The Christmas Fruit

This fruit will make it's appearance in more homes than usual this month. Kind of traditional fruit... So many people think of fruit as a holiday fare and do not bother to include it in their daily diets. A mistake! This fruit will be popular in another week in most homes that don’t see it as more than a holiday fruit…

That might just be because they are coming into harvest or it has been passed down from generation to generation as the fruit to put in every child's stocking. Whatever the reason that the orange occupy’s a place of honor for this time of the year that orange ball is healthy, nutritious and a very enjoyable food.

An orange is more effective than dark-green, leafy vegetables in increasing serum concentrations of retinol and beta-carotene. Not to say green leafy vegetables should not be in the daily diet, quite the opposite!

Various varieties of oranges exist around the world.

Most varieties of the orange has a sweet with a slightly sour taste and is commonly peeled and eaten fresh, or squeezed for its juice. The outer-most layer of the rind is called orange zest, and it has a similar flavor with a bitter tang to the inner part of the orange. The rind is very high in nutrients and can be used in cooking, cleaning or eating.

When the oil is removed from the orange rind it is a very effective non-toxic cleaning and polishing agent. Orange oil is used as a wood treatment for preserving and naturally beautifying it.

One naval orange provides 130% of your daily Vitamin C. This powerful antioxidant protects the body from the effects of stress, pollution and disease. Unlike some vitamins, Vitamin C cannot be stored by the body, so it must be replenished regularly. Oranges supply 80 fat-free calories packed with energizing carbohydrates that fuel energy levels.

Oranges supply Vitamin C, flavonoids and folate as well as fiber and many other vitamins and minerals that bolster the immune system and contribute to overall health, which is especially important during cold and flu season.

One orange or grapefruit contains 1gram of protein and the mineral zinc, among other nutrients, both bolster the immune system and helps to fight off the negative effects of stress and ward off illness and diseases.

The fruit originated in India or Vietnam, depending on who you listen to. It was called na rangi in Sanskrit. The na rangi or naranja was translated as "norange", and in English usage a norange was back-formed into the more acceptable “orange”. The same thing happened in French and Italian, but in Spanish it is still naranja.
A number of varieties of orange are now cultivated in many parts of the world, usually in warmer climates. The sweet navel orange - Citrus aurantium - was first grown in Spain, and has become the most popular variety. The sweet orange will grow to different sizes and colors due to local conditions, most commonly with ten slices inside.
The Valencia or Murcia orange is one of the sweet oranges used for juice. It is a late-season fruit and is the most popular orange when the navel oranges are out of season.

The blood orange has streaks of red in the fruit, and when squeezed the juice is often reddish. The blood orange, with it's sweet, deep red colored flesh, is thought to be the result of a mutation that occurred in 17th century Sicily. In most varieties of blood orange even the pulp and skin is slightly sweet, and not bitter.
The mandarin is similar, but smaller and sweeter. The mandarin orange is considered a native of south-eastern Asia and the Philippines. It is most abundantly grown in Japan, southern China, India, Mexico and the East Indies, and is esteemed for home consumption in Australia. Mandarin is a group name for a class of oranges with thin, loose peel, which have been dubbed "kid-glove" oranges. These are treated as members of a distinct species, Citrus reticulata Blanco. The name "tangerine" could be applied as an alternate name to the whole group, but, in the trade, is usually confined to the types with red-orange skin. In the Philippines all mandarin oranges are called naranjita. Spanish-speaking people in the American tropics call them mandarina. There are a multitude of different named Mandarin oranges.

My grandchildren's favorite breakfast is Orange French Toast;

Ingredients;
3 free-range organic eggs beaten
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup soy or rice milk
1 Tablespoon melted Butter or virgin olive oil
6-8 Whole wheat bread slices

1) Beat first six ingredients together in bowl until well mixed.
2) Heat griddle.
3) Dip bread slices in mixture coating both sides.
4) Cook on butter/oil coated or non-stick griddle until lightly browned. If you like your French toast slightly sweeter lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar. For a more cinnamon taste sprinkle with sugar and ground cinnamon before serving. (I keep a salt shaker with cinnamon/granulated sugar mixture on hand for this purpose. 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon to 1/4 cup sugar.)

Serve hot with fruit or syrup of choice. (Our favorite is with sliced peaches or sliced strawberries)

An apple a day keeps the doctor away but so does an orange a day!
Build a healthy immune system!
Lena