CITRUS, VARIOUS SPECIES
WHILE a few of the citrus fruits in commerce are the original wild species, most are hybrids and crosses and further crosses of species and other hybrids. For instance, tangelos are a cross between a Dancy tangerine and a grapefruit. The limequat is a cross between a lime and a kumquat. The oversized pummelo looks like a cross between a grapefruit and a soccer ball, but it is
actually its own species and a probable parent of
the grapefruit.
THE ORGANIC FACTOR
Buying organic citrus is especially important if you’re cooking with citrus peel or zest, because that’s where most chemicals reside. But even if you’re just eating the inside, it’s worth buying organic because the amount of chemicals used to treat citrus fruits is appalling, In 2001, California growers alone used over 3,000 tons (6 million pounds!) of agricultural chemicals on their oranges. Now add more tons of chemicals used on grapefruit, lemons, and other citrus. And add all the chemicals used in citrus-growing states such as Arizona, Texas, and Florida, and you can see the importance of buying organic whenever possible.
NUTRITION
Not only are organic citrus fruits “cleaner” than conventionally grown varieties, they are able to absorb many more nutrients from the rich organic soil. Organic oranges have been found to have up to 30 percent more vitamin C than conventional fruits, even though the conventional oranges tend to be larger and have a deeper color.
Citrus is known to have a cholesterol-lowering effect, and over 20 epidemiological studies have shown that the consumption of citrus is protective against many cancers in humans, including cancers of the oral cavity, larynx, esophagus, pancreas, stomach, lung, colon, and rectum. Citrus is also rich in bioflavonoids and other antioxidants. One cup of fresh orange juice contains 124 milligrams of vitamin C—over four times the recommended daily allowance. Other citrus contains comparable amounts.
TYPES
See citrus varieties on this page, for a breakdown of the best varieties by type.
SEASONALITY
Citrus are available year-round, but high citrus season is during the late fall and winter.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Look for fruit without nicks or cuts, and choose those that feel heavy in the hand.
USES
Citrus fruits are the most widely grown, diverse, and useful fruits in the world. The joy of citrus fruits is their delicious taste and sharp acidity that stimulates the appetite and slakes the thirst so well. Citrus’s sweet-sour spectrum ranges from sharply sour in lemons to wonderfully sweet in tangerines and oranges.
Who could predict from the flavor of citrus alone that orange would go so perfectly with chocolate or strawberries, that lime juice would focus the taste of corn and meld with raw fish, that grapefruit and goat cheese are a natural match? And lemons—they make half the celebrated teams of lemon and lime, lemon and honey, and lemon and black currants.
Lemons also have an affinity for olives. The Olive Press in Glen Ellen, California, markets an olive oil they call Limonato made with local Mission olives and Meyer lemons. They give these ingredients for a citrus vinaigrette: 6 tablespoons of Limonato, 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice, and 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. The wide range of citrus fruits have uses far too numerous to mention, but don’t forget that you can marinate very fresh seafood such as fillets of sole or catfish in lemon and lime juices in the fridge overnight to make ceviche.
VARIETY
The following are the cream of the citrus crop. Common names change from place to place. Tangors, for instance, are called orangelos in some parts of the country. I’ve included kumquats, as they’re commonly considered a citrus fruit, although they actually have their own genus, Fortunella.
Grapefruit (Citrus 3 paradisi)
WHITE
DUNCAN —An old variety with sharply acidic, crisp flavor; seedy. ....read more
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