The Orange Shop

I got my order about a week ago and these oranges are delicious. The top tray was full of small oranges (about the size of a jumbo egg) so they were very seedy but the flavor compensated for the tiny size. When I got to the second and third tray there was a mixture of larger and a couple more tiny ones. The larger ones don't have as many seeds so that's a plus. I am very happy with them. My only regret is that I didn't order more (I probably will order more today). I did find one in the bottom that got all moldy but I didn't refrigerate them immediately so that was my fault.

I gave some to my dad, my grandma, my boyfriend and I will use the remaining ones for my Christmas ham which I'm kinda worried that I won't be able to get the full flavor of the citrus when I cook it because I've never done it with fresh citrus before and I don't wanna mess it up. Dad and grandma loved them. These are sooooo good that you have to share them. I also want to make marmalade with these which I think will be better than any marmalade I've ever tasted. I'm definitely going to save some juice and zest for next year's Thanksgiving cranberry sauce (I can't wait!).

No joke guys, this is the best orange ever. My only other complaint is that I had to lay off of them for a while because the skin is very thin and it got under my nails and pushed my skin back which caused me a lot of pain when I tried to peel them but it was worth it. I just couldn't get enough of them so I ate like 10 of them on the first day so that is probably what caused my problem.

A few more tips:

1. Don't knead them before peeling. This is a very juicy orange and when you knead it and try to peel it the skin is very thin and its easy to puncture the pulp and all the juice runs out which is not good when you want to eat the segments.

2. Think twice before cutting out the sections. When I tried to cut into them the juice runs out and they are pretty delicate so its easy to press too hard and ruin the fruit. I also suspect that since its a smaller orange that the sections are very small so you wouldn't get as much fruit as you would if you eat it whole. But if you're a pro, go for it.

3. Be very gentle with them. Since the skin is so thin, they are very delicate and easy to juice or puncture with a finger, etc. and if you want the full flavor of the orange in each section you have to be very careful.

4. The seeds are easy to remove. The seeds are usually at the top of the membrane so they're easy to spot and eliminate but if you're giving them to kids I can see how it could be a problem for some parents. Kids probably wouldn't choke on the seeds because they're waaaay too small to choke on.

5. Be sure to zest them, even if you plan to eat it whole because the zest is the most fragrant that I've ever had. It would be so great in desserts and other dishes like candied yams.

Its just an amazing little fruit. I will definitely be ordering more before the season is out. Thank you Orange Shop!