Hello 2026!
What am I?
AIR’s founder, Val, welcomed Joshua and me into the New Year with a simple text: a photo and the words, “Pop Quiz!”
Val loves her pop quizzes here at Aina Iki. 🤣
Not having much of a green thumb, I immediately ran the image through reverse Google search and got a handful of wrong answers. Joshua, however, guessed it on the first try: the beginnings of a Satsuma mandarin tree.
Around this same time last year, Val was talk storying with us at what we call “The Satellite” — the spot where we park our Steady Betty home on wheels. During our chat, she showed us a tree she feared had fruited its last. One of our goats had been left to graze unaccompanied and enthusiastically chewed up much of Miss Satsuma’s bark.
But as things often go here at Aina Iki, life had other plans.
Not long after, Miss Satsuma surprised us with one last, incredibly sweet mandarin — and inside it was a single seed.
We shared the fruit (and the excitement) with Val, who lovingly planted that one seed and tended it throughout 2025 while we were back on the mainland. She waited until New Year’s Day to send the photo — her quiet way of saying the seed had taken.
Now that Joshua and I are officially living on our Satellite corner of Aina Iki Ranch, we’ve been giving Mama (no longer Miss) Satsuma a little extra love — including nutrient-rich duck water. And once again, she’s responding beautifully.
She’s growing strong and steady, proving it takes more than one gluttonous goat to take her down.
Some reasons why we love Mama Satsuma 🍊
• She stays manageable.
Satsumas are smaller than your average citrus tree, typically reaching 8–15 feet at full height. Ours is around 10 feet right now, and we plan to gently top her so the fruit stays within arm’s reach.
• She smells incredible.
Her delicate white blossoms are just as heavenly as the fruit itself — sweet, floral, and impossible to miss when she’s in bloom.
• Her fruit is easy and delicious.
Satsumas are sweet, juicy, and incredibly easy to peel. The skin practically falls away in your hands.
• She’s nourishing.
Like most citrus, satsumas are rich in Vitamin C — supporting immune function, collagen production, and acting as an antioxidant to help reduce cellular stress. But unlike many oranges, they’re lower in acid, making them a little gentler on sensitive stomachs.
