What is a navel orange? Only one of the most popular fruits in the world! Maybe it’s their sweet, tangy flavor which brightens up a gray winter day (navel orange season is November through early May, which is why the navel oranges is also known as a “winter orange”). Maybe it’s because the answer is “no” to the question, “do navel oranges have seeds?” Maybe it’s due to their extreme “snackability” (navel oranges are juicy without being messy, and easy to peel). Or maybe it’s all of the above! There are a number of varieties of navel orange (including the…

Navel oranges and honeybell oranges are both citrus fruits, but what distinguishes one from the other? Both are winter fruits (though the honeybell’s season is shorter than navel orange season), both have orange peels and both taste fantastic, there are a lot of differences as well. Here’s a quick rundown: What is a Navel Orange? The navel orange actually grows a second “twin” fruit opposite its stem. The second fruit remains underdeveloped, but from the outside, it resembles a human navel—hence the name. Navels are part of the winter citrus family. They peel easily and are one of the world’s…

Cara cara orange season is here at last! Just what is a cara cara orange, you ask? Only one of the sweetest navel oranges you’ll ever taste – and one that hides a surprise inside, too! The Difference Between a Cara Cara Navel & a Classic Navel Orange First discovered at Hacienda Cara Cara (hence the name) in Venezuela during the 1970s, a cara cara has the same round shape and bright orange peel as traditional navels, and like all navel oranges, they’re seedless. But two things set a cara car navel apart from a classic navel: its taste and the…

Can you ever have “too much” citrus? Maybe someone thoughtfully subscribed you to a citrus club and this month you have more than you can eat. Or maybe it’s Texas citrus season and you’re tempted to pile up on those fragrant, delicious-looking and colorful fruits. Perhaps you decided to try your hand at growing your own fruit from a citrus rootstock. Regardless, we don’t believe you can ever have too much citrus! Apart from the easy ways for storing citrus, the excess can be turned into tasty, homemade preserves that make personal, impressive gifts! Almost every entry on the citrus…

The old maxim, “It’s what’s on the inside that counts” can easily applied to the cara cara navel orange! On the From the outside, this citrus surprise looks much like any common navel, but when you open them up the difference is clear even before you taste it. What is a Cara Cara Orange? Cara cara oranges are a type of navel orange. They’re a cross between two navels and were first discovered in the mid-70s in Venezuela. Nowadays, you’re most likely to find a cara cara orange tree in California, where cara cara orange season reaches its peak between…

Grapefruit often gets a bad rap as a so-called “diet” food, unbearably bitter and a chore to eat. But you shouldn’t dismiss this citrus super food out of hand…apart from being supremely healthy, grapefruit adds a crisp, refreshing taste to many recipes. And if its reputed tartness has scared you off in the past, don’t let it – instead, get to know the sweet varieties you’ve been missing! What’s the sweetest grapefruit? Nothing against white grapefruit, but the fact remains: the redder the flesh, the sweeter the grapefruit. The first truly red grapefruit was found growing on a white grapefruit tree…

Mandarin, clementine, tangerine, oh my! If you’re looking for a healthy, kid-friendly treat your child will love seeing in his or her lunchbox, look no further than the clementine (or clementina, which means “clementine” in Spanish). There are quite a few types of orange citrus fruits to choose from, and you may notice that the mandarin tangerine and clementine look very similar. Both are hybrids of mandarin oranges, but the clementine is especially appealing to young snackers, and here are four great reasons for adding them to your child’s diet: Clementines are sweet. Does your child have a sweet tooth?…