by 3 people |
There are more kinds of citrus than you think. This lens will explain just a little about just a few of the really good ones. There are hundreds of varieties, and hybrids, and they're all great. But that would take a textbook, instead of a lens. Of course, I prefer Florida fruit, because my dad is a grower. There are phone contacts, links and recipes here, too.
Oranges
- Valencia orange: Ripe in the spring. Grown almost exclusively for juice, but spectacular as fresh fruit. Number one juice variety.
- Navel orange: What you find in the grocery store, mostly. Easy to peel, but not as juicy as some of the others. Ripe in the late fall.
- Hamlin orange: Grown for juice. Ripe in the late fall or early winter. Good juice color, and quite sweet. A lot of your juice contains hamilns.
- Parson Brown orange: Good tasting juice, but the color isn't real intense. So the juice is blended with other varieties to make the stuff you buy in the grocery store.
Tangerines
- Dancy tangerine: Dark orange in color. Tangy. Oldest variety of tangerine in Florida, but increasingly hard to find. Really easy to peel.
- Murcott tangerine. Marketed as Honey Tangerine. Super sweet and juicy. Maybe not a true tangerine, but a cross with a sweet orange.
- Robinson tangerine. One of the more popular ones. And not a tangerine at all, but a cross. 3/4 tangerine, and 1/4 grapefruit.
- Sunburst tangerine. Probably what you buy in the store, because it's far and away the most popular.
- Satsuma tangerine. Called the Satsuma Mandarin, it's grown only sparsely in Florida. When you buy Mandarins from Asia, this is mostly what you get.
Tangelos and other Hybrids
- A tangelo is a 50-50 cross of a grapefruit (or pummelo) and a tangerine. Since there are lots of different tangerines, and lots of different grapefruit, there are lots of different tangelos.
- Orlando tangelo. Looks like an orange. Has a tang like a tangerine. Ripe in late fall. A few shippers sell a few of them, but they haven't been marketed well.
- Minneola tangelo. Marketed as Honeybell Tangelos. Incredibly popular, incredibly sweet. Available only in January, both for production and marketing reasons. Noted for the bell-shaped nib on the stem end.
- Temple orange. A cross between a sweet orange and a tangerine, which makes it, technically, a Tangor.
- Ambersweet orange. My personal favorite. A complex hybrid that peels like a navel, tastes like a sweeter version of an Orlando Tangelo, and grows pretty big.
Grapefruit
- Duncan grapefruit. White grapefruit. A lot of seeds, but great for sectioning. Popular.
- Marsh grapefruit. Pale yellow flesh, large open cavity in the center.
- Redblush grapefruit. Also called Ruby by some. Peel has a bit of pink blush, and the flesh is pale pink to pale red. Extremely popular.
- Star Ruby grapefruit. Intense deep red flesh. Smooth peel. Trees susceptible to several pests, so yield isn't great.
Lemons, Limes, and other stuff
- Green lime. The slices you put in your beer likely came from Mexico. Trees are quite susceptible to cold.
- Persian lime. Larger, yellow, more juice. Grown in South Florida, because trees are not cold tolerant.
- Key lime. Small, yellow. If your key lime pie is green, it's not key lime pie.
- Meyer lemon. Big. Yellow. Full of juice. Grown for just that.
- Calamondin. Ornamental, but edible. Good for mamalade, and garnishes. Golf ball or smaller orange colored fruit. Quite sour.
(866) 354-7696 Sunsational Citrus
A great place to get great fruit:
Most of my dad's fresh fruit goes here. Some of his juice fruit will, too, I think. I'd have you call my dad direct, but he doesn't want you to. Sunsational doesn't have a web site (yet - I run an ad agency, so I'm working on that), but they're great people, and can send you a catalog, or, now that you've read the lens, just tell them what you want.
Places to get fruit on the web
- florida-citrus.com
- Tom Mack has great fruit. Plus he's a good guy. His website isn't as fancy as some, but, well, he's a good guy with great fruit.
- Florida Gift Fruit Shippers Association
- Lots of shippers to choose from here. If Sunsational or Florida-Citrus doesn't have what you're looking for, check out the other association members. Just click on the "Gift Fruit Shippers" button.
About Juice
There's nothing wrong with concentrate. It's not "unnatural." It's just had some of the water taken out. All juice (even the squeezed kind in the store) is pasteurized. Concentrate is actually a little sweeter. The only problem with concentrate is that it's usually a blend of Brazilian and Florida juices.
Brazilian Juice: Brazil doesn't have much in the way of labor laws, or pesticide regulations. At least not compared to the US. And their track record on both fronts is less than stellar. Result: they produce fruit cheaper. Recent deregulation of imports has allowed more Brazilian juice and fruit into the US. The big companies like Minute Maid don't want to talk about it, because they import Brazilian juice, too. When you buy any orange juice, make sure it says: "Florida Squeezed", or "Made From Florida Concentrate." That's the only way you know you're getting juice from fruit grown here.
Fresh squeezed. Look on the package. Make sure it says "Florida Squeezed."
Brazilian Juice: Brazil doesn't have much in the way of labor laws, or pesticide regulations. At least not compared to the US. And their track record on both fronts is less than stellar. Result: they produce fruit cheaper. Recent deregulation of imports has allowed more Brazilian juice and fruit into the US. The big companies like Minute Maid don't want to talk about it, because they import Brazilian juice, too. When you buy any orange juice, make sure it says: "Florida Squeezed", or "Made From Florida Concentrate." That's the only way you know you're getting juice from fruit grown here.
Fresh squeezed. Look on the package. Make sure it says "Florida Squeezed."
Recipes
- Citrus Recipes
- Recipes include Tropical Salsa, Citrus Marinated Shrimp, and Crepes with Grapefruit Maple Sauce.
- Hale Indian River Groves Gourmet Citrus Recipes
- Entrees, beverages, appetizers, desserts, soups, and salads.
- Just Fruit Recipes: Grapefruit
- A small collection of recipes which include margaritas, salads, marmalades, sorbets, relish, and stir-fry.
- Just Fruit Recipes: Tangerine
- A handful of recipes such as salad, pudding, liqueurs, custard, and tangerine chicken.
- Orange Blossom Crepes
- Use a chafing dish or portable burner and nice skillet for tableside presentation.
- Dereus Groves
- Categories include soups, salads, breads, main dishes, side dishes, appetizers, and desserts.
- Florida Citrus Recipes: Grapefruit Recipes
- Recipes include Ruby Throated Hummingbird Cake, Grapefruit Chiffon Loaf Cake, and Zesty Citrus Chicken.
- Florida Citrus Recipes: Orange Recipes
- Features recipes for Ensalada Pico De Gallo, Mexican Orange Thins, and Liquid Sunshine Soup.
- Burke's Backyard Archives 1997 - Citrus Recipes
- Offers recipes for Lemon Curd, Orange Citrus Cake, and Lime Cordial.
- Lang Sun Country Groves: Citrus Recipes
- Recipes include Florida Meatballs, Citrus Tossed Salad, and Tangerine Pie.
- Citrus Terrine
- A French dessert of red and white grapefruit, oranges, and tangerines.
- A Citrus Legacy: Citrus Recipes
- Includes recipes for Florida Orange Nut Cake, Lemon Basil Grilled Chicken, and Orange Caesar Salad.
- Poinsettia Groves: Florida Citrus Recipes
- Recipes for appetizers, breads, desserts, salads, and main dishes.
- Grapefruit Recipes
- Includes two recipes: Grapefruit Star Anise Granita and Grapefruit Ambrosia.
- Frozen Orange Souffles
- Requires 8 medium oranges, grated lemon zest, egg yolks, heavy cream, Grand Marnier, and fresh mint leaves.
Great Stuff on Amazon
The Great Citrus Book: A Guide with Recipes (Great Series)
Amazon Price: $13.22 (as of 12/02/2009) 
Citrus
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 12/02/2009)
The Citrus Cookbook
Amazon Price: (as of 12/02/2009)
Citrus Cookbook: Tantalizing Food & Beverage Recipes from Around the World
Amazon Price: $14.95 (as of 12/02/2009)
Oranges & Lemons: Recipes from the Mediterranean
Amazon Price: (as of 12/02/2009)
by emosteller
grew up on a citrus farm in Florida, and is the senior partner and executive creative director of Tangelo Ideas, an advertising agency in Galveston Te... (more)
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