Oranges

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SPRING/FALL/WINTER FRUIT

Description:

This round, orange-colored fruit has sweet, juicy flesh and varies in color, juiciness and texture depending on where they are grown.

Florida oranges are thin-skinned, very juicy and easily squeezed while those grown in California have a thicker skin, less juice and are best for eating.

There are many varieties of this fruit. Some of the more familiar are:

Blood Orange: A medium-sized variety with beautiful red flesh and a sweet and tangy taste. They do contain a fair amount of seeds.

Navel: This variety is grown in Australia, Argentina, California and in the Mediterranean. They are large and seedless. They pull apart easily into segments and make for great eating.

Valencia: A thin-skinned variety with lots of juice and is good for both eating and juicing.


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Selecting:

When selecting, no matter the variety, choose fruit that is heavy for its size, shaped evenly and has a smooth skin appearance without any deep pits.

The thin-skinned variety will have more juice and small to medium sized fruit will have a sweeter taste.

Avoid fruit that has any soft spots, feels mushy or has bad bruising.

Storing and Handling:

When storing, place in the refrigerator for up to about two weeks. Oranges can be stored at room temperature but will not last as long, so check frequently for deterioration. For taste purposes, oranges are better when room temperature.

Preparation:

Simply peel away the skin and break into sections and enjoy. You may also slice them and peel away the skin and any pith that may be attached.

Juicing: They can also be used for juicing especially the Valencia variety.

Supreming: You can also cut away the skin, pith and individual membranes on each segment and have only the flesh. This is called “supreming”.

To do this, with a knife, carefully cut away the outer skin and the white pith. Then cut between each section of orange, between the flesh and the dividing membrane on each side and lift out the orange segment. You may want to do this over a bowl to catch all the juice as you do it.

Zesting: You can also zest the outer skin, which is loaded with flavor, to add a beautiful orange accent to your foods. Using organic produce for this is really the best, but either way, be sure to thoroughly scrub the skin in warm water to remove any residue that may be present. You can even use a mild soap to do this but be sure you rinse it off completely before zesting.

After you have cleaned the orange, use a zesting tool or the fine side of a hand grater, remove the zest, carefully avoiding the white pith which is bitter.


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Serving Suggestions:

Salads: a flavorful and juicy addition to both fruit and vegetable salads. The juice is a naturally sweet dressing as well.

Orange Zest: This is a great flavor booster when added to seafood or vegetable dishes and also works well in baked goods such as chocolate cake, cupcakes and chocolate brownies.

Juice: Add to smoothie recipes as well as seafood for seviche recipes too.


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Seasonings and Foods to use: avocado, beets, chicken, chocolate, fennel, nuts (almonds, walnuts), olive oil, olives, pork, red onion, seafood, winter squash


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Quick Salad – Orange Recipes:

Ambrosia Fruit Salad
Fresh Fruit Salad





















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