Citrus is anything but basic when used in the kitchen. It can be used all over the menu… use it in pastry with the zest and the juice, use it in the bar, use it in gift baskets, even use the segments in a salad. Adding a pop of citrus juice brightens any dish.
Produce 101: Citrus — California vs. Florida
One of the most often asked questions I hear is: what’s the biggest difference between California citrus and Florida citrus—and it boils down to appearance.
California citrus is typically picture-perfect, like these oranges. It’s what you think of when you think of citrus: uniformly round, unblemished thick skin, color that’s deep and appropriate to the variety.
Florida citrus is a little bit of, can we say, ugly duckling—it’s a little wind-scarred, it has some oil spotting, and the skin is a little thinner.
Why is that?
It’s all about the geography.
In California they have natural windbreaks in the groves from the mountains, this prevents the limbs from rubbing against the immature citrus—which causes the russeting and the wind-scarring.
In Florida, they don’t have that.
The breezes come off the ocean and go straight across the peninsula with no break—so the trees are a little more active, and the fruit gets a little more dinged up, but is mostly just external appearances.
One more difference is California citrus has thicker skin vs. Florida citrus. The skin of a piece of citrus from Florida is noticeably thinner than a California citrus.
Produce 101: Citrus – Grades
The USDA has multiple standards across the citrus family.
Most commonly sold:
- US Fancy
- US #1 (Choice)
Less common are:
- There is also US #2 (Select)
- US Combination
The above grades refer to California and Arizona oranges. In Florida it’s completely different. They have their own standards with multiple grades.
Lemons & Lime Grades
- US #1 (Fancy)
- US #2 (Choice)
- US Combination
- US Fancy
- US #1
- US #2
Fancy vs. Choice
What’s the difference? The Fancy fruit is much more uniform, with less blemished skin, and very little green. The Choice fruit is not as pretty, but the interior of the fruit is just the same–only the exterior is the difference.
An economical Choice
Typically, Choice fruit is your more economical selection, so if you’re using your fruit whole and you need that skin, spend a little extra and get the Fancy grade.
Produce 101: Citrus –Limes
Let’s talk about limes. Sometimes you’ll see a lime start to yellow. Don’t throw those out or don’t send them back, it just means they’re getting ripe.
They’re not bad–in fact they taste just the same, so if you’re not using the skin, just hold on to them. A little bit of yellow in your lime isn’t a bad thing– in fact, it’s usually pretty good, just ask our friend, Nicole.
Produce 101: Citrus – Storage and Handling
When you’re storing your citrus, most citrus likes it a little warm. Oranges are the exception, they want to be in the colder part of your refrigerator, so keep them down low and to the back (of your cooler).
Keep them dry and wash them just before you use them. They are very susceptible to bruising, so take just as many as you need out of the case.
Don’t dump them, don’t drop the box, and certainly don’t stack a lot of heavy cases on top–it’ll help maximize the appearance of your citrus.