Orange Smiles

The Valencia oranges in the crates this week are especially juicy. When divided into sections, each segment appears to be a little juice pouch. They are wonderful chilled, divvied, and shared. The Valencia is a great orange, it peels well and has excellent flavor.

The summer crop of Valencias have a green cast at its stem. Don’t be put off by the unexpected green tinge to these babies. The green is merely due to the chlorophyll traveling back toward fruit’s skin when it warms. The “regreening” doesn’t affect the sweet flavor. These oranges are fully ripe and are as fresh as can be – straight from the Harpos Ranch in Ventura County.

William Wolfskill knew how to pick a winner when he planted the first Valencia in 1841. He’d been a trapper but made good use of his knowledge of agronomy. Wolfskill became part of the boon known as the 2nd California Gold Rush. The orange industry blossomed corresponding with the railway expansion. Trains loaded with oranges to the East, spread the orange smiles coast to coast.