Oranges

Oranges come in many varieties. You can have navel oranges, blood oranges, or just ordinary oranges. They flourish most months of the year as long as the frost doesn’t get them. Most people enjoy an orange in some form.

 

The most common use for oranges is juice. Fresh squeezed orange juice with or without pulp provide plenty of Vitamin C. you can even get orange juice with added nutrients like calcium and Omega-3 fatty acids to enhance health.

 

The best oranges have smooth thin skins and are heavy with pulp and juice. Oranges with hard, bumpy skin could be dry inside. You may wonder how an orange can be dry, but the flesh inside is less than juicy or tasty. It actually looks flaky and shouldn’t be eaten.

 

Oranges are good for box lunches and snacks. Carry one around with you to eat anywhere. Don’t forget a wet wipe, though. The juice will be sticky and peeling the rind can stain your fingernails.

 

Oranges keep for a long time on the counter at room temperature. When the rind starts to look wrinkled and withered, their time is about up. The fruit will get soft and start to shrink until it actually looks rotten. Don’t let your fruit get this far gone. Use those oranges for other things.

 

I found that oranges make a nice glaze for homemade pound cake. Mix some fresh orange juice with some confectioner’s sugar in a saucepan and you have instant glaze. The juice of an orange adds flavor to muffins, breads, and sauces.

 

The rind of an orange can be candied and used as a sweet treat for kids at parties or anytime. Use oranges to garnish your pork roast, roasted chicken, or soups. Zest the rind over frothy drinks like cinnamon.

 

Mandarin orange slices are a favorite in Asian salads and in yogurt. Oranges are not typically used on hot cereals, but you can scoop out the flesh and use the orange as a cup. Remove the seeds and mix the pulpy flesh with other fruit and pour it back into the orange rind for a nice fruit cup. Use the orange to flavor rice or bread pudding and also use the orange rind as a cup. Your family will love the new look.

 

Oranges can also fragrance your home. Thin slices of oranges can be dried, covered with a varnishing medium, and used in a fruit wreath. Fruit wreaths can be hung with other dried fruit, and herbs to work better than a store-bought air freshener.

 

Got some extra oranges? We got some ideas for you to use them before they shrivel up and get thrown away.