The Orange Shop

Thanks, Jennifer. We should have Pages for another few weeks. As far as customer service, we had a fellow named Fletcher Kelly who started working at The Shop the year I was born, 1951, who we sadly lost this summer at a ripe old age after having worked up through last season. Fletcher was a very wise person, and we listened closely to every snippet of advice he gave us. Fletcher's favorite saying to customers still governs our attitudes and approach -- "This is your place, we just take care of it for you". Even though he's not running the fruit washing machine for the first time in 61 years, Fletcher's philosophy keeps us focused on what's important, as he always said, "every day". Pete

Thank you for the tip for specifying preferred size of fruit. I think I'm going to do just that and order another bushel. And I want to say that I really appreciate your dedication to your customer's satisfaction.

Thanks, Jennifer, for your comments. It's always good to hear from our customers. The fruit does vary from year to year, although generally if they're coming off the same trees, they won't be very different. Now, there are differences between big and small fruit, and in general this year's Page crop has a bit larger fruit than last year. Since the larger fruit also tend to have more seeds, it sounds like the main difference between this and last year would be attributable to the size of the fruit. The smaller fruit of any variety also tends to have more sugar and a higher juice content, which would be noticeable if you are squeezing them. So, as a hint, when checking out, there's a comment box. Just specify that you prefer the smaller size fruit, and that's what we'll send. Otherwise, we usually send a mixture of sizes, because preferences vary. Many thanks! Pete

Pete and Cindy, I have to comment here and say that I agree with this customer's experience, at least in regards to 2011 (not scheduled deliveries) being of better quality than my 2012 scheduled deliveries. Perhaps just a coincidence. Below is my experience: My first order of Pages oranges in 2011 were absolutely incredible. Because of this, I took advantage of the last year pricing and scheduled a whole bushel to be delivered for both Nov. & Dec. The oranges looked the same though I will say a good portion were slightly larger than I remembered. Personally, I did not buy these to peel and eat, only for juicing as I have dubbed the juice these produce as Nectar from Heaven. I, too, was just a bit disappointed in the quality of the 2012 harvest. As you noted, the larger oranges did have more seeds in comparison to the smaller ones, but overall I think this harvest had more seeds than 2011. I did have a handful of small ones that had no seeds and it was the juice from these that produced the heavenly thick nectar that I had been craving for over a year. Now, typically I do not strain the pulp out of my juice, but for the Pages I make an exception because it distracts from the nectar's thick mouth feel. With that said, this harvest produced a pulpier juice than I remember from last year. Once strained, the juice and sweetness from these oranges can be so thick that it's almost like a concentrate that you dilute with water. In fact, for my 3-year old, I do this because the fruit sugars really get her buzzing since sugar is not a part of her regular diet. Also, when I'm getting low, I dilute with water to stretch it out. Really the taste is still quite orange-y and satisfying. Despite the seeds and pulp, overall, I would say I was satisfied and I will order them again. I just wanted to comment to say that my experience was similar to the original poster. It's hard get consistent harvests and flavors when the weather is as erratic as it has been. I find that oranges taste better after a cold-snap and/or REAL winter weather for a couple of weeks. And we're just not getting that in Florida. 80 degrees in January, anybody?

Thanks very much for your comments about the Page Oranges you received this year. We listen carefully to everything our customers have to say. I have to say, though, that we are a bit puzzled. The Pages this year are coming from the exact same trees as last year. Even the same rows. We haven't noticed a significant difference in the flavor. The seed count is related to the fruit size -- smaller fruit have fewer seeds -- but a lot of people like the larger fruit so it's a tradeoff. The only thing I can figure is that you may have received a mispack -- your comment about not being sure they were Pages makes me suspicious that you may have received a combo pack with another variety. It doesn't happen often, but it can occur in the busy packinghouse if someone loses concentration. I would suggest that we ship you another box of Pages to see if that might be the case. Hopefully you'll notice this comment and let us know your shipping information. As far as next year, we hope to have Pages again, too. We introduced them as Gift Fruit, and have been the exclusive shipper. After our success, though, there may be others out there with limited quantities from time to time. Please get back, though, so we can sort this issue out and make it right for you. Many thanks! Pete