The Little Tangerine Is One of Nature’s Most Versatile Foods

The orange is known as one of nature’s most perfect foods, and the tangerine, which is a hybrid in the mandarin family of oranges, is one of nature’s juiciest, most sweet-tasting delicacies. 

Tangerines were first cultivated in China more than 3,000 years ago and didn’t reach Europe or the United States until the 1800s.  Now, in addition to East Asia, tangerines are abundant on the Mediterranean, Australia, India and the East Indies, as well as in California, Arizona, Texas and Florida.

The best months for tangerines are November through January in the United States and North America.  They are smaller than most oranges and tangerines of good quality will be glossy with deep orange, loose-fitting skins, heavy for their size and feel soft and puffy.  Tangerines can be safely stored in the refrigerator for up to seven days but also freezes well after juicing.  Most people like to peel them and eat them right off the skin, although fresh tangerine juice as well as frozen juice concentrate are easily available and very popular in the United States.  There are also many delicious and healthful recipes which use fresh tangerine wedges in main dishes, salads and desserts.

In addition to its uniquely sweet and mild, refreshing taste, the tangerine is an excellent source of nutrition, containing vitamins C, B1, B2 and B3, as well as potassium, magnesium, beta-carotene and folate.  The properties of tangerine oil have been used for centuries in medicinal applications to help relieve stress and tension, as well as digestive problems such as flatulence, diarrhea and constipation.  However, the most popular use for tangerine oil is for increasing circulation to the skin, preventing stretch marks and to reduce fluid retention.

The tangerine has spawned its own numerous tasty varieties of fruit from around the world as well as holiday tradition.  The Dancy tangerine is often referred to as the Christmas Orange since it is a tradition in many places for children to receive them in Christmas stockings.

Other hybrids include the popular Clementine, which comes from Spain and North Africa and is a small, sweet-tasting tangerine with no seeds.  Also known as the temple orange or royal mandarin, the tangor is a cross between a tangerine and an orange.  The cross between a tangerine and a pomelo (a large citrus fruit related to the grapefruit) resulted in the tangelo.  Of the tangelos, the Minneola is easily recognized by a little knob formation at its stem end and is one of the most popular tangerine varieties because of its juiciness and sweet, mild flavor.

Why a Navel Orange is a Citrus Fruit For Many Choices

The Navel Orange is one of the most popular of the orange tree varietals and also one of the most unique and versatile.  Most people know that oranges have many important health benefits to humans.  Millions of people drink orange juice from navel oranges daily as a source of vitamin C, a main nutritional ingredient of navel oranges.  Vitamin C helps keep the human immune system strong, works to absorb iron in the body, helps heal wounds, and can even aid in preventing heart disease. 

Other important nutrients in navel oranges are beta-carotene, which prevents cell damage, calcium for strong, healthy bones, magnesium to maintain healthy blood pressure and potassium for cell electrolytes in balance.  The high fiber content in navel oranges can help improve cholesterol ratios in the body, which is important in controlling diabetes.  Other nutrients in navel oranges are also known to help to prevent other types of cancer as well, including stomach and esophagus cancer.  One of the best ways to get the right amount of these essential nutrients and others is to drink a fresh squeezed juice from a navel orange or to eat it right off the peel!

The navel orange is also a favorite addition to fruit salads or is used to make preserves or jams, such as the ever popular orange marmalade.  Orange oil from naval oranges is a byproduct of the orange peel which is used to flavor food and drink as well as an important ingredient for fragrance in perfumes and aromatherapy.  Orange blossoms can be dried and then used to make a delicious, aromatic tea.  Gardeners often use orange peels to repel slugs and other garden pests. 

Navel oranges are seedless, and the flesh inside is naturally very sweet and juicy, and its taste is very refreshing.  The blossom end of a navel orange looks like a human navel from the outside, which is how the fruit acquired its name.  When a neval orange is peeled, on the inside of the blossom end there is a partially formed, undeveloped conjoined “twin” fruit.  Although navel oranges are clones of a tree originally from Brazil, today they are a very important industry in the United States and grown primarily in Florida, Arizona and California.  Depending on your region of the country, fresh navel oranges are available from winter through late spring.  The kind of navel orange you should buy at the market is one that feels heavy for its size and has no soft spots, outward pitting or mold.

Health Benefits: The Fascinating History of Navel Oranges

Oranges are among the most popular fruits worldwide because of their unique, sweet and refreshing taste.  Also, because not only can they be found in great abundance and varieties, oranges have many important health benefits to the human body.  The navel orange, also known by its scientific term citrus sinensis, is one of the most popular of the orange tree varietals and also one of the most unique. 

Navel oranges are seedless, and once the peel is broken, the flesh inside is naturally very sweet and juicy.  From the outside, the blossom end of a navel orange looks like a human navel, which is how it acquired its name.  Inside, when a naval orange is broken or peeled, you can see a partially formed, undeveloped conjoined “twin” fruit on the blossom end. 

The antioxidant vitamin C is a main nutritional ingredient of navel oranges.  Millions of people drink orange juice from navel oranges daily as a source of vitamin C.  Vitamin C not only helps keep the human immune system strong, but it also helps the body absorb iron, works to heal wounds, and can even help prevent heart disease.  The human body does not naturally produce vitamin C on its own, so one of the best ways to get the right amount of this essential nutrient is to drink a fresh squeezed juice from a navel orange or to eat it right off the peel.

Other nutrients in navel oranges are also known to help to prevent cancer as well, such as stomach and esophagus cancer.  The high fiber content in navel oranges can help improve cholesterol ratios in the body, which is important in controlling diabetes. 

Beta-carotene is another antioxidant found in navel oranges which helps prevent cell damage.  Navel oranges also contain calcium, which promotes strong, healthy bones and vitamin B6 to boost production of hemoglobin in the bloodstream. The high potassium content in navel oranges helps maintain the balance of electrolytes in cells, and its magnesium helps keep blood pressure at an acceptable level.

But one of the most unique things about the naval orange is its history.  To this day, all navel oranges are clones which still originate from a tree in Brazil from almost 200 years ago.  This single tree propagated spontaneous clones and led to being grown in other regions. 

These mutations can only be cultivated through tree cuttings and being grafted onto other trees.  Producing navel oranges is considered a very big industry in the United States and economically important to California, Florida and Arizona where they are primarily grown.

Essential Nutrients Make Navel Oranges One of Nature’s Most Important Foods

The citrus sinesis, also known as the Navel Orange, is one of the most popular, unique and versatile of the orange tree varietals.  The navel orange can be cut open and eaten right off the peel, squeezed and drunk as a juice, a favorite addition to fruit salads, or even turned into preserves or jams, such as the ever popular orange marmalade.  Orange oil from naval oranges is a byproduct of the orange peel which is used to flavor food and drink as well as for fragrance in perfumes and aromatherapy.  Gardeners often use orange peels as a slug repellent.  Orange blossoms can be dried and then used to make a delicious, aromatic tea.

Fresh navel oranges are available from winter through late spring, depending on your region of the country.  When you go to the market, the kind of navel orange you should look for is one that feels heavy for its size and has no soft spots, outward pitting or mold. 

Navel oranges are seedless, and the flesh inside is naturally very sweet and juicy.  From the outside, the blossom end looks like a human navel.  When a naval orange is peeled, there is a partially formed, undeveloped conjoined “twin” fruit on the blossom end on the inside. 

Although navel oranges originally came from Brazil, today they are grown primarily in Florida, Arizona and California, and the navel orange cultivation industry is very important in the United States.

In addition to their sweet, refreshing taste, navel oranges are also well known and considered very important for their health benefits, especially the antioxidant vitamin C, their main nutritional ingredient.  Every morning millions of people drink orange juice from navel oranges as a source of vitamin C. 

There are other health advantages to consuming navel oranges as well.  The fiber content in navel oranges can help improve cholesterol ratios in the body.  Beta-carotene is an antioxidant found in navel oranges which helps prevent cell damage.  Other nutrients in navel oranges are also known to help to prevent other types of cancer as well, including stomach and esophagus cancer.

The Navel Orange: One of the World’s Most Healthful and Popular Clones

Oranges are very popular fruits worldwide.  Not only do oranges have a unique taste, they can be found in great abundance and varieties, and oranges have many health benefits. 

One of the most popular of the orange varietals is the citrus sinensis, also known as the Navel Orange.  When a naval orange is peeled, there is a partially formed, undeveloped conjoined “twin” fruit on the blossom end.  From the outside, the blossom end looks like a human navel.  Navel oranges are seedless, and the flesh is naturally very sweet and juicy.

One of the interesting facts about navel oranges is that technically every navel orange is a clone which comes from the same orange tree from a Brazilian plantation almost 200 years ago.  The tree generated spontaneous mutations, and people started cultivating navel oranges in other regions.  Because navel oranges are seedless, they can only be cultivated through cuttings and grafted onto fresh stock for expansion and to ensure that the orchard stays healthy.  Today in the United States navel oranges are grown primarily in Arizona, California and Florida and are considered a very important industry.

Among their many health benefits, naval oranges are very high in fiber which helps improve cholesterol ratios in the body.  Fiber helps regulate sugar levels in the blood, aids in preventing colon cancer.  But navel oranges are perhaps best known for their main nutritional ingredient, the antioxidant vitamin C. 

The human body does not naturally produce vitamin C on its own.  Millions of people drink orange juice from navel oranges everyday in the morning as a source of vitamin C as well as to enjoy the taste of this sweet, refreshing fruit.  Vitamin C not only helps boost the human immune system, but it also aids in healing wounds, helps the body absorb iron and prevents heart disease.  Beta-carotene, which helps prevent cell damage, is another antioxidant that can be found in navel oranges.

Depending on your region, you can find fresh navel oranges from winter through late spring.  When you buy navel oranges at the market, make sure you pick out the oranges that are heavy for their size and that don’t have any soft spots or pitting.  In some areas of the United States, you can also grow navel oranges yourself, and navel orange trees can often be found nurseries along with other types of citrus fruits.  Most citrus trees have aromatic flowers that can be used for a variety of purposes in addition to yielding delicious, nutritious edible fruit.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Navel Oranges

Navel oranges are possibly the most popular of the citrus fruits in the world.

Navel Oranges get their name from the navel-like spot that is found on the blossom end of the fruit. This happens because they are connected when they first bloom - similar to conjoined twins. You can find navel oranges growing in Brazil, Florida, California and Arizona.

The navel orange is known as a Bahia Navel Orange, Washington or Riverside, but its scientific name is Citrus Sinensis. Navel oranges are a seedless fruit, so they have to be propagated from its cuttings.

The sweet taste of the natural juices in the navel orange is what makes them so popular. They can be consumed out of hand or they can be squeezed into a refreshing drink. Some place them in a juicer mixed with other fruits to make a punch. Oranges can also be used in fruit salads or turned into a jam.

The navel orange is an undeveloped fruit, which is why they come conjoined after blossoming. Depending on the region, they can be found blooming from winter through late spring. Navel oranges are known to blossom from the same tree. Farmers use the cuttings of the navel orange and periodically graft them into fresh stock. This helps to ensure they will be healthy and abundant.

The Brazilians believe there was a spontaneous mutation that occurred hundreds of years ago with the oranges because of their conjoined state at their blossom state. This supposedly occurred around 1820 - this made navel oranges a hit in various regions. Many people began to farm and produce them for the markets. The first place to cultivate these oranges was Riverside, California, which brought about one of their nicknames.

When searching for fresh oranges of this kind, it is best to get them between their seasons, between winter and late spring. At the market, you can feel them to see how heavy they are; they should feel weighty with no soft spots or molding.

A lot of people grow oranges themselves, if their regions allow them to. They make great additions to gardens and are, of course, a great healthy food source. They smell great and look great as well. The trees of the navel oranges also produce aromatic flowers. You can find these trees being sold in various nurseries around the globe. Planting them is easy and managing them isn’t too difficult.

Who Else Loves Valencia Oranges?

Known as a sweet orange, Valencia Oranges are on average, 2 3/4 to 3 inches in diameter. Valencia’s have a bright orange color and product o to 6 seeds in each fruit.

You can find Valencia Oranges blossoming in the months between March and June. Valencia oranges are able to adapt in various climates, so they can be grown in many different states and countries. Some types that are available for planting are the Rohde Red Valencia, which has a superior peel that is internally flesh colored.

About 50% of this citrus fruit that are produced in the crops are Valencia oranges. It is also the main variety being produced in Florida today.

There are usually two crops after blossoming on the tree - old and new. Its best quality is internally, which is very juicy and sweet, making it a great option for both processed markets and fresh markets. You will rarely find Valencia being harvested before a freeze hit, since it is a late variety.

Most of the hedging is done before or after the harvesting of the crop, but must be done frequently during the same time annually - this helps to prevent having to remove a lot of fruit and wood.

When you’re picking out a selection of Valencia oranges, make sure that they are firm and heavy. It is best to get those that are thin-skinned and smooth. Make sure there are no bruises, mold or other irregularities on them. As Valencia oranges begin to fully ripen, they become a golden color.

During the warm seasons, while the oranges are still in the tree, their skin reabsorbs chlorophyll from the leaves, which causes them to turn green again - this begins at the stem. At this point, the oranges are actually ready, sweet and juicy.

All About Temple Oranges

Temple oranges, also known as tangor, are hybrid citrus fruits. They’re hybrids of the mandarin orange and the sweet orange.

The mandarin orange is a tangerine - this is how tangor came into play. The name tangor is a combo of tangerine and orange. There are all sorts of varieties of the temple oranges, there’s

• King, or King of Siam
• Murcott, or Honey Murcott, Murcott Honey Orange, Red, Big Red
• Ortanique, which are found in Jamaica - comes from orange, tangerine and unique
  Umatilla or Umatilla Tangelo

Then there are the Temple oranges from Japan, including:

• Iyokan, also known as sweet oranges
• Miyauchi Iyo, has an early ripening
• Othani Iyo, has a later ripening
• Kiyomi, Trovita navel orange
• Setom, Trovita navel orange

Temple oranges are from the class of Eudicots and the Rutaceae family.

Temple oranges are thought to be identical to the Magnet orange in Japan. The seed of the temple orange was believed to be discovered by a fruit buyer by the name of Boyce. He went to Jamaica in 1896 to buy oranges - this was after a really cold winter in Florida. After finding it, he sent the budwood to Winter Park, Florida. Word began to spread quickly about the new find. One was planted in the grove of L.A. Hakes, who then spread the word to W.C. Temple. Temple then recommended it to H.E. Gillett, the owner of Buckeye Nurseries. The orange was then named, propagated and marketed in 1919. It wasn’t until after 1940 when it began to be planted extensively.

The peel of the temple oranges are between deep orange and deep red. The peel is glossy and a bit rough and thick, almost like leather. You can find about 20 seeds in temple oranges. The tree it blossoms in it thorny and bushy - it grows better in Florida than Texas and California. Temples are medium to large, between 2 5/8 and 31/4 inches in wide and 2 ¼ and 2 ½ in height. It is usually round or oblate. About 25 percent of the temple oranges are under-developed and have a green inside.

They are very juicy and sweet, making them a great treat or snack throughout the day. The oranges have nitrogen and potassium excessively applied to them, which produces the acidity of the juice. Those with low acid juice have lower rates of nitrogen and potassium, but high rates of phosphorous.

Facts About Honeybells (Honeybell Oranges)

Honeybell oranges, also known as Minneola tangelos, are a citrus fruit. They are actually hybrids of a Darcy tangerine and Duncan grapefruit; and sometimes with the Bowen grapefruit and Darcy tangerine.

Honeybells are usually the size of an adult fist and has a mixed sweet n sour flavor of the sweet mandarin and the tart flavored grapefruit. They’re also very juicy - usually way more juice than it has flesh. Since they have loose skin, they are pretty easy to peel, especially when compared to regular oranges.

In 1931, the Honeybell oranges were released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Horticulture Research Station in Orlando. You can easily identify Honeybells by their stem-end neck, which gives it a bell shape, which gave it its name.

It has a bright red orange color when it is fully mature. The skin is thin, making it a quick snack. Although it comes from a tangerine mix, they come in large sizes; usually between 3 and 3 ½ inches in diameter. You can also find between 0 and 12 seeds - 10 on average - in each Honeybell orange.

These oranges are very fruitful on their own, so they must be interplanted with pollenizers, like Sunburst tangerines, Temple tangerines or Fallglo tangerines, but each year there is usually a full crop to be plucked. Farmers usually plant them with mandarin orange or tangelo trees - this helps with the cross pollination and the crop overall. You can find them ripening between December and February - January is the peak month.

These make for great fruits during the winter.
The best place for the Honeybell to grow is in Floridian climates. They aren’t the most profitable orange to grow because their crop sizes are very unpredictable each year. Some years will offer abundance and others scarcity - this is why sometimes you see that they cost a bit more one year and cheaper the next. It is still the most popularly grown of the tangelo types.
Honeybell oranges are great for all sorts of dishes, including fruit salads, green salads and fruit drinks. Some even put vinaigrette dressing on them. Honeybells can also be placed on top of focaccia. Grilled honeybell oranges are also a popular choice. Marinades made with Honeybell oranges too make a great choice.

So this fruit is definitely a great choice for summertime meals and desserts. Honeybell oranges are popular all over the world.

A Citrus Fruit Basket Is a Great Gift for Any Special Event or Holiday

Sending a citrus fruit basket as a gift for almost any special occasion is a smart and economic investment and always appreciated by the recipients.

Whether it’s a holiday like Christmas or Hanukkah, a special event such as the birth of a baby, a graduation, a wedding anniversary or as condolence in a time of grievance, an attractively decorated citrus basket filled with a variety of delicious fine fruits along with other goodies really shows you care.  It’s easy to make a citrus fruit basket on your own, but if this is not an option, you can find the citrus basket gift you need on the Internet for anywhere from US$20 to $100 with an easy online search.

One of the great things about citrus fruit baskets is that the main ingredients are usually easily available in the United States all the time. The most common citrus fruits that go into a citrus fruit basket are grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange, tangerine, clementine, mandarin, kumquat, pummelo and sometimes other more exotic citrus fruits. Most gourmet citrus baskets also include apples, pears, figs and grapes to add a variety of taste, as well as aroma and an elegant look. Nuts, crackers and cheeses can also be added (as appropriate to the occasion) to make the citrus fruit basket even more inviting.

Citrus fruits have an interesting history that go far back to ancient times. Before the fruits became known as important food staples containing essential vitamins, such as Vitamin C and numerous others, the fragrance of citrus trees, including their fruits and flowers, perfumed rooms, were thought to repel insects, believed to be remedies for poisons and to sweeten breath. Historians claim that Alexander the Great brought the first citrus trees and shrubs to Greece from India in 4^th Century BCE. Citrus fruits are shown in many ancient art works, such as relics of the early Christian tile mosaics in the churches of the Emperor Constantine in Istanbul, Turkey. Christopher Columbus is credited with bringing citrus fruits to the New World in 1493.

Almost everyone loves citrus fruits. A citrus fruit basket is a celebration of life, and the gift of a citrus fruit basket is an expression of love and caring. It’s also a very useful gift, especially in a time of mourning when the recipient can focus more on grieving rather than providing food and snacks for guests. In fact, a citrus fruit basket is hit in any party situation or gathering — so why not send one to yourself, whether your party is for 100 people or only two!

Next Page »