Hello, good morning...
I have some news for you: there are hardly any oranges left on the trees. With luck, we'll have a few more weeks, but then, we'll have to wait for the cycle to renew and everything to start once again.
This happens year after year and it's natural. But it has still led me to want to talk to you about something we experience daily in the countryside but which is rarely clearly explained: what happens to oranges after harvest. I'm referring to those that are not harvested and shipped, like those from my fields, but rather those that end up in large supermarkets.
And if you've ever wondered why a perfect supermarket orange that's been there for months tastes like nothing... this newsletter is for you.
Before continuing, remember that we still have oranges (let's not say goodbye to them prematurely!) and also many other fruits and vegetables that are still in season.
There are zucchini, blueberries, mountain cherries, flat peaches, Valencian tomatoes, potatoes, and many more products. All of top quality and grown with great care 🥰 in Spanish soil.
Now, back to my beloved oranges.
The life of an orange 🍊 doesn't end when it's picked. And depending on what the farmer (or the company that harvests it) does, that orange can end up as a small gem that brightens your breakfast... or as a pretty peel that tastes like nothing. The truth is, even if you often see a good-looking orange, its flavor has already become just a distant memory of what it once was.
After being harvested, an orange is still "alive." It breathes (like you and I), and in that process, it gradually loses sugar, aroma, vitamin C... little by little. Even if you chill it. Even if you lock it in a cold room at 5°C for weeks or even months. Even if you treat it to prevent fungi (something that is done much more than you think), in the end, everything has a price.
You gain in preservation, of course. The risk of the fruit spoiling is reduced. You can have oranges available out of season, when there are no more left on the trees. But what you lose is valuable: flavor, freshness, natural sweetness, that perfect acidity that explodes on your tongue. All of that dissipates over time.
Studies show that with just a couple of months of cold storage, oranges have already lost more than 40% of the volatile compounds responsible for their aroma. Sugars also drop. Acidity increases because the fruit dehydrates and its structure changes. That's why you peel a "perfect" orange from cold storage and... it tastes bland.
And this is where our way of doing things comes in.
At Campos del Abuelo, we don't store fruit in cold rooms for months. Our harvest ends when there isn't a single orange left on the tree. We don't artificially prolong the season. We know the taste of an orange at its peak, and we also know what it loses when its life is stretched beyond its natural limit. That's why we prefer it to reach you freshly harvested, directly from the field, without preservative treatments, without spending weeks waiting in cold storage. Natural. As it has always been done.
It's true that this model forces us to stop until the next season, when the trees bear fruit again. But we do it with a clear conscience: we prioritize real flavor. And that decision is what makes the difference between a fruit that nourishes the body... and one that also nourishes the soul.
So, the next time you try one of our oranges, remember that the sweetness you taste, that fresh aroma that escapes when you peel it, is no coincidence. It's the result of not forcing things and following nature's rhythm.
Little by little, we are showing that you don't have to choose between eating well and eating consciously. Because when things are done with care, there is room for both.
See you next week and...
Thank you for being on the other side!
A big hug from the field,
