Navel Oranges…

Tomorrow at the Uptown Wednesday market we are bringing our organic Navel Oranges.

Nothing is quite as exciting as the start of citrus season, specifically the return of Arizona grown navel oranges. Navels are large, seedless, sweet and easy to peel. The juicy segments separate easily, which make these the perfect citrus snack. Navels gets their name from the “bellybutton” or the under developed fruit protruding at the blossom end of the orange—which resembles a human navel. Although there are several navel varieties out there, the Washington and Cara Cara are the most common. A Cara Cara navel is a red-fleshed navel that is a cross between a Washington navel and the Brazilian Bahia navel.

The navel originated from a single tree that was planted in Brazil in 1820. A mutation in the tree caused two oranges to be produced into a single piece of fruit.  The navel first made its break onto the California scene in the late 1800’s, with cuttings brought to Arizona in the early 1900’s.  We are excited to have these back in season and will have them at the markets this week.

See you tomorrow!