Episode 35: Pulp Non-Fiction (The History of Oranges in LA)

Sally Long, picking oranges from a grove in Franklin Canyon, poses for a publicity photo extolling the bounty of Los Angeles. Photo dated: Jan. 15, 1926. Photo courtesy of LAPL Photo Collections.

Peel away the skin, take that gross white stuff off, section it up and extract the seeds and what you’ve got left is our long awaited (and dreaded) episode on oranges! Bite into the story of LA’s mythological cash crop all the way from the first orange tree to come to the city (9:10) all the way through the rise of a little local business known as Sunkist (41:47). Some sugar added.