{"id":24381,"date":"2017-01-25T19:05:20","date_gmt":"2017-01-26T00:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/therockysafari.com\/?p=24381"},"modified":"2021-05-30T13:53:17","modified_gmt":"2021-05-30T17:53:17","slug":"can-you-eat-the-oranges-growing-in-valencia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.therockysafari.com\/2017\/01\/25\/can-you-eat-the-oranges-growing-in-valencia\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Eat the Sidewalk Oranges Growing in Valencia?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Well, the short answer is yes. <\/strong><\/p>\n … But you probably wouldn’t want to.<\/strong><\/p>\n Here’s why.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Spanish orange industry is nothing short of sensational. The value of their annual exports routinely approaches a billion euros. Orange production in Spain offers quality, variety, and excessive quantity.<\/p>\n In the city of Valencia, oranges are so abundant they even grow on the trees lining the streets!<\/strong><\/p>\n Valencia has over 741,000 acres of land devoted to orange cultivation all year long. With a climate and land so conducive to growing these wonderful orange fruits, it seems rather logical they’d embrace and\u00a0honor\u00a0them all throughout the city.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Upon my arrival in Valencia, I was in absolute awe of the orange trees. Seeing such colorful, fruitful trees was a true wonder. In the heart of winter!? Back at home in New Jersey where I grew up, you’d be hardpressed to find a green tree past September. I love chestnut and black oak trees… but this was so different<\/em>.<\/p>\n Homey and cozy though they may be, don’t be deceived by their beauty. Yes, there is something so cheerful about seeing brightly colored ripe oranges dangling above your head while walking through a city in the middle of the winter<\/strong>. But don’t let them fool you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When I asked my Spanish boyfriend why the city streets were filled with these beautiful oranges, he tried to pull a quick-one on me and claimed that the orange trees were a government-sponsored food initiative to combat hunger.<\/p>\n I assumed this to be true because, well, it sounded like it made sense.<\/p>\n The oranges were<\/strong> everywhere<\/strong>! So why not!?<\/p>\n I have even heard stories in the past about a society somewhere that grows crops in abundance permitting a “take what you need” philosophy for citizens. A program that is actually sustainable. Isn’t that incredible?<\/p>\n Anyway, Jorge soon went on to explain to me that he was just kidding<\/strong><\/span> and informed me that as delicious as the oranges may appear<\/em> to be, the oranges growing on the streets of Valencia are actually quite bitter and should not be eaten.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Of course, this naturally\u00a0piqued\u00a0my curiosity and my mind became filled with questions.<\/p>\n I began to wonder\u00a0if they could\u00a0be eaten!<\/p>\n I wondered what the oranges\u00a0really<\/em> tasted like.<\/p>\n They couldn’t possibly be poisonous…. right? Otherwise, Valencia’s government officials wouldn’t allow for them to be so easily accessible to the public… right?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While walking home with Jorge, we plucked off an orange and brought it home with us.<\/p>\n I wanted to connect to Wi-Fi, make sure I wouldn’t die first, and then if (and only if) deemed *safe*, taste-test the oranges growing in Valencia.<\/p>\n I couldn’t find anything online saying the oranges were dangerous so by default, I concluded the oranges must be safe<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Logic at its finest<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n
“The oranges in Valencia are a government-sponsored food initiative to combat world hunger,” he claimed.<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n