It’s that time of year when our hardy grapefruit and lemon trees begin bombing the house with loud thuds. Although they are missed by most visitors, we have two rather nice size plants of a Dunstan grapefruit and Ichang Lemon. Both hardy citrus aren’t exactly the sweetest fruit you’ve ever eaten, but, hey, they certainly can freak out your neighbors in areas where folks assume citrus can’t be grown. We have these boxes of picked fruit by our visitor check in table, so if your nearby, we hope you’ll stop in to pick some up. They will be available Monday – Friday, 8am-5pm, until they’re gone.
Not only are they edible, if you love tart citrus, but you can also grow your own from seed. Each seedling will be different in terms of fruit size, tartness, and winter hardiness. To see the genetic possibilities, grow as many as possible and get them large enough indoors to plant out in spring. You’ll find that some die quickly when next winter arrives, while some should sail through the winter. The seed are easily sown indoors in a pot of potting soil, that’s kept slightly moist. Good luck!
I once ate two x Citroncitrus ‘Dustan.’ I love grapefruits, and these were some of the most delicious I’d ever had! I peeled them by hand like an orange. Something in the peel was fragrantly resinous and wouldn’t come off my fingers or phone without rubbing alcohol. Then the stomach pains started. Oof. That was the Poncirus parentage showing up, I reckon. How common is that reaction?
That’s the first we’ve heard of such a reaction to citrus. You might find someone on the Hardy Citrus Facebook group who may have more experience.