[ RIP ] Nokomis Groves FL – Orange You Glad You Know About It!

For some reason I love getting oranges right from the grove when we visit Florida. It makes me think of that time not too long ago when you couldn’t get fruit year ’round, and Florida citrus was a special treat- especially in the dead of winter. My favorite orange destination is Nokomis Groves – celebrating their 61st year in business!

Still family owned and operated, the fact that the store is only open during the season -which appears to be November to April according to the Citrus Calendar -reminds me of the farm stands that crop up (ha!) on the roadsides here in PA during the summer. And we all know that nothing tastes better than fruits and vegetables in season. And this isn’t some slick gift shop, but more like an indoor citrus stand where real work happens just on the other side of the table.

We’ve become partial to their honeybells, sometimes called Minneola Tangelos, with their outie belly buttons and their sweet flavor. Our pals T&P always make sure to load up on them before heading back up north!

If you’re not sure of what type of citrus you want to buy, Nokomis has a tasting station with sliced fruit to sample, and a 5 cent donation to a local charity gets you a taste of their delish fresh orange juice as well.

Want to say thanks to the folks up at home who are keeping your roof snow free while you frolic in the sunshine? Place a order of Nokomis Florida cheer to be sent up north to help fight scurvy or just the winter blahs. Or just to show off to say ha-ha, we’re in the place where it’s warm enough to grow citrus fruit! 😉

Or how about  a gift basket filled with jellied treats? I am just enamored by the way the alligator tail curls so nicely around that pineapple slice!

One of my favorite smells from childhood is the scent of orange blossom perfume. I remember my neighborhood friends Janet & Maryann would sometimes visit Florida with their grandmother, and once they came back with a dainty little bottle of orange blossom perfume. When I was allowed a sniff from the teensy bottle, well it was like smelling sunshine. When I saw that Nokomis Groves carried this same scent from my past, well I grabbed one straight away. Now any time I’m feeling low in the gloom of winter I take a whiff and I’m immediately thinking of warm weather and sun filled days.
They also sell a wide variety of jellies, jams, candies and all sorts of accessories and souvenirs, perfect for assembling into gift baskets. Of course I’m partial to the ones with the retro graphics!

If you happen to be in Nokomis but it isn’t citrus season, never fear, because they make an orange ice cream / sherbet that is out of this world. The ice cream window is open year ’round. Even on the chilly day we visited the ice cream window was doing a brisk business (pun intended!).

I have to thank Retro Roadhusband for indulging me as I posed his ice cream, all he wanted to do was eat it!

(Take it from me -orange or orange and vanilla rock. Beware of the lime! No matter how much you may dig the color, it tastes all chemically compared to the sweet orange!)

For fruit grown just across the street, fresh squeezed orange juice, souvenirs, sweets and a little bit of Florida history, you’ll be glad you visited Nokomis Groves!