The Science Behind Oranges
Eating fresh, local, organic food is your best option. When it comes to oranges, forget about ascorbic acid. There’s loads of science behind the juice, the aroma and the peel.
The many medicinal properties of oranges makes it worth turning your foodie filter toward fresh oranges. As you careen through your culinary landscape, knowing which foods offer you the biggest nutritional bang is more important today than ever before.
First it was oranges. Sweet oranges were mentioned in Chinese literature in 314 BC.[2] As of 1987, orange trees were found to be the most cultivated fruit tree in the world.[5] As of 2012, sweet oranges accounted for approximately 70% of citrus production.[7]
The beginning of the citrus industry in the U.S. started in Riverside, CA. Eliza Tibbits planted the first navel orange tree. It came from Brazil and still grows today. At the turn of the last century, Riverside had the highest per capita income of any city in the U.S. based on the explosion of the citrus industry.
Riverside orange juice is uncommonly sweet. A combination of factors including excellent soil, abundant local water and a community that understands the value of real food, is reinvigorating local agriculture with it’s Grow Riverside Conference.
At the same time, the Asian Citrus Psyllid threatens citrus as we know it. It’s already destroyed 70% of Florida’s citrus industry. Find out what to look for on your citrus trees. Once infected, it takes about 5 years for the tree to die. In the meantime, the fruit quality drops dramatically.
Now might be a good time to start paying attention to fresh citrus. Oranges are definitely worth putting on your own favorite super foods list. Find out why.
