Cara Cara or is it?

[isaac1]

If you want the short version, skip down to the last sentence or two.

As you likely know Cara Cara was first discovered growing as a limb sport of a Washington Navel orange about 45 years ago, and I have read that they may be more prone to spontaneous mutation than many other types of citrus.  In the spring of 2016 I bought a Cara Cara orange tree that is grafted to a trifoliate rootstock, likely Kuharski or Carizzo.  I planted it in ground and it grew rapidly starting off barely over a foot tall, and is now over 8 feet (was at 7 feet this time last year), it is also very thorny.

This is the first year that it has developed any fruit, there are currently 25 or so Oranges growing on the tree.  Being in the southern US on the 8b/9a line in Louisiana we were hit by the arctic blast this week with low temperatures reaching down to 24F (-4C).  I covered the tree and provided heat lamps, in the hopes of protecting the fruit, if this worked or not we will know in a couple of days, but for now it still has most of its fruit, which had already mostly colored up prior to the freeze.

With the real chance of loosing this first batch of fruit, I did go ahead and pick one prior to covering the tree, what I found was a fruit that appeared correct for Cara Cara, it was a hard to peel navel orange, though with a smaller navel than store bought Cara Caras I have eaten in the past.  The interior had a red color, perhaps a darker red than I have typically seen in store bought fruit, but I have seen lots of variation in this.  Now it was down to the taste, it was not overly sweet, but this may be attributed to being picked a number of weeks too early or to being on a young tree, however there was also a taste I was not expecting, and that is an almost mild grapefruit like taste.  My question: Is it normal for not fully ripe Cara Caras and other navel oranges to have a grapefruit like taste?

thanks Ike

[Laaz]

Cara cara are not dark red, they have more of a pinkish flesh. I have a variegated cara cara which is another bud sport. Even when I have left fruit on the tree into Feb, they have never gotten dark red flesh. I has fruited since the year after I grafted it... I will also say this is the most prone fruit to fruit split.

[Laaz]

[david]

I have Cara Cara. It has never developed red flesh. Perhaps a pinkish tinge but can not really call it red. Young tree but second year to bear a crop. I also had 23 degrees for about 7 hours. Threw a blanket over the Cara Cara. Does not appear to have damaged the fruit. I leave CC on the tree till fully ripe. I would venture that the slight gfruit taste is because of the unripe condition. Mine do not taste of gfruit. I am surprised at the red tint you speak of.

[Laaz]

isaac1 post a photo of the fruit & then one of it sliced open.

[millet]

Cara Cara do have a unique taste a11 there own.  I would not call Cara Cara a sweet fruit, nor have I tasted a grapefruit taste.  My Cara Cara tree is grafted on FD and is now about 15 years old.

[isaac1]

I picked another Cara Cara after uncovering the tree this weekend, rather I knocked one off while pulling the cover, it is representative of the fruit still on the tree, though may not be the best looking example. I am attaching photos of it next to a Miho Satsuma for comparison as well as one of it cut. This one was very juicy, and tasted more ripe than the one a couple of days ago, though still has a hint of grapefruit taste.

Attachments:

[Laaz]

Looks like Cara cara.

[millet]

Yes it certainly looks like a Cara Cara. Cara Cara is hard to peel. Test your fruit. 

[brian]

Here's a cara cara I just picked off my tree. Cross section looks kinda like a pink grapefruit but I don't really detect any grapefruit taste in cara cara. Might be in your head because of the appearance. This one was delicious, one of the best navel oranges I've had.




Laaz, what is the bottom photo in your posting? Is that a pink grapefruit? It doesn't look like cara cara to me (seeds, no navel)

[Laaz]

Nope, cara cara...

[brian]

Is it common for cara cara to have seeds? I don't think I've ever seen seeds in a navel orange

[Laaz]

Depends on cross pollination.

[millet]

I have all kinds of citrus trees, and they all bloom more or less at the same time. In 15 years I have never seen a single seed in my Cara Cara.

[Laaz]

Well then, you tell me.