Drop the oranges and back away slowly...

Clementine oranges — those sweet-tart pouches of citrus delight — are not ready in October.

Prior to Halloween, Clementines are sour, wan little fruits... even so, the excitement burbles. Customers demand access to them. The stores stock them. The growers pick them. The buyers ship them.

My neighborhood produce manager opens up pallets of sad, pre-season citrus from Spain, shakes his head, marks up the price only slightly above cost (even at wholesale, early fruit pricing is dear) and stocks the bins.

"Have to stay competitive," he tells me. "I mean, Fairway's got them up, and if we don't..."

"I don't want to sell these right now." He picks up a freckled green-yellow fruit and turns it over in his palm.

"They'll be great next month... mid-November or so. I wish I could put up a sign to tell people they're not going to be any good. They should just buy pears... or apples. The apples are fantastic right now."