food to glow

Nature is most surprising. At a time when nothing much is ready to eat in the spring garden (at least here in the UK), some of the brightest, most nutritious fruits are at their peak. Throughout the bleak winter months, with root crops and cold-stored orchard fruits doing their best to sustain us, citrus is one of two bright spots, the other being pomegranates. A bowl of these bold and voluptuous fruits on the coffee table not only cheers, it restores and nourishes too.

And now, just past the March midpoint, with spring warmth looming tantalisingly close, Spanish imports of oranges are still plentiful and cheap. All eating oranges are pretty special, but the jewels in the citrus crown are sparkling, fragrant blood oranges, with the lustiest specimens coming from their native Italy. Be quick though, they will be gone before you know it. To be honest, the best ones, picked when the winter chill has done the necessary task of producing the characteristic blood-red pigment (cancer-fighting anthocyanins), are perhaps gone as warmer weather lessens the visual and unique nutritional content. But what can still be plucked from shops and savvy markets are still worth buying.

I am buying blood oranges every few days, boxing and coxing between supermarket and small corner shop, playing a happy roulette: will that mottled ruby flesh reveal a crimson, dripping interior or standard – but still beautiful – orange? Other than the arresting colour, it is the surprising overtones – not even hint: actual overtones – of ripe raspberries. Irresistible. Utterly irresistible. Get them while you can. Or, if you are in the US, California provides your blood orange fix from May to November. You lucky so and so’s. 😉

Oh, before I give you the recipe I must pass on a little tip I chanced on by accident. For some unknown reason I put a blood orange in the freezer. I found it a couple of days later, peeled it (easy peasy) and breeched the chilled flesh with a tentative bite. Oh. My. Goodness. Instant sorbet! The little vesicles of juice in each segment meld into one another to produce a uniform texture that mimics churned sorbet. Try it for yourself. Move over frozen grapes, there’s a new healthy frozen treat in town! At least for a few more weeks. Gah, I will be sad to see blood oranges go.

Do you love blood oranges too? Have you done anything special with them?

Other recipes for blood oranges

Blueberry and Blood Orange Smoothie – recipes from a pantry

Roasted Blood Orange and Asparagus – recipes from a pantry

Brown Sugar Meringues with Grilled Rhubarb and Blood Oranges – how to cook good food

10 Wonderful Ways With Blood Oranges – readers digest

Blood Orange Posset – cook sister {very indulgent!}

Vanilla Rhubarb with Blood Oranges – food to glow

Matcha Yogurt Breakfast Bowl with Blood Oranges – food to glow

Roasted Citrus, Olives, Freekeh and Grilled Romaine – food to glow

Disclosure: I am an ambassador for Froothie and some links in this article may be affiliate links. However, as always, all product reviews are based on my honest opinion. If you’d like to know more about Froothie products, or this machine in particular, please visit the Froothie website for more details. Any purchases made through this/these link(s) are at no extra cost to you but give Food To Glow a small bit of money to keep the site afloat and developing healthy recipes to share. Thanks!