A friend from the local orchestra 🎻 here in Yuma, Arizona invited me to spend the afternoon with her. She asked what I’d been wanting to do in the area, suggesting we do it together. I was all down for this except…🤔 I couldn’t think of anything to do in Yuma! It’s something I’ve struggled with down here. I’m used to day hiking or some other outdoor adventure as a way to spend time with friends and there just isn’t much of that here! There are some amazing hikes in North Eastern Arizona, but nothing close to Yuma.

I listed off a few general ideas we could do together; grab coffee, take on a baking challenge, or go for a bike ride. We set a date and time and decided to play it by ear. Friday morning as I was drinking my coffee ☕️, I remembered what I’d been wanting to do in Yuma! Last year, one of our RV renters would pick citrus for a local orchard at daylight. Each morning I’d hear a friendly knock on the door and then be greeted with a huge smile and a bag of fresh citrus…oranges 🍊, lemons 🍋, grapefruit, and tangelos. He kept me well supplied and I returned the favor by baking him a lemon pie 🥧 or two. Well, this year I am on my own for supplying my citrus. So I texted my friend to see if she wanted to pick some fresh citrus with me and we agreed to go together to find a u-pick orchard.

For being prime citrus country, I was surprised how hard it was to find an orchard that welcomed u-pickers! I had done some looking around on Google before we headed out and followed the route to a local farm, only to find that it looked like a private residence with no indication that it was open to the public. On the way, we had passed one sign for U-Pick Grapefruit so we decided to check that out. It was oranges 🍊 I really wanted, but Jonathan loves the grapefruit and really I just wanted to harvest some fresh fruit.

This time we found welcome signs and arrows directing us to the parking area next to an orchard with the biggest grapefruit trees I’ve ever seen. An older man greeted us, handed us an apple 🍎 picker (okay, maybe it’s a fruit picker, but in the PNW we call them apple pickers.) , and told us where to find the best Ruby Red Grapefruits.

We filled a 5 gallon bucket with some beautiful grapefruits for $4 and then I also grabbed some pre picked Tangelos because they are my favorite! It was a simple outing, though hard to find a place to pick, and a great way to spend an afternoon with a friend. I just love harvesting my own food, meeting those who grow it, and knowing where it came from.