Specialty Citrus

Specialty citrus is available October through May. Select citrus fruits that are golden to bright orange in color. Avoid fruit with blemishes or that are very soft. Citrus fruit should have an aromatic scent.

How to Use Specialty Citrus
One of the attractions of specialty citrus is that it is easy to peel. Once peeled, the segments of fruit separate easily along the natural divisions. The juice makes a good, tenderizing marinade for meat. The peel can also be grated for flavorings in salad dressings and sauces.

Special Tip
Use a zester on the skin of citrus fruit for recipes calling for orange zest.

How to Store Specialty Citrus
You can store citrus fruits at room temperature for a week or two, but they are best refrigerated in a covered container or plastic bag, where they will keep for weeks.

Nutritional Facts:

  • Non-fat
  • Saturated fat-free
  • Very low sodium
  • Cholesterol-free
  • A good source of fiber
  • High in vitamin C
Specialty Citrus Varieties:
Valencia Oranges, available January through November Valencias are grown in Arizona, California, Texas and Florida. They have a thin, deep golden skin. Their flesh is sweet, juicy and contains few seeds.

Clementines, available November through March Clementines are a small, seedless tangerine. They have an extraordinarily sweet flavor and are very easy to peel.

Mandarins, available January through February Mandarins are orange, small, unevenly round and soft. They are a great addition to fruit and vegetable salads.

Satsumas, available mid-October through December If you are looking for a sweet, seedless mandarin, try a satsuma. Satsumas are carefully clipped from trees, so sometimes you can find them in the market with their stems and leaves still attached. Satsumas were originally imported from Japan.

Enjoy the following citrus recipes!

Citrus Fruit Delight

1 bag specialty citrus (Mandarin, Clementine or Satsuma)
1 pink grapefruit
1 kiwi, peeled, quartered lengthwise, sliced
1/2 cup celery (tender center), diced
2 tablespoons blackberries (optional)

Peel citrus and cut in half. Divide sections. Combine fruit. Sprinkle with celery. Top with blackberries, if desired. Chill or serve immediately.

Clementine Cake

4 to 5 unpeeled clementines (about 1 pound total weight)
Egg substitute equal to six eggs (or 6 whole eggs)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2-1/3 cups ground almonds
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

Put the unpeeled clementines in a pot with cold water to cover, bring to the boil, and cook for two hours.

Drain and, when cool, cut each clementine in half and remove the seeds.

Then chop everything finely — skins, pits, fruit — in the food processor (or by hand). Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. Butter and line an 8-inch spring form pan.

Whisk the egg substitute. Add the sugar, almonds, and baking powder. Mix well, adding the chopped clementines.

Pour the cake mixture into the prepared pan and bake for an hour, when a skewer will come out clean; you'll probably have to cover the cake with foil after about 40 minutes to stop the top burning.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool, on a rack, but in the pan. When the cake's cold, you can take it out of the pan. (Better a day after it's made).

* Variation: Make this with an equal weight of oranges, and with lemons, in which case you increase the sugar to 1-1/4 cups and slightly anglicize it by adding a glaze made of confectioners' sugar mixed to a paste with lemon juice and a little water.

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Courtesy of FitnessandFreebies.com
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