Excellent California Navels Are Here

Ok, so I am a huge fruit eater. When certain things are "in season," I tend to overindulge, but isn't that what you're supposed to do? Eat along with the cycle of fruit/veg seasons? Anyway, this is just an FYI kinda thing. After last year's Cali orange crop disaster, I have been awaiting the arrival of good California navels this year. THEY'RE HERE! I tried a few last week on a whim, and went back to the same store on Sat and picked up 14 more lbs of em. Will probably be out of those in a few days, so I'll get more. Hopefully they'll start getting better and better, but I'd be happy with the ones I got on Saturday for the rest of the season. Large, full of juice, nicely sweet, able to fully peel in one string - just like eating a slice of sun. I highly suggest to start checking them out at your fruit markets if you haven't already.

The Florida navels do not hold a candle to these. (Sorry, "Sun Shine State!")

Oh yeah, and they're supposed to be good for you!

Wow, what do you do with 14 pounds of oranges?

Better question, where do you put them all??

Peel and eat, my friend, peel and eat.

Any that I can't keep in the fridge go on the enclosed back porch, but will be rotated to the fridge in a short time. Mind you, 14 lbs of these things works out to probably, well, let's do the math. I just weighed two oranges, and it came to 1lb, 8oz, so these things are .75 lb each? So I guess that works out to 21 oranges? I'll eat probably four a day (minimum.) I shared one with three coworkers today, all three made "orgasmic" noises, so I'll probably bring a few extra tomorrow. I'd say I'll probably run out in four days. Fine with me. They are cheap and good right now. I kinda do the same with honeycrisp apples in fall, and melons mid summer, cherries in spring etc.. When they are in season, they are dirt cheap and good. Might as well enjoy while you can. Ever tasted an orange in July? yuck!

Good to know!

Thanks for the heads up. I love really good oranges but it's always hit or miss when I buy them...that or I get glazey eyed looking at all the different kinds available at the store and never know which ones to get. Now I'll be on the lookout.

Might one inquire as to where you purchased said sunshine?

I bought 2 bags at jewel this weekend -- they smell good but I haven't cracked one open yet. I always live in hope that they'll be those incredibly good special oranges that make you make yummy sounds while you suck them down as fast as you can but most times they're just okay.

Someone told me once that if the navels are really big then the orange will be sweeter - - but I can't say that's been true all the time.

Any other predictors out there?

shoes wrote: I love really good oranges but it's always hit or miss when I buy them... Now I'll be on the lookout.

Generally, California navels are winter only. Pick the ones out of the bin that are heaviest for their size. Color has no bearing on ripeness. The ones that have a little green left on them are fine if they are heavy. As a rule, California navels are crap after the season ends. Not worth trying, even though they might look good. All's you gotta do is pick them up, and feel the weight. If they seem light, it's because they are not juicy, and you'll probably wind up with a dry, crunchy, crappy, orange. From late spring through fall, they just aren't sweet. Winter time is cali navel time. Also, don't confuse these with the Florida navels that were trying to get a bigger share of the navel market last year. After the Ca crops were ruined, the Fla navels were everywhere, and looked fantastic compared to the horrid looking crops of ca navels. The Fla navels however have a much more leathery skin, and the membrane around the orange meat is tougher. Fla oranges are a different breed. Their skin is like this because of the weather they endure, I believe. Fla oranges are better suited for juicing, and Ca oranges are better suited for eating. Sound like a spokesman, don't I -

I'll shut up now.

earthlydesire wrote:Might one inquire as to where you purchased said sunshine?...

Someone told me once that if the navels are really big then the orange will be sweeter - - but I can't say that's been true all the time.

Any other predictors out there?

Egg Store. Multiple locations throughout the area - four or five, maybe?

Your friend was mistaken. Orange size is not a good indicator of sweetness at all. My guess is that your friend got a big orange that was in season. For these Cali navels, it's all about the weight, and time of year. They are in season in the winter months. They will all generally be the same sweetness give or take. If you pick up two oranges that are in season, and one is heavier than the other, then the heavier one is the better one. More juice. If you pick up two oranges - one big, and the other small, and the small one weighs more than the big one, throw the big one aside. The smaller one is better. More Juice. If you pick up two oranges out of season, and one weighs more than the other, it doesn't matter. More than likely, they are both going to be bad since they are not in season.

P.S. don't buy fruit from Jewel. You got lucky with the BOGO price this week, but you can pick out your own at a fruit mkt for the same price, and going forward, the fruit mkts are probably always going to be cheaper for in season produce. Egg Store - 49 C/lb for the past two weeks.

I've been enjoying the Cara Cara pink navels. Orange on the outside, pink like a grapefruit on the inside.

I want to start by saying THANK YOU to seebee for the heads up. I love these things.

And for anyone that eats a lot...Meijer has buy one 4lb. bag get one free at $3.99. At .50/lb I couldn't turn down the deal. And yes...they're just as juicy as the fruit market which I don't have the time to get to.

lol - saw this bump from Jay Z as I was eating my fifth one of the day. YUMMM!

H-mart has small navels at 5/$1 - Our 5 oranges (53oz) came out to be $.30/lb.

I actually went citrus crazy this past week as well - been going through citrus withdrawal since moving to Chicago (so expensive up here).

We bought:
1) 6lbs of tangerines
2) 53oz CA navels
3) 5lbs grapefruit

I'm having my own citrus obsession these days, the Texas Rio Star grapefruit. The Florida varieties don't come close in my opinion.

I've been enjoying several per day for the last couple weeks. Fairplay sells them in a 5# bag for just under $3.

www.texasweet.com

Evil Ronnie wrote:I'm having my own citrus obsession these days, the Texas Rio Star grapefruit. The Florida varieties don't come close in my opinion.

I've been enjoying several per day for the last couple weeks. Fairplay sells them in a 5# bag for just under $3.

www.texasweet.com

My Grandfather was a fruit grower in MacAllen , and ER is absolutely right. Good Texas fruit can be hard to find here, and there are some varieties that never seem to make it this far North.

Evil Ronnie wrote:I'm having my own citrus obsession these days, the Texas Rio Star grapefruit. The Florida varieties don't come close in my opinion.

Much obliged, E.R. I have been waiting for those to start "popping" as well. Bought a few several weeks ago, and they weren't "ready" just yet. I'll have to venture out for some tomorrow.

Hi,

When we were at Manny's recently, I impulsively took their pink grapefruit. It was so good, I went back to collect two more dishes. I asked where they got their grapefruit. While they acknowledged they liked it, too. Admitted they tried another source, then return to their original vendor. They said everything except what the variety and vendor may be.

Maybe 30 years ago, we would get Texas ruby reds shipped to us every few weeks. They were sometimes fabulous and sometimes not. I will check out Texas Rio Grand Star, though where is Fairplay?

Thanks!

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,
I will check out Texas Rio Grand Star, though where is Fairplay?

Cathy,

South side. (I have also seen the Rio Stars at Treasure Island, but they were mixed in with the Florida types.)

fairplayfoods.com

I bought some Rio Star grapefruit recently. They are very good. I think they came from H-Mart, but it may have been Shop & Save.

Bought an 18lb bag of Texas Rio Star red grapefruit from Meijer for $5 - sale good till Sat (oops - tonight I suppose).

Any ideas for where I can get blood oranges? I loved them in Italy and I can only find really small ones here.

12345ne wrote:Any ideas for where I can get blood oranges? I loved them in Italy and I can only find really small ones here.

I have not seen any this year yet. I think I saw them regularly a few years ago, and then only off and on last year I think closer to spring for some reason. I do like their peppery flavor for salads / fruit salads, and munching on in sections. I'll definitely be on the lookout and report back if I see them.

caputo's on harlem had them a few weeks ago.

Hyde Park Produce has had good-sized Sunkist Moro blood oranges every time I've been recently. They are currently located at 1312 E. 53rd but will be moving into the former Mr. G's/Coop Express space a few doors west in the Kimbark Plaza mall very soon (they told me Jan. 16).

Patrick

I bought Sunkist blood oranges yesterday at Shop & Save in Des Plaines. They did have a few Rio Star grapefruit, but they were mixed in with Florida grapefruit. The Florida grapefruit looked good, too.

12345ne wrote:Any ideas for where I can get blood oranges? I loved them in Italy and I can only find really small ones here.

H-mart had 'em for sale this past weekend.

LAZ wrote:I bought some Rio Star grapefruit recently. They are very good. I think they came from H-Mart, but it may have been Shop & Save.

After seeing your post last week, I went to H-Mart to find several varieties of Florida grapefruit. I then went to Shop & Save to pick through two huge piles of grapefruits to find four grapefruits stickerd as Rio Star. After spending so much time inspecting every grapefruit in the pile, I decided to buy one each of the two Florida grapefruits present.

I am very glad I made that decision because the two Florida grapefruits were sweeter than the Rio Star. One grapefruit had a blue and green sticker with the state of Florida outlined with the number 4027. The other sticker was white with red letters with the number 4287. I really wish there were variety names offered for these grapefruit because it would be much easier to identify favorites.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:I really wish there were variety names offered for these grapefruit because it would be much easier to identify favorites.

Yes, it seems like only some fruits are labeled with variety names. And some markets pinpoint and separate them out and others just put all the similar fruit in one bin. Marketing strategy?

Meijer in Rolling Meadows had a lot of the Texas Rio Stars when I was there Thursday.

The citrus fruit I really miss are the Dancy tangerines. These used to be the ubiquitous Christmas-time tangerines, so easy to peel they were sometimes called the "zipperskin" fruit, and with an intense sweet-tart flavor. Now you rarely see them. I found some Fairchilds this season that were pretty good, but they are smaller.

But the ubiquitous Sunbursts are not only hard to peel but also usually sour.

Ok since we are on the topic of citrus fruit, I have tobring up Honeybells. Anyone else had these? They are absolutely incredible. I'm an orange freak and these blow any orange out of the water. They are half tangerine and half grapefruit and something about that combination makes them incredibly sweet and juicy, no seeds, no tough skin, even the pulp seems minimal. In fact, they are so juicy you have to cut them, not peel them.

Plus, what makes them even more enticing is that they are only available in January and early February and have to be ordered online (I have never seen one in a grocery store, if anyone else has I'd love to know where to pick them up), but they are soooo worth it. I believe they are only grown in Florida and maybe Georgia (?). I wait every year for January to arrive and then count down the days until I get my box (35 pound box arrived last week and its almost gone - you have to share right?). They are absolutely addictive.

Has anyone tried the Cara Cara navel oranges? I bought some at Meijer the other day. The color is pretty, orange-pink, and the taste, like the color, is somewhere between a blood orange and a regular navel orange.

To me, though, they're not as good as either. The Cara Cara doesn't have the sweet fruitiness of a blood orange or the acid tartness of a navel, so it comes off as insipid.

jl7518 - I have sent Honeybells as a gift - ordered on-line. The receipients raved. The package came with bibs, which they thought was a cute little gimick until they bit into them and the juice ran everywhere! I ordered from Cushman's. Haven't gotten around to getting some for ourselves, but if anyone sees them available locally, I'd love to hear about it.

Cushman's
http://shop.honeybell.com/cushman-honeybells.htm

Yes! I got mine from Cushmans this year, complete with bibs. Most years I actually buy them off the back of a truck that drives around the Illinois/Wisconsin area, but he wasn't going to be local enough this year so I ordered online instead. This is my second time ordering from Cushmans and I'm happy with them.