What happens to oranges when you leave them in a basement with no natural light or air for six months?

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Mine have gone hard and hollow and a weird, dessicated/petrified texture/colour. I want to break them open and see what's inside but I'm afraid it might be bugs and germs and stuff.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 18 September 2003 11:21 (twenty-three years ago)

they're probably just squishy and kinda gross

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 18 September 2003 11:21 (twenty-three years ago)

They sound completely hollow, and feel really light. Is it possible for their isnides to have vanished?

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 18 September 2003 11:22 (twenty-three years ago)

if it was a dry basement it's entirely likely all the water evaporated...that's most of the weight there. Or maybe bugs ate all the insides out.

― teeny (teeny), Thursday, 18 September 2003 11:24 (twenty-three years ago)

It sounds like they dried out. I'm not sure where everything goes, exactly (evaporated through the rind, I guess, it must breathe), but it sounds like they're just going to look shriveled and sucked-out. The little tubey membraney bits of the flesh will still be there, there just won't be much in them, and the rind probably feels rigid.

― Tep (ktepi), Thursday, 18 September 2003 11:25 (twenty-three years ago)

The rind is indeed rigid.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 18 September 2003 11:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Do not break them, oranges in the basement are how babies are made! Just give them a few months more and soon you will have brothers and sisters

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Thursday, 18 September 2003 11:44 (twenty-three years ago)

J0hn yer a bad man.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 18 September 2003 11:45 (twenty-three years ago)

Drill a hole through them, and thread them onto string (together with pine cones, bunches of cinnamon sticks, dried chillis, walnuts sprayed with gold paint etc) for lovely Christmas decorations.

I spend AGES at this time of year drying orange slices very slowly in a cool oven for JUST THIS VERY PURPOSE, yet you are more organised and thought of doing yours six months ago. I'm impressed :)

― C J (C J), Thursday, 18 September 2003 11:48 (twenty-three years ago)

We've got one of these at home! It's light as a feather, the insides seem to have mysteriously vanished! cue the twilight zone music!

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Thursday, 18 September 2003 11:55 (twenty-three years ago)

I once worked with a woman who had kept an orange in her desk drawer for a number of years. it had dried out but had notgone mouldy or black, but simply a darker orange colour than a fresh one. She took it our and it bouced on her desk like a rubber ball. Her excuse for having kept it so long was simply that she'd forgotten to eat it!

― MarkH (MarkH), Thursday, 18 September 2003 11:55 (twenty-three years ago)

They get lonely.

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 18 September 2003 16:05 (twenty-three years ago)

ha ha ha ha ha h aha ha

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 18 September 2003 16:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Don't open them, it might be a trap!

― Charlie Rose (Charlie Rose), Thursday, 18 September 2003 20:40 (twenty-three years ago)

Expecting it to explode?

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Thursday, 18 September 2003 20:52 (twenty-three years ago)

It just reminds me of a bad dream I had.

― Charlie Rose (Charlie Rose), Thursday, 18 September 2003 23:05 (twenty-three years ago)

You could make some Penicillin.

― David Beckhouse (David Beckhouse), Thursday, 18 September 2003 23:54 (twenty-three years ago)

now put an egg in a jar full of vinegar!

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 19 September 2003 14:09 (twenty-three years ago)

using only your mind!

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Friday, 19 September 2003 15:58 (twenty-three years ago)

...they run for president

― Nellie (nellskies), Saturday, 20 September 2003 15:10 (twenty-three years ago)

Rehydrate them and they'll be as good as new. Apart from tasting foul and watery that is.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Saturday, 20 September 2003 15:23 (twenty-three years ago)

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