Q. I have a tree loaded with oranges but I am not sure when to pick them. I read in the paper today about the Meyer lemon tree and you said to pick them now. Should I pick my Washington navel orange now?
A. Since this is not a commercial growing area for oranges we have to take our best guess at the time for picking. It is not the same for Myers lemon and different oranges will be ready at different times. The problem here is if you wait to pick through the winter, we may get a hard freeze and you could lose the fruit.
Washington navel orange fruit mature at the Christmas season in California. In hot hot tropical climates the fruit may never turn orange. In cooler climates the fruit turn orange when they mature. If it is close to Christmas and the fruit is orange, harvest it. Use a shears and leave a small nib or piece of stem attached to the fruit if you plan on keeping them for any length of time. If the stem is pulled from the fruit, it leaves a fresh wound where disease organisms can enter and cause early rotting. Pulling them is okay if you are going to use them right away, otherwise cut the stem.
By the way, if you are going to juice this particular orange then remove the peel first or it may be bitter.