Its almost March in Florida, and the weather is wacky. Cold spells come in for a few days, then back to normal reality: 100% humidity, clear skies and hot sun. March is the official start of the Valencia Orange season. One of the more commonly known oranges, the Valencias are full of juice and rival the Navel Orange for their sweetness.
Valencia Oranges are originally from Valencia, Spain. Luckily for us, they are grown all over Florida as the Seedless Valencia Orange variety. In Florida, our Seedless Valencias may have up to 5 seeds and still be considered Seedless. I guess taking into consideration how many seeds our tangerines have, 5 may not be that bad a deal! Valencias will be available at our market hopefully through July. They are sold in three different packages: 5 pound bags $1.49, 1/4 bushel for $3.29 and 1/2 bushel for $6.49. And for those of you up north, you can start placing your orders online now.
Valencias are famous for being a juicing orange. But if you ask me, I think they are just as good as an eating orange. They are sweet, juicy and seedless which makes them perfect for snacking. At the market, we use Valencias to make our Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice all through summer. Can you tell a difference in our Orange Juice when we switch from Navel to Valencia Oranges?
