Valencia Orange, Handpicked for Juicing

This is MBG's favorite in our Juice counter. Wonder why? Let's check out this fun fact of Valencia Oranges. For decisive refreshment, try Valencia’s. Generally, a summertime fruit, Valencia’s are heavy with juice and have a sweet, delicate texture. Known as the ultimate juice orange, a Valencia’s flavor is a perfect balance of sweet and tart.

The Valencia orange is the most well-known type of orange, mainly because they are the most common orange used in juice production. Valencia oranges account for the majority of United States’ citrus crop, including half of Florida’s total citrus production.

Even though the Valencia orange was named after the city of Valencia in Spain, where there are lots of orange trees and a lot of citrus fruit grown, it was created in the US. A citrus farmer created the Valencia hybrid in California. The orange became so popular that the company who bought the orange from the original grower spent half of their resources just growing Valencia oranges.

Valencia oranges are the most well-known type of orange, and nearly everyone has had a Valencia orange at some point in their lives. Valencia oranges are very sweet and have a distinctive bright colored juice that other citrus fruits don't have. As a result of the unique color of the juice, many bottled orange juices are made from Valencia oranges because people love the bright color of the juice from these oranges.

And don’t be deterred if you see a tinge of green on oranges, it is caused by chlorophyll to help protect the oranges from sunburn. Green-tinged oranges are ripe and still taste sweet!

HARVESTING

Valencia oranges are ready to harvest from February through October. The fruit can hold on the tree and ripen for a long time, so the peak harvesting time is May-July. Oranges can be harvested either by handpicking or by using fruit pickers. When selecting ripe fruit, look for firm and heavy fruit with thin, smooth skin. If the ground is soft around the base of the tree, you can shake some branches and collect the fruit that has fallen. However, if the fruit is very ripe, you risk damaging and breaking the skin.

SELECTING VALENCIA

• Select a Valencia that is firm and heavy for its size
• Make sure that the orange doesn’t have soft spots or wrinkled skin
• Check its scent – it should smell good, not rotten or fermented
• Valencia’s turn golden as they ripen but will re-green as they remain on the trees during warmer weather. Therefore, color is a less important trait as the fruit is actually ripe, sweet, juicy and bright orange on the inside.

HEALTH BENEFITS

1. Oranges contain phytochemicals that protect against cancer.
Oranges are rich in citrus limonoids, proven to help fight a number of varieties of cancer including that of the skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon.

2. Orange juice can help prevent kidney diseases.
Drinking orange juice regularly prevents kidney diseases and reduces the risk of kidney stones.
3. Mandarin oranges fight liver cancer, according to studies.
According to two studies in Japan eating mandarin oranges reduces liver cancer. This may be due in part to vitamin A compounds known as carotenoids.

4. Oranges lower cholesterol.
Since they’re full of soluble fiber, oranges are helpful in lowering cholesterol.

5. They are rich in potassium and boost heart health.
Oranges are full of potassium, an electrolyte mineral responsible for helping the heart function well. When potassium levels get too low, you may develop an abnormal heart rhythm, known as an arrhythmia.

6. They lower the risk of diseases.
Oranges are full of vitamin C, which protects cells by neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals cause chronic diseases, like cancer and heart disease.

Note: drink juice in moderate amounts. The high sugar content of fruit juices can cause tooth decay and the high acid content can wear away enamel if consumed in excess.

Reference:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/13-health-benefits-of-oranges.html
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/13-health-benefits-of-oranges.html
http://blog.pittmandavis.com/interesting-facts-about-valencia-oranges/