Mid-winter citrus options
November, December, and January are a great time of year to buy citrus fruits. With a fresh crop from Florida and equatorial countries, the produce aisle is filled with lots of fruit to replenish your winter stores of vitamin C. No wonder these delicious beauties are a traditional Christmas gift and stocking stuffer in many countries!
Cara Cara
This variety of navel orange has dark pink or red flesh. Aside from the color, they are identical to regular navel oranges.
Clementines
These tiny oranges are a cross between mandarins and sweet orange. Clementines are usually seedless, which makes them particularly popular with kids.
Cuties
There is a big marketing push behind Cuties, which are just a branded variety of clementine orange. Cuties have quickly become the most profitable citrus fruit in America.
Moro (blood) oranges
These oranges have a deep red flesh, and a slightly tart flavor. Blood oranges have thin skin and are basically seedless. Their color is the result of an unusually high concentration of anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant.
Satsumas
Closely related to mandarin oranges, satsumas are one of the sweetest orange varieties. Satsumas are easy to peel, and have a lot of juice for their size. Satsumas have seeds, and are often sold in 5lb boxes this time of year, perfect for taking into the office or giving as a hostess gift.
Seville oranges
Also called bitter orange, these tart beauties are almost as sour as a lemon. But this makes them perfect for use in marmalade.
Tangelos
This fruit is a cross between a tangerine and a grapefruit. It's more tart than a tangerine, but sweeter than a grapefruit, and falls in between them in size. One of the most popular varieties of tangelo is the Minneola, which has a characteristic bump at the stem end.
Tangerines
Tangerines fall in between the mandarins (like satsumas and clementines) and regular oranges (like navel and Valencia). They are smaller and easier to peel than oranges, but not as small or easy as mandarins.
Image courtesy Flickr/lynn.gardner