The Polly Hale Newsletter June, 1994: How the Valencia Orange got its name and why it keeps its popularity
It’s a story worth telling. Some time ago, a shipment of young citrus trees arrived at a grove owner’s orchard – but the name of the trees was not included in the shipment. Because he trusted his supplier he planted the trees anyway. Later, as these trees began to produce fruit, the grower from Spain, who saw them immediately remarked, “Aha! That late orange of Valencia.”
The “late” orange of Valencia, though it matures later than other oranges, remains in season for three months or longer, allowing you to enjoy it as late as July, after other oranges are gone. It’s wonderful for juice, salads, garnishes and for peeling and eating. .
Valencias have the unique capability of holding today’s maturing oranges on the trees together with the new small oranges which will become next season’s crop. “The older the violin, the sweeter the music”, and the later the orange the sweeter and juicer is the late orange ofValencia.
It’s also worth repeating that the Valencia is the most popular orange in the world. It provides you with the breakfast juice you buy in the supermarkets and pound for pound it provides more delicious juice than any other orange.
A six-ounce glass provides more than 100% of the U.S. Drug Administration’s daily allowances if vitamin C which is necessary to make collagen which keeps us together by forming the tendons and ligament that hold muscles in place.
Athletes often drink orange juice to help replace fluids lost by sweating because it’s a source of potassium, which helps muscles work properly by maintaining the water balance in your blood cells.
Taste the Sunshine with Hale Groves
At Hale Groves, we believe the best gifts come from the land, not a factory. For generations, our fruit has been grown slowly under the Florida sun, picked at its peak, and delivered fresh to your door. From sweet Navel Oranges to rare Honeybells, every gift shares the simple joy of real flavor—perfect for holidays, milestones, or everyday moments worth celebrating.
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