The Best of California Specialty Citrus

While scaled supply chains and transportation innovation have made citrus a year-round sight on menus and in supermarkets (thanks to off-shore supply from the Southern Hemisphere, in regions like Australia, South Africa, and Peru), for the US market, winter remains peak season for domestic citrus. And while Florida is primo for juicing oranges, Texas the king of grapefruits, California remains the boss when it comes to specialty citrus.

Innovative growers in Southern California and the central valley have established productive orchards that produce heirloom citrus varieties at volume, meaning that we East Coast-folk have access to wholesale volumes of fruit that bring color, diversity, and a range of nuanced flavors to the typical citrus line-up. Here are some buyer-favorites from our growers in California that we can’t get enough of this winter!

Moro Blood Oranges

• Origin: While all blood orange varieties originated in Italy, not all are strictly grown in Italy. The Moro variety is the most common blood orange in US markets, and is most exclusively grown in the state of California, though Texas, Arizona, and Florida are following suit.
• Size: Medium to medium-large, and round.
• Color: Rind is bright orange, and typically tinted with a red hue. The flesh is always a deep crimson color, and nearly seedless.
• Flavor: Sweet and tart, with a prominent berry-like flavor, most often compared to that of a raspberry. For the best possible flavor, they should be eaten at room temperature.
• Best Uses: Delightful when eaten out of hand, often squeezed for fresh blood orange juice, incorporated into seasonal cocktails like sangria, turned into jam or chutney, sliced and laid atop pound cakes or tossed into salads, juiced and zested into risotto. A traditional Italian usage of blood oranges is to toss slices into a salad with red onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh fennel.
• California Availability: Starts in December until late Spring.

Cara Cara Orange

• Origin: It is speculated that the cara cara orange is the result of a natural cross between the Brazilian Bahia and the Washington navel. The cara cara was first discovered in the mid-70s in Venezuela, and later introduced to the United States in the early 80s.
• Size: Medium-sized and round
• Color: Rind is bright orange and flesh is a pretty pink hue.
• Flavor: The fruit is juicy, slightly tangy, less acidic than your average orange, and offers notes of cranberry. They’re also virtually seedless.
• Best Uses: Like other navel oranges, they can be eaten out of hand. Or, juice them, blend them into smoothies, use for citrus curd, or even roast slices with a bit of brown sugar and a drizzle of honey.
• California Availability: Peak season spans between December and April.

Chandler Pummelos

• Origin: The pummelo (also spelled “pomelo”) is native to Southeast Asia and is believed to be the ancestor of the grapefruit. The Chandler variety was developed in the 1960s at the University of California Riverside from a natural cross of the Siamese Pink and Siamese Sweet Varieties.
• Size: Very large, comparable in size to a small cantaloupe.
• Color: The fruit’s rind is thick, soft, and ripens to a bright yellow color. Once sliced into, the fruit will reveal either vibrant yellow-pink to bright-pink flesh.
• Flavor: Arguably sweeter than the average grapefruit (but still on the mild side), pleasantly tart, and free of the bitter bite grapefruit is known for. The segments of flesh are surrounded by a thick, tough pith which must be removed as it is bitter in taste. The sacs of juice contained in each segment are quite large and offer a satisfying crunchy texture. It is moderately juicy, dry enough to be to be “flaked” into a salad. Some large seeds are easily removed.
• Best Uses: Most often eaten out of hand, pummelo segments can be tossed into salads, or used as a cocktail garnish. The peel is also often reserved for candied.
• California Availability: In season from late November through February.

Meyer Lemons

• Origin: First introduced to the US from China in the early 20^th century, meyer lemons are a cross between a regular lemon and a mandarin orange.
• Size: Smaller and rounder than the average lemon.
• Color: Smooth, thin rind that is rich orange-yellow color. The flesh is a deeper yellow. Due to their thin skin, meyer lemons can be used whole, skin, and all, if desired.
• Flavor: Less tang than the conventional lemon, and notably sweeter with an intensely sweet, deep citrus flavor and notes of lemon blossom-floral.
• Best Uses: Technically, conventional lemons and meyer lemons can be substituted for one another, but regular lemons aren’t nearly as sweet. With that said, recipes that call for meyer lemons should use meyer lemons. Juice them for cocktails and vinaigrettes, zest into risottos, roughly chop into muffin mixtures, and use in compotes.
• California Availability: Usually available from early winter through the beginning of spring.

Star Ruby Grapefruit

• Origin: Star Ruby grapefruit was first developed at Texas A&I University by treating the seeds of the Hudon variety with radiation to reduce the amount of seeds in the fruit. Now, the Star Ruby variety is one of the most popular grapefruit varieties around the world.
• Size: Grapefruit is a round, softball sized citrus.
• Color: Star Ruby grapefruit is prized for its deep red flesh
• Flavor: Sweet with a mouth-watering grapefruit tang.
• Best Uses: This variety is a versatile variety of grapefruit that can be segmented into salads, juiced for smoothies, or served halved.
• California Availability: Early winter to mid-spring.