Never judge a book by it’s cover …
And no I’m not talking about The Geology of Florida by Randazzo and Jones, although I must admit it’s a great read.
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| Florida-grown Red Navel Oranges |
I’m talking about not judging an orange by its peel,
And more specifically – the many varieties of Florida oranges.
Florida oranges – its true – do not have California good looks, but trust me:
Those California varieties have a beauty that runs peel deep.
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| Florida-grown Sunburst Tangerine |
As easy as they are to peel and pull apart, and eat – all in sequence – without a drop of juice sticking to your hands … therein lies the problem: the Californian orange – which in technical circles better known as a Washington Navel – is a tamed down version of what an “orange in full” was bred to be.
In terms of variety, juiciness, and taste …
It’s Florida that’s the Napa Valley among citrus connoisseurs.
Last I checked, you can’t eat the peel, but you can fresh squeeze out the juice on the inside … by the glassful if it’s a Floridian, but only drop by drop for a Californian. I wasn’t surprised to see the Honeybell Tangelo ake the prize as the “preferred” form of Florida citrus on the recent poll I posted on the journal – I am a big fan myself,
But I was disappointed to see the Dancy Tangerines not get a single vote.
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| That’s a lot of seeds! |
In season now are the Sunburst Tangerines. They are billed in the literature as “easy peelers with few seeds.” My hands-on research revealed the former to be true — easy peeling indeed — but as for the latter I was spitting out as many seeds as I was eating tangerine.
Total seed count was forty four!
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| Florida citrus is good for what ails you. The price is right, too. |
Never judge a Florida orange by the cover …
Seed counting is a great way to hone your math!
