Navel Gazing

Saucyman – Is there anything good that is in season right now. - Fresh

There is green, green kale – Chow posted a fine looking recipe today for kale. Outside of leafy, fibrous greens, this time of year is mostly all about the citrus; in particular navel oranges are looking way good right now.

The orange traveled from its ancestral home in China to subtropical regions around the world via the usual suspects - Columbus and missionaries. The orange commonly known as the navel, was a chance mutation discovered in a plantation located in Bahia, Brazil. Because the fruit is largely seedless, the navel can only be propagated by cutting/grafting. In 1870 the US Department of Agriculture brought a dozen or so grafted trees to the Ag station in Washington - the navel is specifically referred to as either Washington or Bahia by growers and produce professionals. The cuttings from these original trees were then distributed to growers in both Florida and California who were searching for an early ripening orange.

The variety never really caught on in the south like it did in the west. Florida is one of the most rained upon states in the US and the navel orange, thick skinned, low in moisture and acidity is a better match for the hot day/cool night conditions of California’s orange growing areas. Mostly though, Florida is about OJ: 97 to 98% of oranges grown in Florida go directly to juice, frozen concentrated orange juice. Even if you were to squeeze the navel, the juice from the fruit turns noticeably bitter after about 30 minutes due to the high content of the bitter compound called limonin. Instead, Florida growers focus their efforts on growing the Valencia orange, which roughly 50% liquid by weight, has a high sugar content and is low in limonin.

The bellybutton of the navel orange is actually a smaller, fruit embedded on the blossom end (as opposed to the stem end) of the orange. Navels, like tangerines are prized for their designation of being easy to peel. Which considering flavor, organic/conventional, sugar to acid ratio or nutritional composition – peelability seems to be an odd criteria for selecting a fruit, especially if you bypass the peel - quartering and eat them like a youth soccer player or Marlon Brando.

But peeling fruit is apparently a big deal. USDA statistics tell us we consume Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice at 6 to 1 ratio over the fresh variety. Del Monte has designed a vacuum packed bowl for fruit that replaces that onerous organic (in the carbon-based sense) packaging with the plastic variety. That consumers prefer convenience over taste is a fact/belief that determines everything from what varieties are grown to how products are sold: Just something to keep in mind when your Andy Rooney types complain about food doesn’t taste as good as it used to.

That peeling an orange might eventually be an act of cultural defiance, but for now it is the best way to enjoy the only fruit that is in season.