Top Ten Kitchen Tips

During the month of October, I will be participating in the Write 31 Days hosted by Crystal Stine. My category is Food, Health & Wellness and my theme is "Into The Kitchen". 



No matter how much time we spend in the kitchen it seems there is always something to learn. It is fun and rewarding to find new and better ways to do what we've been doing for years, so here are my top ten kitchen tips.

1. Starchy foods such as pasta and potatoes are notorious for boiling over. Placing a wooden  spoon across your pot will lessen the chances of a boil over.
   
   
2. While minced garlic is a wonderful addition to many dishes, it is sticky and little bits of dried garlic are difficult to wash off of your knife. Rinsing your knife immediately will prevent this from happening.
   
   
3. Measuring sticky ingredients such as syrup or molasses is easier if you measure your oil first. This will help the sticky stuff to just slide right out. Not using oil? You can also spray your cup or spoon with cooking spray.
   
   
4. Keep your cutting boards and mixing bowls from sliding around by placing a piece of rubbery shelf liner on the counter. In a pinch, use a dampened paper towel.
   
   
5. Remove garlic odors from your hands with stainless steel. Under cold running water, rub your hands around your sink if it is stainless, or carefully rinse your knife with your fingers (see #2). There are also stainless steel "soap bars" specially made for this purpose available on Amazon.
   
   
6. If you're like me and use rubber gloves for dishes (because not everything goes in the
   dishwasher), you want to keep them dry. I use large clips to secure them to the dishpan so when I fill the dishpan I do not fill my gloves, too.
   
   
   
   
   
7. To help keep your knives sharp,  don't put them in the dishwasher. A sharp knife is a safe knife. A dull knife requires you to put more pressure on what you are cutting and you would be more likely to lose control and cut yourself.
   
   
8. Baking soda is your friend in the kitchen. Keep a box dedicated to cleaning and use it to clean out your sink. Rinse well and your sink will sparkle.
   
   
9. Keep your drain clean and free flowing with baking soda and white vinegar. Shake a generous amount of baking soda down your drain followed by several cups of white vinegar. It will bubble and foam as it works. Wait about 15 minutes and rinse with hot water.
   
   
10. Sterilize your kitchen sponges in the microwave. Rinse well and squeeze out the excess liquid. Place on microwave safe plate and microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Please share some of your favorite tips in the comments.


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Write 31 Days: Into the Kitchen

Hi, and welcome to Roses to Rainbows. If you're new around here, come in and make yourself at home. 

If you are a regular, then you know that I enjoy participating in blogging challenges. In fact, I have done two already this year. The 20 days of Chill in January and the 10 days of Heat on August, both hosted by P. J. at A lil' Hoohaa.  

During the month of October I plan to tackle the Write 31 Days challenge hosted by Crystal Stine. This is different from the previous challenges in that you choose a topic and pick a category that fits your topic. You then write on your chosen topic each day of the month. 

All the other blogging/writing challenges have provided a daily prompt and each participant wrote on the same topic, albeit with vastly different stories. This will truly be a challenge for me given the random nature of my  blog. 

While I have chosen the category of Food, Health & Wellness, I will not focus on any one food type, but will post a collection of recipes, articles, tips and other tidbits.

Please join me during the month of October as I take Roses to Rainbows into the kitchen. 


Click the links below for new content each day.

Day 2: Top Ten Kitchen Tips
Day 3: Top Ten Cooking Tips
Day 4: Which Oil Should I Use?
Day 5: Who Ever Has Enough Kitchen Gadgets?
Day 6: Why Ghee is Good
Day 7: Awesome Fried Clams
Day 9: Are They Yams or Sweet Potatoes
Day 10: Let's Talk Onions
Day 11: Everything Is Coming Up Pumpkins
Day 12: Botanically Speaking...What Are You Eating?
Day 13: Make Your Own Yellow Rice
Day 14: Yes, you can make your own pizza!
Day 16: Easy Red Beans and Rice
Day 17: Mayonnaise Rolls to the Rescue
Day 18: How to Save a Buck or Two
Day 19: What I Learned from TV
Day 20: The Humble Potato
Day 21: Know Your Sausage
Day 23: Into The Kitchen: Grilling Tips
Day 24: Rice: Brown, White or Other?
Day 25: An Unlikely Combination
Day 26: Fixing Up Your Quick-Fix Meals
Day 27: A Well Stocked Pantry Saves Time And Money
Day 28: Pantry Soup
Day 30: The Secret is in the Seasoning: Herbs and Spices
Day 31: Vacuum Sealing: The Basics



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Blogging: Q & A

Just last week I celebrated my eighth year as blogging at Roses to Rainbows without much fanfare. Just a short post to acknowledge the journey. I have touched on some of these points from time to time in other posts, but I thought I'd hit all the bases with a little Q & A which is solely reflective of my thoughts and experience over the years.

So what exactly is blogging? Blogs began back in the late 1990s as a weblog or an online journal, and over time the weblog evolved into the blog, or blogging, and one who writes a blog is a blogger. 

Why do people blog?  Some do it to keep up with friends and family, some promote their hobbies, some are writers and this is a place to perfect their craft and others blog just to entertain their audience. Many businesses with a web presence also have blogs.

Can you become rich and famous?  Some bloggers get recognized for their content and go on to write books. I've watched bloggers go from small sites to national recognition, magazines and TV shows.

Is this the norm?  Nope. It is the few of the few. So why do the rest of us do it? As self expression, a creative outlet, or as some people state, "I can't not write".

Who is reading? "Better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the public and have no self." I often wonder what Cyril Connolly was thinking when he said those words? Born in the early 1900s, he was a widely published British author, so apparently he was not lacking a public for whom to write. People from all walks of life read blogs for different reasons - entertainment, information, or a sense of community among the author and other readers.

Isn't blogging dead/dying?  No, there are a lot of active, successful blogs out there. Yes, social media such as Facebook, Instagram and others have changed things, but bloggers still offer content in a format that social media does not.

For whom are you writing?  For anyone who takes the time out of their busy lives to read my posts. For anyone who reads my words and smiles. For anyone who happens by on their way to somewhere else.  I am writing for you!

What is your goal?  My goal is to make people think, make them smile, encourage them, motivate them, to serve up entrees of information and anecdotes tossed with a mixture of fact and fiction, with sides of pictures and poetic ponderings. I would also like to establish a community of individuals sharing their thoughts and experiences.

Should I leave a comment? Absolutely! This not only helps build the community I mentioned, but also encourages the author and is greatly appreciated. Please and thank you in advance!

To other writers and bloggers, what keeps you writing?




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Welcome to Autumn, 2017

I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house. So I have spent almost all the daylight 

hours in the open air. - Nathaniel Hawthorne

Pretty Dogwood berries in the late afternoon sunlight.

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Celebrating 8 Years at Roses to Rainbows

Here I am, still blogging along after 8 years. This is my 963rd published post. There have been ups and downs, challenges and lapses, and yet I keep coming back. Why, you ask? Well, it was once said to me when I pondered my apparent failure as a blogger that "you never know when the words you write will touch someone". 

If I make one person laugh or even crack a smile, it's worth it. If I inspire, uplift or motivate one person, then I have accomplished something. If I entertained someone with my fictional characters, then that was a good day.

The doors are always open here at Roses to Rainbows, so drop by anytime. The archives are filled to the brim with eight years of stories, poetry, pictures, musings and much more.


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We Can't All Be Butterflies

We know what we are, but know not what we 

may be. - William Shakespeare

Generally we know who and what we are, and we may even know what we aspire to become, but that is not a certainty. Circumstances change, and events beyond our control can alter the outcome.

Unlike this pretty fellow, who will one day become a beautiful Swallowtail butterfly, we don't necessarily know what lies ahead, or just around the corner for that matter. Just because we don't know what we may be doesn't mean we can't always strive to be our best selves.


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So Now We Wait...

This is the 10th and final day of the First Annual 10 Days of Heat writing challenge hosted by 
P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is New York, New York. Please join me in checking out the other hot stories.

"Over here," called Charlie, standing in front of a rusty door. "Other than a loading dock with a garage door, this looks like the only way in...or out of the building. What does that tell you?"

Kyle looked around, stroking his chin, "No one gets in without whoever's inside knowing about it. Do we stake it out and see who shows up?"

"Or leaves," says Charlie. I'll get some agents down here to blend in and keep an eye on the place. We will meet back up with Alex and Bobby to see what they found out." He pauses, taking a bag and some tweezers from his pocket and collects a cigarette butt. "This may be nothing but you can never tell what might turn out to be a clue."

The four agents piled into a booth at a restaurant on the other side of town and began to compare notes.

"So what did you guys pull out of the woodwork today?" asked Charlie.

"We hit four auction houses, but the first three don't count. I think we hit pay dirt at the fourth" grinned Alex. "A place called Tranquility Imports." 

"Tranquility Imports" That's kind of a sissy name for the kind of scum we're looking for," smirked Charlie. 

Yeah, I thought that was an odd name for an establishment walking the fine line between legal and jail time. Turns out it's a family business going back generations. It is run by Sato Yasahiro, the third in the family to bear that name. Yasahiro means 'tranquil child'. After his father died and the current Yasahiro took over the business, changes were made."



"So these changes are perhaps what leads you to believe this may be our guy?" inquired Kyle.

"Not our guy, so much as the guy who knows the guy, and let's just say that the elder Yasahiro is probably not smiling down on the new business plan," said Bobby, reaching for the plate of fries. "What did you find?"

"We found a grungy warehouse that fits the bill for shady dealings. We put some undercover guys on stakeout," replied Charlie, glancing at his watch. "It's almost the witching hour when bad things get worse."

As if on cue, Charlie's cell rings. "Yeah, what have you got? Okay. What did they look like? I see, got it. Thanks."

All eyes were on Charlie. "Alex, can you describe Yasahiro for me?"

"Stocky, about 5' 8", black hair pulled back into a queue. Dressed in black with a red tie and gold cuff links," complied Alex. "Did they see him?"

"Maybe. There was another guy there too, bald, likely in his 50s. One of our guys posed as a drunk sitting propped up next to the building behind the dumpster. He was wired and picked up a bit of conversation about how to get a particular piece for some rich American."

"The bald guy was driving a rental with New York plates so they checked with the rental agency. It was rented to a Nikolai Petrov, who just happens to be our dead Russian. I'm going to have a piece of evidence checked for prints and DNA. Maybe we'll get a hit." said Charlie. "I'm thinking the bald guy is SAD."

"Yeah, I'd be sad, too, if I was bald," joked Alex. 

"All right, get some sleep tonight. Hopefully, tomorrow we can prove the connection between Yasahiro and the bald guy.

The next morning Alex's burner phone rings. "Hello. Yes, this is Alan. I see. Yes, a week will be fine. Thank you very much. Jasmine will be very happy."

"That was Yasahiro. He says he has met with his contact and they should be able to have it within a week, and he would be in touch to arrange payment and delivery," Alex reported to the group. "In addition to the piece being rare, expensive and difficult to obtain, it is also in Hirosaki. So now we wait."

Charlie smiled over the rim of his coffee cup, "Excellent! In the meantime, we'll quietly continue our undercover investigation. We need to know when and where the deal will go down so we can be in place ahead of time."

"At least this one is on our turf," said Alex. "That's a relief after the last case took us all over the country. Plus I got shot."

"Look at it this way, Alex, you got to meet a pretty girl," said Charlie, thumping him on the back.

To be continued.

Other Adventures of Charlie and Alex:

Risky Business

Aliens, Really?
The Colombians
The Key
Stranded
The Last Laugh
The Morning After

Bears, Beans and Beer

Kidnapped

Jenna's Misfortune

Murder in the Warehouse

A Rough Week in Philly

San Francisco Connection

No Grunt, No Glory

Crush Or Be Crushed
Going Under

Let's Make a Deal

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In the Good Old Summertime

This is Day 9 of the First Annual 10 Days of Heat writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Best Summer Memory. Please join me in checking out the other hot stories.

I'm not sure if the prompt is meant to be just this summer's bet memory, or the best-ever summer memory. Either way, there is no one best memory so I'm going to walk down memory lane through some of my fondest summer memories, in no particular order.

Parasailing in the Gulf of Mexico at Madeira Beach, FL. The experience takes you from flying across the water in a speed boat to sailing hundreds of feet above the Gulf. It was so peaceful up there, and the sounds of the city and boat seemed miles away.

Photo from Pixabay

Zam's swamp tours in Louisiana. It was a slow boat ride through the bayous and back waters of Louisiana where we saw fish, alligators, turtles, Nutria, and lots of birds. After the boat tour, we got a tour of the back yard, which was filled with alligators. There was a talk, but the guide was speaking Cajun French, and I didn't get most of it. It was there we had our first taste of alligator, and we've been eating it ever since. Here is a video from an actual tour.

Tom and Jerry's air boat tour on Lake Panasoffkee in Florida. That was an hour-long tour which took us on slow winding paths through tall grass to speeding across the wide open expanse of the lake. It was beautiful, and yes we did see alligators, turtles, and yep, more birds.

My photo from the Tom & Jerry Airboat

The fascination with water and boats continues. While vacationing in Maine one year, we took a sailboat tour out of Bar Harbor. It was a large sailboat with 3-4 masts. If you love boats and you've never done a tour like this, you should. We did a similar tour in Norfolk that went around the Harbor. That was an evening tour, and it gets chilly even in the summer.

Photo from Pixabay

Not to be forgotten was our trip to San Diego, and of course, the Pacific ocean. No trip is complete without a visit to Coronado and the famous Coronado Bridge.

Photo from Wikimedia

Are you sensing a theme here? What are some of your favorite summertime memories?


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Boom! It's Fireworks.

This is Day 8 of the First Annual 10 Days of Heat writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Fireworks. Please join me in checking out the other hot stories.

Fireworks, that brilliant display of colorful lights illuminating the night sky, preceded by a large bang and some crackles as the pattern unfolds. I could research about what makes fireworks go boom and what makes the colors, but the answers are just a Google search away.

Typically summer is the time for fireworks. Here in the U.S. they dominate the Fourth of July and New Year's Eve, and in our area are often seen after baseball games and at the fair. There are even worldwide fireworks competitions. I didn't know that.

This year for the Forth, a neighbor put on a 30-minute display from his yard, interestingly enough, across the street from a city fire department. I'm sure they enjoyed the show as well. We had the best view from the vacant lot next door. We watched, mesmerized, as the sky exploded time and again until the smoke was drifting lazily across the street.

It was a perfect Fourth of July evening, not too hot and no mosquitoes to mar the experience. It was one of the best fireworks displays we've seen in a long time. I know the picture does not do it justice, but I was more interested in just enjoying the show than trying to get a good shot.

Where do you go to see fireworks?

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Sunset Haven

This is Day 7 of the First Annual 10 Days of Heat writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Camp Life. Please join me in checking out the other hot stories.

Hey guys, this is a tough topic. I have never been camping. I never went to summer camp as a kid. The closest I've ever come to camping is driving through a campground and going to an RV show.

Image from Pixabay*

Having said that, back when I was a kid, my parents and I would visit relatives up North each summer. My aunt and uncle lived in New Hampshire a few miles from the coast, so occasionally we would go to the beach. Other times, we would drive to their "camp" on a lake in Maine. The camp consisted of a red wooden building complete with a picnic table, lawn chairs, and some old kitchen cabinets. That was so long ago I don't recall if there was electricity.

We used an old 55-gallon oil drum cut in half lengthwise as a grill. The menu was hot dogs and hamburgers, likely accompanied by garden-fresh veggies, and homemade cookies, cake or pie.

There was no running water so we had an outhouse. It did have a regular toilet but you had to use a hand pump to fill the tank to flush. It was a courtesy to pump after your visit so it would be ready for the next person.

While there were tent platforms out back, and perhaps a loft inside, we never stayed over night. That doesn't mean we didn't have our adventures. One day we drove all the way out there only to find that we had forgotten to take the key. Daddy and my uncle had to take the door off the hinges, which shows just how secure the place was, but it was so far off the beaten path and this was back in the 70s...things were pretty safe.

On another day, we strapped a row boat on the top of my uncle's station wagon and took it to camp. As far as I know this wasn't a large lake, but maybe a brackish water lake or pond or possibly even an inlet or cove on a larger lake.  There has been a lot of water under the bridge since then so my memory isn't exact.

Anyway, Daddy, and my uncle and I went out in the boat. I was probably about 12 and at that time I couldn't swim. Of course there were no life jackets in the old row boat. We all managed to get back safely after our excursion across the lake to look at the big rock on the other side where there was a snake happily sunning away. Fortunately my aunt did not come with us. She probably would have screamed to be heard clear down to the main road. To say that she didn't like snakes was an extreme understatement.

Other activities included fishing, exploring and picking wild blueberries, visiting with the ducks that came by sometimes, and swatting mosquitoes, because, after all, this was Maine...in the woods, on a lake, in the summer.

So while I haven't really experienced any actual camping, this was my camp life experience at Sunset Haven.

*I have actual pictures of Sunset Haven, but it would take way to long to find them for this post.



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Let's Make A Deal

This is Day 6 of the First Annual 10 Days of Heat writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Achorage, Alaska. Please join me in checking out the other hot stories.

"Just for grins, who is it our scuzzy art dealer was supposed to have murdered?"and by the way, where did we come up with these accessories," asked Alex as he strapped on his Rolex and adjusted his silk tie.

Pulling on his coat and setting a hat atop his head, Charlie said "A lot of these things were from old busts, where the perps are long gone and there were no relatives found to claim them. As to the who, it was apparently a colleague. 

As I understand it, he was a Russian collector and there was an exchange of goods somewhere in Alaska...Anchorage, I believe. Anyway, the deal went south and our scuzzy art dealer, let's call him SAD, shall we. So SAD allegedly offed the guy, took the goods and the money."

"That's a scenario that plays out way too often," replied Alex. "But if the murder victim is Russian, wouldn't the Russian authorities want SAD, or for that matter why wouldn't we, if the murder happened here?"

"In some cases, yes, but the Russian was a legal resident of Tokyo at the time of his death, therefore it makes it Japan's problem. Because SAD is currently operating in the U.S. I bet there are any number of things we could charge him with, but getting justice for the murder is our priority.

"Hey guys, you ready?" asked Kyle, who had just appeared in the doorway looking like Charlie's right-hand man. Bobby, on the other hand, looked like Alex's nerdy cousin, a part he reluctantly played, but was rather good at.

"Ready!" said Charlie, "Everyone got their roles down? Time to hit the streets. Alex, you and Bobby start with the auction houses. You have your list of those rare, hard-to-come-by items that should pique their interest. The object is to ask for something the legitimate dealers can't get, and maybe they will know someone who knows someone."

"In the meantime, Kyle and I will check out places where SAD might be doing business and try to make a connection. Let's go!"

"Welcome to Morton's Auction House. My name is Victor, how may I help you?" asked the proprietor with great formality as Alex and Bobby entered the room.

Not expecting such posh surroundings, Alex cleared his throat, "Um, yes, well I am looking for this or maybe this" as he hands Victor a couple of pictures. "I have heard many good things about Morton's, and I thought perhaps you could help me. I would like to procure one of these for my fiancée as a wedding gift."

Victor stared at the pictures for a long moment then said "I am afraid these items are beyond our resources. I am sorry. Perhaps another, shall we say, less prestigious establishment may be able to help you. It is not that the items you seek are not worthy of our House, it is just the means by which we would have to acquire them that renders us unable to assist you."

"Thank you very much for coming in, and good luck in your quest," responded Victor graciously as he escorted them to the door.

That scenario played out similarly in the next three auction houses. "Well," said Bobby, "that's four down and how many more to go?

"Who knew there were that many auction houses in the city," complained Alex. "I hope Charlie is having better luck."

"Next up is Tranquility Imports. I think that is our winner," Bobby said confidently.

They drive to a less fashionable neighborhood to find a rather ordinary brick building with a small sign that read Tranquility Imports. "This doesn't look like the others, but that may be a good thing since we have struck out everywhere else, said Alex as he looked around. "Let's see if we can get in."

"Hello," called Bobby. "Are you open for business?"

Momentarily a man entered from another room. He was dressed in all black, save a red tie and gold cuff links.

Good afternoon gentlemen, I am Sato Yasahiro, proprietor of Tranquility Imports. What can I do for you today?

"Hello, my name is Alan Wainwright and I'm looking for these items, handing Sato the pictures. I have been turned down at the last four places I tried. Can you help me?" inquired Alex, watching him closely.

"If I can, can you afford my services?" said Sato, watching Alex equally as closely. "This type of item is extremely rare...and extremely expensive. It would take a certain amount of, shall we say, effort, to acquire either of these artifacts. Are you comfortable with that?" asked Sato, implying that all would not be aboveboard, just what they were hoping to hear.

Alex glanced at Bobby and saw they were on the same page. "Yes, that would make my fiancée very happy. It is to be a wedding gift."

"Very well then, let's talk business." Sato indicated an office to the left.

Meanwhile Charlie and Kyle, on a tip from one of their contacts, are poking around a warehouse on the less savory side of the city, oddly enough, not far from where Alex is making his deal.

"What do you see here, Kyle?" as they walked cautiously along the building that takes up a full city block. 

"It's what I don't see. Surely there is a door around here somewhere." Suddenly there was a loud noise coming from inside the warehouse. Both men instinctively reached for their guns, then stopped. "That wasn't a gunshot," said Charlie thankfully. "Let's keep going. This seems like the kind of place we might find SAD. 


Stay tuned for the next part coming up August 31.
==============================================

Other Adventures of Charlie and Alex:

Risky Business

Aliens, Really?
The Colombians
The Key
Stranded
The Last Laugh
The Morning After

Bears, Beans and Beer

Kidnapped

Jenna's Misfortune

Murder in the Warehouse

A Rough Week in Philly

San Francisco Connection

No Grunt, No Glory

Crush Or Be Crushed
Going Under

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Living the Beach Life...one vacation at a time.

This is Day 5 of the First Annual 10 Days of Heat writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Beach Life. Please join me in checking out the other hot stories.

I live four hours from the nearest beach, and yet only see the waves and smell that unmistakable scent of the sand and sea a couple times a year. You know that soul cleansing revitalization that comes from having the sand between your toes, listening to the waves and watching the pelicans soaring gracefully one moment and diving headfirst into the water the next.

This first video is a compilation of photos taken in St. Augustine, FL a few years ago while vacationing with friends. It was a picture-perfect trip.

This was filmed later that same year in Madeira Beach, FL. There are some spectacular sunsets over the Gulf and this one was amazing.

Yes, I do enjoy the beach life, and while we typically go to Florida, my home state also has some amazingly beautiful beaches.

This was taken at Oak Island, NC this past June. 

Where is your favorite beach?

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Diving into the deep end?

This is Day 4 of the First Annual 10 Days of Heat writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Diving into the deep end. Please join me in checking out the other hot stories.

Nope, not me!

Unlike going off the deep end, diving into the deep end is entirely within your control. Control being the key word here. I like to be in control of my circumstances, and I am not a risk-taker, so there are a number of things you won't find me doing.

Among them are diving into any body of water, or jumping out of a perfectly good airplane (or boat), unless of course doing so is significantly less dangerous than remaining where I am. In which case I will likely expire from fear anyway.

And should you ever find me doing any of the above-mentioned things without extenuating circumstances, you will know that I have, indeed, gone off the deep end.





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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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