bob I had - had - had a half descent size GH no more terribly packed . Let this be a lesson to all . If I could go back and do it all over again I would only have 6 of the best citrus varieties out there and let them become massive as in tree climbing massive lol. To late . I don't know if you relate Bob ?

Brian

But than you don’t have nothing to talk about, that would kill Mike and a few others. That’s not nice.

Btw, maybe Steve let you borrow a couple monkeys that he has for all that climbing stuff that he has to go through in his jungle. He‘s a good guy.

Bob there you go again always worried about other members here . Your a good man !

Brian

Sorry Brian, I am going to, “ up to the Far East “ , take my homemade paddle board with me, Sayo Nara! Don’t tell nobody, they all be leaving! Including Laura and Jan as soon as she feel half way better( no runny nose that is).

You guys don’t spend enough time in your man cave that’s how you get rid runny noses quick,

or you can ask Mike when he comes back from muscle beach, I think he‘s got a bar in his greenhouse, I think.

Maybe me to Bob lol once I get rid of my runny nose, I'm fighting it to! So I went out to the GH to get my daily vitamin " C " 4 Shasta's

Brian

A g....House full of beauties, it’s just to bad that I am the only that get to see what you are harvesting. I,ll spread it for you, I’ll have better luck than you, better not, not going there.

Bob, y9ou rack me up! I actually do wear my bathing suit in there in the dead of winter and spray myself down with a hose and sit in a chair close my eyes and pretend I am in Florida on abeach somewhere. LOL. yes, it would kill me ha. It would kill me if you were not around either because this forum has become so much better with people like you in it and others, like the whole group here)

Brian, buddy, Brian, what the heck did you have to do to even get to your greenhouse?! Good thing you have a snow blower buddy. You know what I noticed. If the greenhouse is covered in snow and surrounded by it, it gets more indirect light from the sun and it's seems to stay warmer better because the snow insulates it from the below 0 temps!! I notice that in a snowstorm, the emps rise so much in there, I have to cut the heat back. lol Funny, right? The snow does some good ! have you noticed that the inside of your car is starting to warm up when the sun hits it about noon even though it's frigid out!? For some reason, I feel good already knwoing the sun is getting stronger and the days getting longer. I can almost feel spring is about to come. I also noticed that the temps in my greenhouse are rising by the day as the sun gets closer and the windows in my plant room are getting hotter when the sun hits that! Love it buddy! By February, we should be doing great with the higher angle of the sun. Sun tan time by March if we cana steal a warm day hre and there. so close yet so far.lol

Brian, look at all those trees and fruit! I feel it would be cheaper to take a ride to get to your place verses Florida to pick fresh frut and have a few drinks. Trying to make some side cash? Conver that place into a sit down Bristro and you would make a killing for those snow birds that need a place to get away and be warm.lol Hire a few monkies and you are alll set. By the way, I noticed you like geraniums. Me too. I have a few I over winter. So easy. I also noticed you have some sort of vine? What is that? Love the colored pots and your set up. Lots of fans too buddy. Good thinking. Cool air and fans = no bugs! Funny you and Bob should say that about runny noses. I actually sit in mines for hours to breathe in all that humid air. It helps and with sore throats!!

Brian buddy, in the second picture, what is that vine thingy? You should try growing some orchids lol!! I'm getting a Shast tree and I will let you know when I do buddy.

Looking at those summer pics make me long for that buddy. So beautiful and that rainbow, wow. You know how to take nice pics. That compared to -6!! There is no way I would tarde that for all the money in the world. Didn't seem like yesterday when it was that nice, yet it does seem long ago, kind of. Hard to explain. I am so glad the Neem is working. Good for you buddy. You probably suffocated any critters eggs and all before you brought them in. Yahoo. I can't believe that place got that much snow. Crazy. last week we had thunder snow. The lightning struck a tree near by. I get no summer thunder but winter I did. Weird. lol. Hugs buddy!

Jan,. I'll bet you have hybernated into your greenhouse until your cough gets better my friend!1 Ha. It's the best place to be when you catch a cold. Nice warm tropical inside. I hope you are getting better. You better nurse that thing before you get too sick to even come here for a while. Please keep us updated. Many hugs!!

Nick, thank you for that description)

Mike

lol this thread is too funny you guys are always having me hooting and hollering in front of this computer! Such a great group of friends on here :) bob I’ll join you! Lol I’ve been trying to kick this cold but darn it it’s stubborn as a mule but all these pictures sure are helping along with some pink lemons that I harvested today in there! Tomorrow I’ll be right as rain!

Brian wow!!!! I was just replying on the other post hoping to see some of your greenhouse pictures and I just saw these now! Those trees of yours are just so huge healthy and productive it’s no wonder ken thought you were in the tropics even my family’s jaw drops every time I show them how large and productive your trees are! I think I see some space in your greenhouse for another tree Brian lol I gotta say Brian you are right I did not get a big enough greenhouse lol mine is only 8x12 ft if you can believe it I’m not sure what I’m going to do if they all grow taller. If I have to do a severe pruning like you do with those gorgeous trees I’d need a box of tissues I’d feel terrible! Lol Brian those pictures are just enabling me more! The way I see it my dear friend and family doctor has been ogling the Buddha’s hand and he’s been asking me about them at every visit and he’s building a new greenhouse soon and I might just gift him that tree and the Owari satsuma I have are not great they were dry year after year maybe the rootstock and I’m getting rid of my kumquats too so the point is maybe ill have room for more! Lol it sounds perfectly reasonable to get rid of some and then buy more to replace them right? What good is spare room in a greenhouse anyways lol Brian how’s that cold of yours I bet it’s gone now after those gorgeous Shasta golds that you just harvested they must taste like pure sunshine! I had some orange slices that My friend brought me when she came for dinner and I must say it’s worst than any fruit picked from any of our trees it reminded me why we all do it how rewarding it all feels :) now if you’ll excuse me I’m planning my ‘to buy’ list lol I’m ashamed to show you my list of plants to buy this spring the Shasta gold is there too now along with many many others! Take care to keep yourself warm and rested Brian my dear friend!

mike my friend thank you for your thoughts always so kind hugs! i actually had to go into the greenhouse today to switch off the heater it got so warm in there since we had daytime temps of 10 degrees today believe it or not lol notto Rub that in anyones face in the frosty east of course! But I think the snow is coming back over here sometime in February if I’m not mistaken! I’ve been drinking hot toddies all day in bed mike lol I think there’s a lot of liquor in this batch from a friend of mine because I am feeling good tonight lol :) stay good and bundled up my friend everyone I know is going around catching flus! Hugs!

Hello Mikey buddy ! I'm resting on the top of my bed with the blinds open staring at the greenhouse which is bathing in the glorious sunshine right now. so nice . A few weeks ago there was only dappled sunshine at this time caused from a big tree a few houses down and now the sun gets over that tree . Mikey I hate the snow on the north roof it's so dark in the northwest corner and north east corner of the greenhouse after the sun gets off the greenhouse. You are very right though the snow makes a great insulation . By tomorrow it should slide off as we go above freezing here Yippee. Mikey I see you might be in for a snowstorm this weekend I hope you own a snowblower. The storm looks like it's going to miss here but late next week into February looks like storm after storm:( . Mikey that vine looking plant is a fern hanging from a big branch on the Page tree . This fern is massive so I had to jam it out of the way . Mikey lol lol no tourist attraction with my GH Sugar and I can barely fit in there lol and add heaters , fans and a host of other stuff on the floor . I should take your advice and spend an hour in there today it probably would do wonders for my cold now if I can only find the energy to get there . Actually I should go out and pick some vitamin "C" I will try and spend a little time in there . I should go out there now before the sun is off it . Talk to you later my friend and thanks for the good advice!

Bob your a funny guy hilarious !

Hello Jan hope you feel better I will talk to you a little later my friend!

Brian

Hello Jan . How are you feeling? This darn cold just keeps coming when I wake up I feel fine as the day goes along it starts to set in hopefully by the weekend it will be gone . Jan I heard about all the rain you've been having out there , everything must be soooo green . I agree with you that snow is so beautiful but you won't be doing 180 's anymore or slipping while walking to your greenhouse . Jan just had a Shasta they are so mouth watering delicious everything you would want in a mandarin and more . My Shasta is 8 yrs old and with every passing year the taste gets better and better looking forward to next season . The fruit is a real dark orange , tastes extremely sweet syrupy and the flavor is intense love it . The fruit from my Shasta tree has always been very good but this year way over and above unbelievable. Jan thanks for all those nice compliments I love my trees and no I have no more room lol not even for one I have really made up my mind lol . I Already have the best of the best and these trees will need room to grow especially my Shasta lol . I like you Jan will be weeding out the none performers this summer . My favs trees e.g. Shiranui, Sugar Belle , Boukhobza, Gold Nuggets , Pixie , Variegated Minneola etc are going to need room I want these trees to be my new large trees . Funny you mention your Satsuma mine are always dry to . The Satsuma's look like there going to be a lovely fruit to eat then I open it up then straight to the garbage can . Only one year out of 12 were the fruit really good from it . Jan don't worry about pruning them they actually grow and flower better and the smaller the tree the less fruit and less fruit equals better tasting fruit . Jan your soooo kind very nice gesture giving the citrus to your doctor I'm sure he will be floored with joy . Jan please take care of yourself get lots of rest !

Brian

Brian, if you are going to describe your Shasta tree like that, I am game. lol Now I need to find one ASAP!!lol Thanks a lot buddy. I seem to be atrracted to manderines. I think the Kishu is one too) Lol. I had no idea you needed that much on the floor. Darn space heaters and fans, yet to vital, right? My remote thermometer is acting up once again. I need to call the company and fix that. What a apin in the blank buddy! seems to act up only in winter when I need it most. Right, I love the snow for that reason and that reaosn only.lol Defintely insulates my greehouse after a snow fall and helps when it's below 0. Once it melts off, what a difference. Oh brian, I can't wait for sporing and I can feel the sun telling me to not get depressed, that he's coming.lol Nice to know it's finally claered those trees for you. Enjoy when you can! It feels so good in there especially after watering the plants and leaves. Humidity spike feels great buddy, good for colds. Please get better. I think we are all catching it from each other typing or hanging out here.lol Hugs buddy.

Jan, thank you . You better get better too. I still have yet to post a few orchids for you, to warm your insides. They are so easy to grow . It's all about the watering and the kind you use mostly. You can even stick them outside all summer under trees or in partial shade. So easy. I hope you get one or two very fragrant ones. Worth every cent and smile. I love the fact you are feeeling good whne you come here, alchohol and all. lololol Nothing like a nice drink and good friends.HUGS to you and it also works on coughs too, NIte))

Wow those fruits look very delicious!

Jan, I already added the shasta gold in my order from phoenix perrenial! Better safe than sorry and Brian’s descripof the fruit is to die for!

Hello Mikey ! Mike I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if my GH thermometers weren't working . I have two going in the GH at both ends it's amazing the difference in temperature from one end of the greenhouse to the other . Depending where you place your heater there might be a 5 degree difference that's why it's probably best to place your heater in the center of the GH . Mikey thermometers are so important hope that your getting that fixed today lol. I'm getting the heating thing down pat now 1 heater at -7 C outdoors will keep the GH at 3 - 4 C . It seems with every added 7 C drop I would need to add an extra heater so -14 C I would need 2 heaters - 21 C three heaters colder than that 4 heaters max . Mikey my friend it finally rose to 62 in the GH this morning with no heaters going just pure solar power . First time the greenhouse has been above 60 F since last November Yippee . Spring is slowly coming buddy Yippee. Checking out my trees this morning and to my surprise they all have new growth starting . That snowstorm that was supposed to miss us this weekend well it's beginning to look like we're going to get hit with like 8 inches or so lol . I see you might be in the ice and snow zone hate that . The following storm after this weekends snow looks like ice and rain for us . Highly recommend Shasta buddy they are so good ! Have an awesome afternoon my friend!

Brian

Amy your going to love the Shasta . The older the tree the better the fruit gets . Even when the trees young the fruits are good .

Brian

Shasta Gold is one of my favorite mandarin varieties. So much so that I took this picture:

In my opinion, a good Satsuma slightly wins over Shasta Gold, but they have a different type of flavor, so it's not really a direct comparison. Shasta Gold is tangy, aromatic in a different way a bit more like an orange.

I like Shasta Gold more than Dekopon, so that should tell you something.

Interesting comparison socalnolympia ! The Shasta's I've eaten from my tree had that tangy , aromatic taste but definitely more a mandarin flavor than orange . Never had luck with growing Satsuma's so I couldn't compare .My Shasta's are a clear winner over my Shiranui's this year it will be very interesting to see what next years crop will bring .

Brian

I ate a small mandarin, no I try to eat one it got lost in one of my tooth cavity.

Well it looks like I dont need a Dekopon or Shiranui since many here like satsuma ( I have Okitsu & Owari)and the shasta better. My Tahoe has been producing now for 3 years and my Yosemite and Shasta should fruit this season. I really like my Gold Nugget this is its 3rd season fruiting and has about 45-50 fruit on it that I will start eating in March. I cant wait to try Yosemite and Shasta since most people prefer them over the Tahoes and everyone really likes the Tahoes when I give them one.

I agree Bob lol that little mandarin would get stuck in a cavity , what the heck variety is that ? I'm curious Bob how did you like the taste of your Lee X Nova ? I have a small tree and no fruit yet .

Nick please don't get me wrong my Shiranui fruit last winter were fantastic juicy and sweet this year they had a bit of tartness. I prefer the sweet stuff reason I loved the Shasta this year . Your going to love the Shasta's Nick and they just keep getting better as the tree ages . Enjoy them !

Brian

I have a sweet tooth with fruit as well which is why I prefer the meyer lemon over the eureka.

Lee/Nova taste similar to Page but bigger. Those little mandarins are from Wally W. And they are imported from Morocco, $ 2.68 for a 3 lb bag.

Ah Bob I was hoping the Lee X Nova had a Dancy like flavor without the seeds darn not that I don't like the Page I already have Page. Thx Bob!

Nick I think everyone here has a sweet tooth. I love the Meyers in drinks but I have a new favorite the New Zealand lemon.

Brian

Lee X Nova is definitely better than Dancy, in my opinion, while still having a flavor that is a similar type to Dancy.

I don't know, it's hard to describe flavor, but it might be somewhere in between the flavor of Dancy and the flavor of Page.