Obscure, Mysterious, Delicious
March 14, 2015 6:04 PM Subscribe
The Bloods: Mutations, Chemistry and Flavor (PDF) Food writer and fruit detective David Karp covered blood oranges for Fruit Gardener, the magazine of the California Rare Fruit Growers .
Excellent post; I've been eating these for years (I think Red Valencias) and I've often wondered what their story might be.
posted by jamjam at 6:47 PM on March 14, 2015
posted by jamjam at 6:47 PM on March 14, 2015
me too. I even have a post on the green on blood oranges.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 6:47 PM on March 14, 2015
posted by ArgentCorvid at 6:47 PM on March 14, 2015
I was actually hanging out with two other MeFites while we were eating blood oranges, and we were wondering whether something changed in the early 2000s because until then blood oranges weren't available in Michigan. I googled around and then got sucked in.
posted by klangklangston at 8:12 PM on March 14, 2015
posted by klangklangston at 8:12 PM on March 14, 2015
The most delicious of fruits!
posted by louche mustachio at 9:18 PM on March 14, 2015
posted by louche mustachio at 9:18 PM on March 14, 2015
I would love to see some photos of those collectable paper blood orange orange wrappers.
posted by oceanjesse at 9:50 PM on March 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by oceanjesse at 9:50 PM on March 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
The article hints at bitter rivalries between citrus breeders. There's probably a juicy story there for someone.
posted by Joe in Australia at 10:05 PM on March 14, 2015
posted by Joe in Australia at 10:05 PM on March 14, 2015
"There's probably a juicy story there for someone."
Well, pulp fiction.
posted by klangklangston at 1:38 AM on March 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
Well, pulp fiction.
posted by klangklangston at 1:38 AM on March 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
I concur with louche mustachio! There’s nothing quite like fresh sanguinello juice in February…
posted by misteraitch at 2:22 AM on March 15, 2015
posted by misteraitch at 2:22 AM on March 15, 2015
"A festival for Pom lovers"
How a bunch of AVN attendees learn about kerning.
posted by JPD at 6:49 AM on March 15, 2015 [7 favorites]
How a bunch of AVN attendees learn about kerning.
posted by JPD at 6:49 AM on March 15, 2015 [7 favorites]
On a few notable occasions I've been to a hotel breakfast buffet with a large pitcher of fresh blood oj which I piggishly and joyfully monopolized.
posted by Jode at 6:52 AM on March 15, 2015
posted by Jode at 6:52 AM on March 15, 2015
After Pompelmo, Aranciata Rossa is my second-favorite San Pellegrino flavor.
posted by box at 7:05 AM on March 15, 2015
posted by box at 7:05 AM on March 15, 2015
I grew up in Italy drinking blood orange juice (and eating blood oranges) and was honestly shocked that they were generally not available in the US. Blood oranges are so clearly superior to regular oranges that it still blows my mind that they remain essentially a niche item.
posted by lydhre at 7:15 AM on March 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by lydhre at 7:15 AM on March 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
Glad to see some criticism of Moros! They tend to be what shows up in the Northeast, and while I do sometimes buy them for juicing (that color!) I've never been able to detect the supposedly distinctive blood orange flavor in them. Now I just want to go to Sicily.
posted by ostro at 7:15 AM on March 15, 2015
posted by ostro at 7:15 AM on March 15, 2015
The grocery store near my old apartment had these very particular signs for produce that was on sale. They were sort of homemade looking, and just used different sizes and styles of font. I always laugh when I think about the time blood oranges were on sale. I had just donated blood so I guess I had blood on my mind, but I swear the sign was something like:
Juicy, Delicious BLOOD
oranges
$1.29/lb
posted by gueneverey at 7:47 AM on March 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
oranges
$1.29/lb
posted by gueneverey at 7:47 AM on March 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
Now how do I get David Karp's job?
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 8:13 AM on March 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 8:13 AM on March 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'd love someone to work a bergamot/valencia or bergamot/meyer sweet hybrid into existence. Blood oranges have never impressed me so much. Though I've fallen prey to SoCal property ownership and already have ~25 kinds of perennial fruit (these multi-grafted apple and pears aren't all showing up. Come on, comice!) planted on a quarter acre, so I should think about slowing down... but... but... local growers in Moorpark and Camarillo are working on a mango for this zone! And a cherry!
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:08 AM on March 15, 2015
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:08 AM on March 15, 2015
"I grew up in Italy drinking blood orange juice (and eating blood oranges) and was honestly shocked that they were generally not available in the US. Blood oranges are so clearly superior to regular oranges that it still blows my mind that they remain essentially a niche item."
The first time I really encountered them was on a vacation in Italy where I was surprised that blood orange was the default orange. They ended up being really tasty, but a lot of the ones I had here didn't really have the same flavor profile; less sweet, more bitter. I got to like the ones here too though, just as their own thing.
(My favorite thing when I had one of those magic bullet blenders was blood orange, cream soda, rum and ice all blended with ice [vanilla and simple syrup when I was feeling fancy]. Still one of my favorite flavor blends.)
"I'd love someone to work a bergamot/valencia or bergamot/meyer sweet hybrid into existence."
That sounds tasty, but I don't know enough about citrus grafting to know whether that's possible — the bergamots around here are all almost totally tasteless in their fruit, with only the oily peel having much flavor, and I'm curious if that's just what you get when you try to cross them with anything else. It also might take a weird microclimate to get that to work.
"Blood oranges have never impressed me so much."
Some are crazy delicious with a really unique flavor, some just taste like kinda grapefruity oranges. And, from the article, the color isn't a very good predictor of flavor.
It's also been unusually hot in California these last couple of growing seasons, so I wonder if the blood oranges just aren't getting cold enough to develop a rich flavor.
posted by klangklangston at 1:03 PM on March 15, 2015
The first time I really encountered them was on a vacation in Italy where I was surprised that blood orange was the default orange. They ended up being really tasty, but a lot of the ones I had here didn't really have the same flavor profile; less sweet, more bitter. I got to like the ones here too though, just as their own thing.
(My favorite thing when I had one of those magic bullet blenders was blood orange, cream soda, rum and ice all blended with ice [vanilla and simple syrup when I was feeling fancy]. Still one of my favorite flavor blends.)
"I'd love someone to work a bergamot/valencia or bergamot/meyer sweet hybrid into existence."
That sounds tasty, but I don't know enough about citrus grafting to know whether that's possible — the bergamots around here are all almost totally tasteless in their fruit, with only the oily peel having much flavor, and I'm curious if that's just what you get when you try to cross them with anything else. It also might take a weird microclimate to get that to work.
"Blood oranges have never impressed me so much."
Some are crazy delicious with a really unique flavor, some just taste like kinda grapefruity oranges. And, from the article, the color isn't a very good predictor of flavor.
It's also been unusually hot in California these last couple of growing seasons, so I wonder if the blood oranges just aren't getting cold enough to develop a rich flavor.
posted by klangklangston at 1:03 PM on March 15, 2015
I was reading this while drinking a tall glass of blood orange juice, so very appropriate. I guess this explains why I can get blood oranges for so much of the winter/spring now. When I first came to California, I could only find them for a few brief weeks in winter.
posted by tavella at 1:14 PM on March 15, 2015
posted by tavella at 1:14 PM on March 15, 2015
> That sounds tasty, but I don't know enough about citrus grafting to know whether that's possible — the bergamots around here are all almost totally tasteless in their fruit, with only the oily peel having much flavor, and I'm curious if that's just what you get when you try to cross them with anything else. It also might take a weird microclimate to get that to work.
Yep, we have a bergamot (from Four Winds, one of the CRFG member growers in the link, from whom we also ordered our finger lime, kaffir lime, and satsuma) and I so wish more of the plant was useful but I am gaga for the unique fragrance and smell. It would be more a matter of crossing than grafting, but apparently citrus are quite interesting and promiscuous to cross, it's just well beyond my ken which traits can be fruitfully (ha) bred for.
A day should come when the very many fruit growers in this area give tours like wineries do and sell subscriptions in the same way.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 2:02 PM on March 15, 2015
Yep, we have a bergamot (from Four Winds, one of the CRFG member growers in the link, from whom we also ordered our finger lime, kaffir lime, and satsuma) and I so wish more of the plant was useful but I am gaga for the unique fragrance and smell. It would be more a matter of crossing than grafting, but apparently citrus are quite interesting and promiscuous to cross, it's just well beyond my ken which traits can be fruitfully (ha) bred for.
A day should come when the very many fruit growers in this area give tours like wineries do and sell subscriptions in the same way.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 2:02 PM on March 15, 2015
« Older “The dead, the dead, the dead—our dead—or South or... | Tragedy at sea Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
Moro's for life
posted by JPD at 6:39 PM on March 14, 2015 [6 favorites]