The annual collection of fruit from the Principality’s bitter orange trees is set to start Monday, and they are all up for grabs so find a box and get ready to take advantage of this once-a-year opportunity! 

The gardeners from the Department of Urban Development (DAU) have the same task every year, with winter the ideal time to cut back Monaco’s nearly 1,000 citrus trees. But before they prune, they pick the fruit and offer it up to the public.  

Starting 16th January, the 566 bitter orange trees, known locally as bigarades, that grow along the various streets of the Condamine, Moneghetti and Monte Carlo neigbourhoods will be harvested and all anyone needs to do in order to take home some of these lovely fruits is to ask a gardener on site.  

In 2022, 1.3 tonnes of a 7.6-tonne yield were given away for free, including a nice delivery made to the Lycée Technique et Hôtelier de Monaco, whose students turned the raw fruit into delicious jams and fruit roll ups. Other ways to use bitter oranges are as a juice, tea, marmalade or marinade.  

The picking schedule runs from 8am to noon, then 2pm to 3.30pm. In the Condamine, they will start on Rue Princesse Caroline from 16th to 26th January, before moving onto Rue Grimaldi from 30th January to 10th February. From 16th to 27th January, the harvest will also be on in Moneghetti on the Boulevard de Belgique. Monte Carlo’s times will run from 16th to 20th January on Avenue de Grande Bretagne, and from 23rd to 27th January on Boulevard de Suisse and Boulevard d’Italie.  

Harvesting is subject to weather and the progress being made by the DAU. For more information, call +377 98 98 22 77. 

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Photo source: Jason Richard for Unsplash