Oranges

Oranges are the most important citrus crop in the world. They are so abundant and ubiquitous we usually take them for granted. Americans couldn't always open the refrigerator and grab a glass of orange juice or walk by the corner fruit stand and pick up a navel orange. The story of oranges in America is a kind of a citrus version of how the West was won.

In 1841, William Wilfskill, the guy who planted the first table grape arbor, planted the first orange tree in Los Angeles. Although he was almost laughed out of town for even thinking of selling oranges, he persevered. He sold oranges to gold rush miners and with the completion of the transcontinental railroad, shipped them to St. Louis in 1877, and the California citrus business was off and running.

In 1873, Eliza Tibbets, was given three branches of an orange variety from Brazil, by an official of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. By 1878 she had three fruit-bearing trees and had started the navel orange industry in Riverside, California. Today, we're all eating descendants of the Washington navel she developed, and one of the three original trees she started with is still alive and bearing fruit.

In general, oranges in their various forms, like other citrus, thrive in semitropical regions such as Florida and subtropical regions such as California and the Mediterranean. Oranges also grow in tropical areas, mainly parts of South and Central America as well as some areas of Southeast Asia. Tropical fruit is less predictable than fruit from semitropical areas because the hot weather matures the fruit so quickly. In addition, citrus fruit from tropical areas will often still have a green rind because it takes cool nights for the bright color to set. Most of Florida's oranges are turned into juice because its warmer, humid climate can leave their rind with a green tinge. Although their juice is sweeter than those grown in California's cooler evenings and lower humidity, California's climate produces a more attractive looking fruit with higher acid levels.

Brazil is the world leader in orange and total citrus production followed by the United States with Florida second by itself in orange production to Brazil. Florida produces about three times the amount of oranges as California. Texas and Arizona are the only other U.S. orange-producing states of note. The United States imports comparatively little citrus, but gets imports primarily from Australia with lesser amounts from the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, and Israel.

The Mediterranean rim produces a variety of oranges, from the bitter or Seville orange of Spain to the Clementine of Morocco, the blood orange of Italy, and the Jaffa orange of Israel.

Selection & Storage
When selecting oranges, look for fruit with a shiny skin free of blemishes, wrinkles, soft areas, or mold. The oranges should be heavy for their size indicating they are full of juice. (All citrus is waxed to replace natural wax that is removed during the washing process.) Lighter fruit has more skin and drier pulp resulting in less juice. Select navel oranges with small sized navels, because oranges with larger navels indicate that they were overripe when picked. Store oranges in a cool place outside the refrigerator and try to eat them within a few days. If you need to keep them longer, refrigerate in a plastic bag or in the vegetable crisper section of the refrigerator.

As Valencias oranges ripen on the tree they will first turn a yellow-orange color and then regain a little green tinge near the stem end of the fruit, resulting from chlorophyll returning to the peel. This "regreening" of the orange is not a sign of immaturity or considered a blemish on the skin. Florida and Texas growers will sometimes use a dye to enhance the appearance of their fruit in the marketplace. All fruit treated with dye will be stamped "color added" to notify people with food allergies that dye has been added to the fruit.

Preparation
When a dish calls for sliced oranges, you have your choice of Valencia, Navel, or Blood, depending on the dish. Blood oranges make a particularly dramatic look. To avoid getting the unsightly white pith, use this method: Cut a slice off both ends so you have a flat, stable surface. Then, with one of the flat surfaces on a cutting board, run a sharp paring knife down from the north to the south poles, slicing off strips of skin and pith as you do. In the beginning, you'll probably take off a little bit more flesh than you'd like, but after a few attempts, you'll be getting only skin and pith. When you've gone all around the orange, turn it upside down and slice off the small amount that was hard to get on the bottom, and then cut the orange into sections or slices.

Tony's Tip
Some flavorings that go well with oranges include cinnamon, mint, sherry vinegar, orange liqueurs from Triple Sec to Grand Marnier, chocolate, and almond.

Tony's Favorite Recipe
Orange Salad with Olives and Mint

Varieties
Valencia oranges originated on the Iberian Peninsula, and are the world's most important commercial variety. Valencias are thin-skinned, nearly seedless, and excellent juicers whose juice doesn't lose its vitamin C overnight in the refrigerator.

Hamlins are nearly seedless and are excellent juice oranges although they also double as eating oranges.

Pineapples are seedy but are excellent juice oranges that double as eating oranges.

Navel oranges from California are probably the best eating oranges in the world. The navel is a seedless orange, oval with thick, easy-to-remove peel and segments that separate cleanly. Though not normally used as a juice orange, the Naval can be juiced, but the juice must be used immediately or it will become bitter. The word navel comes from the development of a secondary fruit at the end of the main fruit, which causes a belly-button look.

Washingtons are the most important navel variety. Newer varieties of navels are constantly being introduced but without being labeled for consumers. Such varieties include Becks, Tule Gold, Atwood, Fukumoto, and Lane Late as well as the older Skaggs Bonanza.

Seville oranges are exported from Spain to Britain where they are used almost exclusively for making marmalade. Some Seville oranges are grown in Florida.

Jaffas, also known as Shamouti oranges, are an important Mediterranean orange mostly associated with Israel, and are fragrant and pleasantly sweet.

Blood oranges, so called because of a pigment that gives the flesh a deep red color reminiscent of blood, have a rich orange flavor with strawberry and raspberry notes. The Moro blood orange has a rounded shape and the Tarocco is more elongated. Both are slightly less acidic than other varieties.

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