In July the citrus trees that have fruit that ripens in the autumn need to be protected from the sun. We paint the trunks white with lime and after the fruit has been thinned we put each one in a Japanese sock. Sort of like a stocking that has both ends open. Ours are black, pink or white. Both the lime and the socks are are physical protection against the sun and insects. The sun in the Iberian Peninsula is especially strong in summer with sun between 9 and 14 hours a day. It burns the developing fruit and the trunks of the trees.
These treatments are not necessary in Asia where the summers are cloudy, at the moment in Kōchi the average is 3 hours of sunshine a day. This is one of the reasons the Mediterranean does not have the same fruit as Japan and vice versa.
The climate here produces late-ripening winter citrus fruit, the climate in Japan produces citrus that ripens earlier.
It has taken almost fifteen years to introduce these citrus trees in accordance with phytosanitary regulations and then to obtain adult trees. The reward ? we get very juicy sudachi from mid-July, a month earlier than Japan.
There are very few fruits exchanged between countries even within Europe specialties remain local or national.
Why go to so much trouble ? Because these citrus are incredible, good for our health and for your pure enjoyment; they become quickly indispensable.
I hope we will help make Sudachi juice and its grated zest rich in sudachitin widely known.