"citrus fruit" news and stories

Kumquats -- those little oval-shaped citrus fruits believed to have origins in China -- are in markets right now.

Clementines are a wintertime treat, usually arriving at the store in charming wooden crates or net bags.

With Valentine's Day a week away, it seems even the produce aisle is tickled pink.

Set against a vibrant pink backdrop, these tangy blood oranges need no recipe to make their juicy flesh even more dazzling: Au naturel is the way to go.

With Groundhog Day predicting six more weeks of winter, the citrus fruits' warm-colored cascade from crimson to orange is sure to brighten up the harshest of the winter doldrums.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot of having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

After spending more than two decades in development, a mandarin hybrid that some fruit experts are calling "the best thing they've ever eaten in the world of citrus" is now on the market, albeit in limited quantities.

"Oh man, it's dynamite," University of Florida plant breeder Fred Gmitter says of the Sugar Belle. "Spoken like a father, huh?"

When Gmitter joined the Florida faculty in 1985, he discovered his predecessor's experimental citrus groves had been destroyed. Only a block's worth of trees remained, and most of those were "ugly to look at and horrible to eat." But among the duds, he found a tree growing superb orange fruit. He and his colleagues used that tree to create the university's first-ever cultivar.

Since citrus breeding is slow going, the introduction of new varieties is relatively rare. But Peter Chaires, executive director of the company that holds licensing rights to the Sugar Belle, says the fruit could mark the start of a citrus golden age.

"This is the first one out of a long pipeline," Chaires says. "We have some interesting things coming, including an easy-peel mandarin. We'll see varieties for fresh consumption, varieties for the juice market and a lemon-lime hybrid."

You may not be able to produce a glass of orange juice with an orange and a fork, but you'll easily be able to extract enough juice for various recipes.