My beautiful sister Jan, recently visited us for a little holiday. Jan lives in the north of the state of Victoria, very close to the great Murray River, and a wonderful citrus fruit growing area – about six and a half hours drive from here! When I knew that she and her friend, Heather, were going to come for a visit, I asked if she could pick up a couple of bags of oranges, thinking that they would be the same size as those you can pick up at fruit and vegie shops – 3 kilograms… When she arrived, I was presented with 2 bags of oranges – each weighing about 10 kilograms! 20 kilograms of oranges for $12 – that is crazy!!! Of course, I was not allowed to pay for them, but now the challenge begins…
I have given some to visitors, and we have eaten quite a few, and I think I have had to throw about 6 out! I have made old fashioned butter cake – gluten free, which after a couple of tries, is pretty darned good. The orange cake has been iced, sliced and frozen, so that we can have cake when we feel like it.
However, over the next week there will be a lot of orange based recipes being prepared, and at times, concocted in my kitchen. On the list so far:
- Orange marmalade – a must for Gary;
- Orange and mint jelly – already half made;
- A delicious refreshing citrus mocktail – which could easily be turned into a cocktail for those who must;
- Orange cordial;
- Sauces;
- Salads;
- Desserts, etc!
Oh, and a little tip, for an easy way to peal oranges, that I read about in an old recipe book of mine The Times Calendar CookBook by Katie Stewart, 1975. This works beautifully, but would probably only do 4-6 oranges at a time, because they still need to be hot for the peel and pith to come away cleanly.
To peel oranges:
Score the peel of the oranges into quarters with a sharp knife. Put all of the oranges in large basin and cover them with boiling water. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then drain and peel away the skins. Using this method, both the outer peel and the inner white pith will come away from the fruit. If any white pith remains, simply scrape it away with a knife.
I have also tried this method on lemons and it worked just as well, so would imagine it could be used on most citrus – grapefruits, limes etc.
I hope that you enjoy seeing everything orange from my kitchen over the next week!
Until next time…
Bon appétit!
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Thanks for the hint for peeling oranges. I did not know that.
My pleasure. I had a thought this morning about using the same method on other citrus. So tried it on lemons – it worked beautifully, so will update the post.
I love lemons. I also have a potted lemon tree that I leave in my kitchen garden at the right time.
I cannot imagine being without a lemon tree.