Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Green Is The New Orange

This is Day 3 of the First Annual 10 Days of Heat writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Orange. Please join me in checking out the other hot stories.

First I'd like to direct your attention to our den window, covered by a sheer orange curtain. In front of the window is one of Sophie's favorite places. 



Now on to something nearly as sweet. Oranges, my favorite being the Navel orange. They are not, however, just the simple fruit from which we get our morning OJ, so here are some interesting orange facts I had not heard before.

What came first, the color or the fruit? The fruit, which derived its name first from the Arabic naranj, then coming to English as narange in the 14th century.

Did you know oranges unknown in the wild? They are a hybrid of tangerines and the Pomelo, also known as the Chinese grapefruit. They were green instead of orange. Today Vietnamese oranges and Thai tangerines are green on the outside and orange on the inside. Aren't they pretty?


Image Source: jonathaninchina
Since oranges are a subtropical fruit, the climate plays a major role in their color. In cooler climates, they will turn orange when the weather cools. In hot climates, however, they will remain green.

How can I tell if my orange is ripe? Well, not by the color, no matter where they are grown. You see, an orange, if left unpicked, can stay on the tree until the next season. Because of fluctuation in temperature, it can change from green to orange and back to green without affecting the quality or flavor of the fruit.

A ripe orange should have thin, smooth skin with no soft spots. It should also feel heavy for its size.

To make oranges more visually appealing to the consumer, green oranges can be exposed to ethylene gas, such as produced by bananas and apples, but his does nothing toward ripening the fruit.

If you like oranges, what is your favorite variety?

More about all things orange here.


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7 comments:

  1. I never ate a green-skin orange, they probably taste the same as regular orange-skin orange right? I didn't even know oranges change colors depending on temperature. I learn something new today. thanks!

    have a lovely day.

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    1. I've never seen one of these either, but they are pretty. I learned something new too. That is the beauty of these challenges. You can take these prompts in any direction you choose.

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  2. Interesting facts, I didn't know any of those! Thanks for sharing.
    Yes the green oranges look very pretty!
    I don't have a "favourite orange" as long as it's sweet and juice (and someone else peels it for me)...

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    1. Navels are my favorites because they don't have seeds. I used to have a problem with peeling, then I just started cutting them with a knife into eights and slicing off the sweet, juicy flesh.

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  3. we have green oranges in the Philippines, called dalanghita! thanks for the info, Linda :) I love oranges!

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  4. Cool! I bet they would be pretty floating in a white sangria or punch.

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  5. That was interesting. I learned some things.

    Navel oranges are my favorite as well. They tend to be easier to peel than other varieties. I, also like mandarin oranges as well. I use those a lot in salads. Easy to peel and lend themselves to a lot of recipes.

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