Citrus: Homegrown And From The Tree

Farrah Sarafa
Posted on Friday 26th February 2010
Citrus fruits - oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits and kumquats - are native to tropical and subtropical climate zones like Southern China and Northern India. However, while visiting my Aunt Vickie and Uncle Zuhair Sarafa in San Diego this past month, I was delighted to find their flowering citrus trees had been fully ornamented with bright orange and yellow fruit for picking! Spaniards used oranges as medicine in in the 1500’s and brought the delectable citrus to the West. In 1769, the orange was brought to San Diego, and, in 1872, the seeds were distributed from New Orleans to Florida. Today they are the most popular orchard fruit in the world. While exploring the Southern California coast, I had a bountiful pick of oranges in my passenger seat. “Horticulture has come a long way,” my uncle said. Orange trees were the asthma, tuberculosis, rheumatism, arthritis, alcoholism, mucus secretions and high blood pressure. The liminoid phytonutrients in grapefruits and oranges are also known to prevent cancer and tumor formation. Click to view the precise nutritional contents of oranges. GRAPEFRUITS contain one of the two primary digestive enzymes - the one called amylase - which is very high in water content and fat burning enzymes. This explains why grapefruit is a favorite food for dieters. One a day can reduce cholesterol levels and dissolves inorganic calcium buildup in the cartilage of joints. LEMONS and LIMES are also miracle fruits. They aid digestion, prevent kidney stones, and Limonene is an anti-cancer agent found in these fruits. Also, lemons are a fantastic home-brewed sunburn ointment. I rubbed homegrown lemon halves on my dry, peeling skin while at my Uncle’s house, and within a couple hours, the skin felt moist, and the peeling halted. KUMQUATS - a small, tart and sour relative of the orange - can be eaten with seed and peel. They make a beautiful, healthy garnish. Flavorful and medicinal, citrus fruits are a wonderful base for your outdoor garden. Even if you don’t live in a warm, sub tropical place, it is possible to grow an orange or lemon tree, be it large one or a well-contained sunlit dwarf.

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