Citrus has a long history in California — 2019 marked the 250th anniversary of citrus’ arrival in the Golden State. Brought to these shores by Spanish missionaries, Valencia oranges were the first to arrive in Southern California. Through the years many varieties of citrus have arrived from other countries in Europe and the Middle East, Japan, China and India.
Navel oranges, mandarins and lemons are the most popular varieties of citrus. Cara Cara oranges are swiftly growing in popularity, along with blood oranges and yellow limes. There are also new and exciting citrus hybrids in the works. Heirloom varieties of navel oranges, sourced from old-line navels that are at least 45 years old, bring back the childhood flavors many of us remember. Bumpy-skinned Gold Nugget mandarins are now extremely popular, along with minneolas and tangelos. You’ll also find mandarinquats (a combination of mandarins and kumquats) and even finger limes,which are about 2 inches long.
On a larger scale, there are pomelos and grapefruit to add to your culinary repertoire. The pomelo is one of the nonhybrid citrus varieties that came from Southeast Asia. It is one of the original fruits from which all other citrus is hybridized. For instance, grapefruit is a cross between the pomelo and the orange.
Visit your East Bay farmers’ market this week to find a nice variety of delicious citrus. Here are just some of the varieties you may, each with its own distinctive, slightly different flavor:
- navel oranges — Washington Tress, Cara Cara
- blood oranges — Tarocco, Moro
- mandarin — Tango, Satsuma, Murcott
- lemons — Eureka, Lisbon, pink-fleshed Eureka
- grapefruit — Ruby Red, Oro Blanco, Rio Red, Cocktail
Many of our farmers offer unique and interesting boutique hybrid citrus as well as wonderful old favorites this time of year. J&J Ramos Farms has navel and Cara Cara oranges and a variety of mandarins and tangerines; Diaz Farms in Fowler has navel oranges and Cara Caras; Ken’s Top Notch out of Fresno has Cara Cara oranges and Oro Blanco grapefruit. You’ll find only the best citrus at your farmers’ market, brought to you by the farmers who grew it.
Debra Morris is a promotions coordinator for the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association and writes the Time Is Ripe column. Contact her at debramorris@pcfma.com.
Recipe: Mandarin Orange and Rice Salad
ingredients
1 cup of uncooked brown rice
4 or 5 mandarin oranges
1 cup walnuts
½ of a bunch of green onions
2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
local honey to taste
juice from 1 mandarin orange
salt and pepper
instructions
Rinse one uncooked cup of rice. Combine rice and two cups of water in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes. When ready, run rice under cool water to return it to room temperature. Use a knife to remove the skin from the mandarins and cut them into wheels. Roughly chop walnuts, then combine rice, mandarins and walnuts in a medium-sized bowl. Combine dressing ingredients. Taste, correct seasoning and pour over salad. Garnish with chopped green onions.