A Seed Saver's Garden

[Pulsegleaner]

It's yuzu season again, so I took the plunge and grabbed seven or so, using my (not very accurate) methods of trying to tell "good" ones from "bad" ones (basically, I grabbed the seven with the fewest bumps, hoping that meant more orange like traits) Still haven't opened any, so I don't know whether I was right or not.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I sort of miss back when Sunrise ran the smaller Japanese grocery store a few towns over. As a branch of a major chain on the west coast, with their own contracted farms, THEY would actually sometimes get in fresh sudachis as well as Yuzu's, which Daido (where I was on Friday, despite being bigger, does not, I THINK they had kabosus once, but, as far as I could recall, their kabosus looked just like their yuzus, so it could have been mislabeling.)

 

[heirloomgal]

I sort of miss back when Sunrise ran the smaller Japanese grocery store a few towns over. As a branch of a major chain on the west coast, with their own contracted farms, THEY would actually sometimes get in fresh sudachis as well as Yuzu's, which Daido (where I was on Friday, despite being bigger, does not, I THINK they had kabosus once, but, as far as I could recall, their kabosus looked just like their yuzus, so it could have been mislabeling.)

I had to google 4 things to understand this post! By the end I learned a bunch of new types of citrus though. Have you tasted all of them @Pulsegleaner?

I've experimented a teeny bit with citrus, and as a result I'm a huge fan of pommelos. They are my favorite citrus to eat - bar none. Second would be Tangelo Minneola, so juicy and sweet. I've tried blood oranges and they were not great, no real sweetness, but that may have been those particular fruits. Maybe others from elsewhere would taste different. Prosaic as they might be, I do quite enjoy navel oranges. I once tried some kumquats as well. I didn't know how to eat them, so I peeled them, which I think was incorrect, and didn't leave much left to eat either. But the taste of what I did eat was very, very good. I had some Persian friends that were really into eating some kind citrus that was dried and grated. It seemed rather unlike any other use for citrus I'd heard before, they really loved it. I wish now that the one time that I went to eat with them to an Iranian restaurant that I had tried a dish with that citrus.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I had to google 4 things to understand this post! By the end I learned a bunch of new types of citrus though. Have you tasted all of them @Pulsegleaner?

Most (I missed my chance on the kabosu).

I've tried blood oranges and they were not great, no real sweetness, but that may have been those particular fruits. Maybe others from elsewhere would taste different.

Yes, but I'm not sure you'd like the other kind either. Setting aside formal variety names, there are basically two kinds, what I think of as the "old" kind and the new kind. Since you're more likely to run into the latter now, I start with that. Most of what Sunkist and the like sell now are the "new type" which basically look like a regular orange with a bit of a blush/sunburn on one side of the peel, and, when peeled, reveal flesh that is a mixture of pinkish red and orange. I tend to find this kind way too sour for my taste.

The other kind, what I think of as the "old" or "classic" blood orange (and bear in mind that, since you need two types to get good pollination, finding both kinds in the same pile is hardly unusual). Compared to the others, these are much smoother, usually are sort of bronzy in color, up to almost a milk chocolate hue, and will have a pronounced green/brown shade to the oil pore on the peel (the "dots") They also ten to be a bit oblong (taller than wide). When opened the flesh of these will be a deep pure dark purplish red, with no sign of orange AT ALL. This ones taste is a little more complicated. On one hand, it has decided raspberry notes to it. On the other, to someone used to sweet oranges, it can actually taste kind of bitter.)

There are two other things you just might see called "blood oranges". One is the mango orange, will will look normal from the outside, but will have pink pith and wedges when you peel it (actually the juice cells are a normal orange, it's just the parchment around them that is pink (and these are different that the Cara Cara orange, which is also pink inside, but much larger.) The flavor of these is odd, since they are one of those citruses that has NO acid, so they taste like extremely sweetened slightly raspberry flavored water.)

On one occasion I also bumped into something called a Red Mandarin, which is, as it sounds like a red fleshed tangerine. I liked those, but they seem to be REALLY rare.

Prosaic as they might be, I do quite enjoy navel oranges.

I also like SOME, specifically, those from a company called Paramount Citrus. It's the only of the dozen or so brands of them we get around here I find worth it.

I once tried some kumquats as well. I didn't know how to eat them, so I peeled them, which I think was incorrect, and didn't leave much left to eat either.

Yeah, with kumquats, the peel is the part you are SUPPOSED TO Eat, it's where the sweetness is (though it is also a bit astringent). It makes a nice drink when added to lemonade, or any other tart citrus-ade.

If you get a choice, Meiwa (the oval kind) is supposedly sweeter than the other one (the cylinder shaped one).

But the taste of what I did eat was very, very good. I had some Persian friends that were really into eating some kind citrus that was dried and grated. It seemed rather unlike any other use for citrus I'd heard before, they really loved it. I wish now that the one time that I went to eat with them to an Iranian restaurant that I had tried a dish with that citrus.

That sounds like Persian black lime, which is simply a regular lime that has been dried. Persians use it a lot in cooking. The fact they prefer it from home is more national pride than anything inherently special about the limes, I think.

Assuming they sell them I find Dekopons (commercially known as Sumo Mandarins) to be quite pleasant, very sweet, only lightly acidic and (for a tangerine) ENORMOUS (they're the size of a large navel or juice orange, or even bigger!)

Uglifruit can also be good IF you know how to pick them. ALWAYS go for the ones with the yellowest or (even better) orangest peels (NEVER mostly green) Green ones tend to take their taste from the grapefruit side of the family, orange from the tangerine one.

I'm just sorry I can't hunt around here; Chinatown often has pummelos that are the size of basketballs!.

 

[heirloomgal]

Most (I missed my chance on the kabosu).


Yes, but I'm not sure you'd like the other kind either. Setting aside formal variety names, there are basically two kinds, what I think of as the "old" kind and the new kind. Since you're more likely to run into the latter now, I start with that. Most of what Sunkist and the like sell now are the "new type" which basically look like a regular orange with a bit of a blush/sunburn on one side of the peel, and, when peeled, reveal flesh that is a mixture of pinkish red and orange. I tend to find this kind way too sour for my taste.

The other kind, what I think of as the "old" or "classic" blood orange (and bear in mind that, since you need two types to get good pollination, finding both kinds in the same pile is hardly unusual). Compared to the others, these are much smoother, usually are sort of bronzy in color, up to almost a milk chocolate hue, and will have a pronounced green/brown shade to the oil pore on the peel (the "dots") They also ten to be a bit oblong (taller than wide). When opened the flesh of these will be a deep pure dark purplish red, with no sign of orange AT ALL. This ones taste is a little more complicated. On one hand, it has decided raspberry notes to it. On the other, to someone used to sweet oranges, it can actually taste kind of bitter.)

There are two other things you just might see called "blood oranges". One is the mango orange, will will look normal from the outside, but will have pink pith and wedges when you peel it (actually the juice cells are a normal orange, it's just the parchment around them that is pink (and these are different that the Cara Cara orange, which is also pink inside, but much larger.) The flavor of these is odd, since they are one of those citruses that has NO acid, so they taste like extremely sweetened slightly raspberry flavored water.)

On one occasion I also bumped into something called a Red Mandarin, which is, as it sounds like a red fleshed tangerine. I liked those, but they seem to be REALLY rare.



I also like SOME, specifically, those from a company called Paramount Citrus. It's the only of the dozen or so brands of them we get around here I find worth it.


Yeah, with kumquats, the peel is the part you are SUPPOSED TO Eat, it's where the sweetness is (though it is also a bit astringent). It makes a nice drink when added to lemonade, or any other tart citrus-ade.

If you get a choice, Meiwa (the oval kind) is supposedly sweeter than the other one (the cylinder shaped one).


That sounds like Persian black lime, which is simply a regular lime that has been dried. Persians use it a lot in cooking. The fact they prefer it from home is more national pride than anything inherently special about the limes, I think.

Assuming they sell them I find Dekopons (commercially known as Sumo Mandarins) to be quite pleasant, very sweet, only lightly acidic and (for a tangerine) ENORMOUS (they're the size of a large navel or juice orange, or even bigger!)

Uglifruit can also be good IF you know how to pick them. ALWAYS go for the ones with the yellowest or (even better) orangest peels (NEVER mostly green) Green ones tend to take their taste from the grapefruit side of the family, orange from the tangerine one.

I'm just sorry I can't hunt around here; Chinatown often has pummelos that are the size of basketballs!.

Pummelos the size of basketballs!!!

I'd be in heaven...

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Pummelos the size of basketballs!!!

I'd be in heaven...

Well, they're basketball sized WHEN YOU GET THEM, once you take the peel off, what you're left with is about the size of a standard skin-on grapefruit (pummelos can have REALLY thick rinds, like multi-inch thick.)

 

[heirloomgal]

Well, they're basketball sized WHEN YOU GET THEM, once you take the peel off, what you're left with is about the size of a standard skin-on grapefruit (pummelos can have REALLY thick rinds, like multi-inch thick.)

Yes, the pummelos I get here are about 8 inches across, but that peel is for sure an inch thick. It's the thickest rind I've ever seen on any kind of produce. But that flesh is incredible, even though it has no juice that drips from the cut fruit, the balanced flavor of the segments - low acid, high sweetness, perfect almost meaty texture. So different than any other citrus, yet looking so similar. Heavenly fruit. But expensive.

 

[flowerbug]

@Pulsegleaner or @heirloomgal is the rind where the vitamin C is more concentrated or not so much for pummelos?

 

[Pulsegleaner]

@Pulsegleaner or @heirloomgal is the rind where the vitamin C is more concentrated or not so much for pummelos?

Except for kumquats and Buddha's Hands (a kind of citron variant that look sort of like a hand or an octopus). I've never heard of someone trying to eat the rind of a citrus, at least raw (their candied for things like cannoli and panettone, but not eaten raw). I always assumed that the Vitamin C content came from the juice, not the rind. Apart from the outer zest (which has the aromatic peel oils) the rest of the rind is just pith, which is generally to bitter to find pleasant to eat.)

 

[flowerbug]

Except for kumquats and Buddha's Hands (a kind of citron variant that look sort of like a hand or an octopus). I've never heard of someone trying to eat the rind of a citrus, at least raw (their candied for things like cannoli and panettone, but not eaten raw). I always assumed that the Vitamin C content came from the juice, not the rind.

well now you have. i do not always peel off the white part or the membranes even on grapefruits, i don't mind bitter tastes, yes, it is harsh, but i just eat it anyways figuring it is extra fiber and as far as i know (i must have read it someplace) there is more vitamin C in that pith than in the juicy pulp (but i'm sure it varies by fruit).

Apart from the outer zest (which has the aromatic peel oils) the rest of the rind is just pith, which is generally to bitter to find pleasant to eat.)

i do like candied citrus peels of all kinds.