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Week of January 7th, 2008

Well it certainly is a little on the warm side this week. It could almost make you forget that it is January. Old Man winter will return I am sure and then remind us that it is prime time for citrus!
Those fruits that we call citrus are some of the most delicious and most popular in the world. They grow for the most part in tropical areas, but ripen and are available in what for us in the northern climes is winter. These fruits are anywhere from puckery sour to sweet, but for sure they are always nice and juicy. Citrus juices are probably the most popular and widely available fruit juices in the world. I mean where would most of us be without our morning OJ? In truth though the healthiest way to consume these great fruits is as a whole fruit. This way your body gets full advantage of all the fiber goodness that is part and parcel of the citrus fruits.

Now I am not talking about lemons and lime, I mean after all who would eat a whole lemon or a lime! Oranges though that is another matter. Here is a fruit that is one of the most enjoyable on earth and the grapefruit is not far behind. Of course there are many similar fruits that people call oranges. Probably the most popular one of the moment is the Clementine. Clementines are small and just right for kids and their lunches. They are easy to peel, have few if any seeds and are pretty much sweet and juicy from early November to end of January. Clementine’s are commonly sold by the box containing anywhere from 18 to 36 pieces of fruit depending on their size. Towards the end of their season they get kind of “loose in their skin’ and might appear to be old or not fresh. This could not be further from the truth as they are only easier to peel and their sweetness is concentrated as well as their fine orangey flavor.

Their big brother is the navel orange. Navels can be small but the best ones are on the big side. Here at Sickles Market we get them by the bin when we can and they only get better all season long from when they start in November to the swan song March/April.

The best navels are from California. They grow in Florida but they just are not as good. On the other hand grapefruits grow best in Florida as well as tangelos and tangerines. Now although there are lots of other great eating and more esoteric citrus fruits to eat. The ones I have mentioned above are the basics. They are the big sellers and are really delicious and healthy fruits to give your family. Remember when you eat a whole orange all that wonderful fiber, minerals and vitamins goes right into you. When you just have juice a lot of the “good stuff” just goes down the drain.

I find a very easy way to serve citrus to the family is to grab a nice big navel orange and a similar grapefruit. Cut them in half along their “equator” and then take off both their “north and south pole down to the flesh. Put the big cut side down on a cutting board and with a sharp paring knife carve off the peel down to the flesh. It is pretty easy. Try to cut and not push to hard on the half of a fruit and most of the juice will remain with the fruit. When you are finished removing the peel cut the fruit into as small a size piece as you want toss the two together in a bowl and eat. Of course at this point the fruit lends itself to being topped with what ever your imagination can come up with. I happen to like honey, also granola and don’t forget to try it with low fat cottage cheese or your favorite yogurt. Of course citrus blends beautifully with other fruit’s particularly tropical fruits like pineapples and mangoes. If you want to be gourmet just toss in a few sprigs of mint for color and exotic flavor. This is one of the easiest ways to serve and have your family eat healthy and delicious citrus especially grapefruits.

It is winter even though it feels like spring and great citrus fruits are here for a few months. Enjoy their healthful goodness every day and get your vitamins and fiber the natural way!

Eat Fresh with citrus!

Bob