A Trip to Citrus Heaven

We’re just back from a trip to meet our friend Etienne, citrus grower extraordinaire. He grows around 800 varieties of rare citrus fruits on his farm located at the foot of the Pyrenees.

Etienne works here alongside his wife Perrine. Together they cultivate varieties such as Yuko, Bhutan Pamplemousse, giant limes and around thirty varieties of Cedro. This is total citrus heaven!

The farm, which spans around 5 hectares, includes an array of greenhouses and polytunnels which help to protect the more delicate citrus trees. This area of France receives very high light levels - an average of 320 days of sunshine per year.

Most of the production is sold in France, with around 20% exported. Most customers are chefs. In fact, Etienne estimates that together his customers hold around 300 Michelin Stars.

His fruit is used in the kitchens of around 30 three-star restaurants. Some stellar chefs even have their own exclusive trees and varieties - the fruit is grown only for them.

For Etienne, there is a huge pleasure in focusing on citrus: “What is satisfying for me is the huge diversity of citrus in term of colour, acidity, bitterness, sugar and different tastes – it’s a whole world.”

Etienne explains that perhaps his favourite is the Pomeloquat, a hybrid between a kumquat and a pomelo. “It is either a big kumquat or a small pomelo – depending on your point of view. There is bitterness, acidity, sugar and the texture is amazing. It has all the qualities of citrus in one fruit.”

This has been a great year for citrus, with excellent crops of the fruit. The trees, Etienne says, need a cold winter but it must not be too cold. Is it also essential that there are no frosts or cold weather when the plants are in flower.

Etienne’s team use organic fertilisers to feed the citrus plants and they prune them on average two times per year.

In addition to selling the fresh fruit, Etienne and Perrine are working on a range of related products. These include syrups, spreads and a selection of four citrus liquors, which should be available in spring.

Etienne and his wife purchased the farm a few years ago, having read an article about it in a French magasine. It was a big gamble - but one that paid off. “It’s a lifetime decision. Sometimes you have to jump. And we did it. We wouldn’t go back.”