One of more than a dozen orange trees in my neighborhood ~ How many gallons of OJ could they produce, if they were edible?
A few days ago at a local orchard in Guaymas I bought a large bag (about five pounds) of oranges to make juice. Twenty pesos (about $1.50), a good deal. And yet...
At this time of year, there are dozens of orange trees bearing fruit in my own neighborhood. The landscaping here was done in the 80s, and now the trees are mature and bearing lavishly. But although the fruit looks as perfect as anything you'd find in an upscale gourmet market, it's so sour nobody can eat it. Everywhere, oranges are lying on the ground, but nobody picks them up.
The first time I saw "ornamental" oranges was on a trip to Los Angeles decades ago, where trees heavy with fruit grew in almost everyone's yard. When I exclaimed to my LA friends how lucky they were, to have fruit growing right outside their door, they laughed and said, "Oh, no, those are for looks. You couldn't possibly eat them." Why would botanists develop such a thing, and why would gardeners plant them?
Although I am reminded of some very ornamental people I've met...
A friend found a way to use the oranges here in Solimar, before she moved back to Colorado. She made a fantastic marmelade, very intensely-flavored. She said she had to triple the sugar called for in the recipe. I've never made marmelade or done any other preserving before, and I eat as little sugar as possible, but I'm beginning to think I might try it. Just as a subversive act.
10 comments:
Pick one tree and fertilize it 3 times a year. Start now before the blossoms come on. Next years crop may be better.
These are most likely Naranja Agria, and are coveted here in the Yucatan. My tree produces profusely and I can barely keep myself and my friends supplied. In fact I squeeze annd freeze the juice for off season use.
marinades, margaritas, naranjada, squeeze it over soups, oh so many ways to use them!!!
Sour oranges are great for cooking. There are plenty of Latin American recipes (especially Cuban) that use them. Pork or chicken are great. I suppose it would work with beef, if you could find a good quality roast. Here is one of my favorites: http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/recipes/main_mojoroastpork.shtml
You won't regret making marmalade. No fancy equipment needed: stock pot, folded hand towel for the jars to rest on and some tongs that grip the edges of the jars to put in and take out the jars. And the best part is you can change up the recipe to add all sorts of interesting tidbits. Judy
Try making marmalade with Splenda if you don't want real sugar.
Nita
C&K, that might be worth a try. There's a tree right outside my front door. But I assumed the variety just wouldn't be sweet, no matter what I did.
T&D - How encouraging, that those poor sour oranges can be used for something! I'll slip out with a basket and pick some soon, and start experimenting.
Steve - Those resourceful Cubans! Wonder if the same idea would work with chicken.
Anon - Marmalade is my favorite kind of jam, especially the way my friend made it. What I love is to have it on vanilla ice cream! just saw a recipe that didn't even call for pectin, just oranges and sugar!
Nita - I thought real sugar was required, to get the consistency right. Maybe I'd mix sugar and Splenda. Anyway, I don't have to be a purist, it's not like I'm going to eat a whole bowl of marmelade.
I LOVE marmalade, can't wait to see the finished product.
We have a sour orange, I make marmalade from it (posted a recipe on my cooking blog a few years ago). Make orangeade instead of lemonade. Use it in ice tea, replace any lemon or vinegar with it in recipes. Made orange chicken instead of lemon chicken. I candied the peels this year, that was really yummy. Oh, orange peel in the sugar bowl makes the sugar slightly orange flavored.
You can marinade beef with it (as in vaca frita).
regards,
Theresa
ps they are called Seville oranges in English.
regards,
Theresa
"ornamental people" hehehe
I love all the advice about using this juice in cooking. Great idea.
Down here in the California desert we grow tons of citrus, too. I just learned that the trees along the boulevard are picked when ripe and given to the food bank. No waste.
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