The Florida Orange: It’s Not Just For Juice Anymore

Thanks to hefty advertising budgets most of the world thinks of Florida as the orange capital of the world. The Florida orange growers and the state of Florida both spend a ton of money extolling the virtues of that perfect fruit that we all associate with vitamin C. Orange juice is pushed the hardest and with good reason. Most of Florida’s oranges are used in juice production and not raw consumer consumption.

But the Florida orange has more uses than just that “cup of sunshine” that many of us down in the morning with our breakfast. In fact it turns out that the orange is a pretty versatile food and if you look hard enough you can find all kinds of goodies made with these things.

Of course we all know about orange marmalade and some of the best comes from the Sunshine State. We’ve all had the traditional orange marmalade slathered on a warm piece toast but there are some interesting combinations that you may want to try to mix it up. One marmalade maker in the town of Dundee mixes cherries in with the oranges to give a unique taste twist to the old standby. If you’re not a big fan of cherries then you can try out the orange-pineapple or orange-strawberry blends that are whipped up in the old fashioned copper kettles used.

So you’ve had your breakfast with a glass of juice and marmalade on toast and now you want to go outside and do a little gardening. You arrive at your flower bed and ugh! Snails. Those slimy critters that dine on the leaves of your petunias. Well thanks to the Florida orange you can run out and get some sweet orange oil which is used by many gardeners to repel snails and slugs. Apparently these slippery invaders have not seen the ads touting the virtue of oranges because they really don’t like the oil.

Your encounter with the creepy crawlers doesn’t stop you from planning what to have for dinner. You’re thinking about a nice baked chicken with a light tasting orange wine to go with it. But wait a minute; you can’t make wine from oranges. That’s right the wine industry simply stole the name to describe an orange colored wine that is made with a unique fermentation technique.

There are other uses for the Florida orange that range from food supplements to cleaners but we will always remember it for the juice. Of and by the way, Florida is not the orange capital of the world. Brazil is.

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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