ripeness of grapefruit, tangerines, tangelos and oranges

Question

I live in Hawaii.I’ve read a lot about my question, and in my experience, my fruit seems to be ripe when there is a certain give (not soft) when squeezed. Granted, color seems to be quite indicative of ripeness but doesn’t always seem dependable for me. I’ve had a green tangelo be wonderfully ripe and sweet, and it had that…’give.’ I haven’t read anything like ‘my citrus testing,’ thus I am very curious as to what you will say.

Answer 1

You are probably correct. Knowing when citrus is ripe depends on several factors and seems to take experience. Of course, knowing when your variety of citrus usually ripens in your area and how long the fruit has been on the tree will help, but a combination of color, timing, and the “give” you describe would probably allow you to harvest at the peak of flavor.