Orange you glad it’s citrus season?

One of my favorite bright spots in the wintertime is all the beautiful citrus fruit. Oranges are actually the largest citrus crop in the world, with the United States accounting for about 10 percent of the world’s production. Florida grows about 70 percent of the US orange crop followed by California, Texas and Arizona. I lived in a Phoenix suburb for many years and would commute daily through the fragrant orange groves. I used to love that time of year when I could drive through the groves with my car windows down and inhale the sweet scent of orange blossoms. A side benefit of living there was coming across the extra oranges, grapefruits and lemons that people who had more citrus than they could eat would leave at the end of their driveways or on their porches. Navel oranges were the most common. It was only after moving back to the Pacific Northwest, that I started eating the smaller (and easier to peel) varieties and when I discovered the sweeter versions like Cara Cara and blood oranges.