How to choose, store and eat navel oranges – ABC Life

If you’ve been to the supermarket lately, you might have seen navel oranges in abundance.
That’s because May to November is navel orange season in Australia.
The citrus get their name from the protrusion at the bottom of the fruit that looks a little like a bellybutton.
Most of us know oranges are good for us, they’re a good source of vitamin C and dietary fibre.
You might be surprised to learn there are at least 50 varieties, according to Dave Monks, a research horticulturalist at the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) NSW.
“Because navel varieties ostensibly appear the same to the average consumer, they’re marketed the same,” Dr Monks says.
Unlike mangoes, different varieties aren’t labelled as such, except for the Cara Cara orange, which has a distinctly red flesh.
The basics:

• Common name: Navel oranges
• Botanical/scientific name:Citrus sinensis
• In season: May to November
• Climate:Sub-tropical Mediterranean. Most of Australia’s navel oranges are grown in the Murray Valley and Riverina regions of NSW as well as the Riverland region of South Australia.

Choosing and storing navel oranges
When buying oranges, choose brightly coloured fruit that is firm and heavy for its size, says Victorian citrus farm owner Jason Bowes.
“The heavier the fruit the juicier it will be,” Jason says.
He says we’re quite fussy in Australia and like our produce uniformly sized and blemish free.
“Even though we don’t eat the outside, we still want attractive fruit that looks unmarked on the outside,” he says.
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Jason says there’s nothing wrong with a few spots and/or blemishes as the fruit inside won’t be affected.
“Just avoid anything that looks mouldy,” he says.
Same goes for oranges with soft patches or bruises.
Oranges will keep in a bowl at room temperature for about a week and they’ll keep for even longer in your fridge.
If storing them at room temperature, keep them out of direct sunlight.
Oranges. What are they good for? Absolutely EVERYTHING
Oranges are great on their own, just peel the skin and go to town.
You can also juice them or do what Jason does squeeze an orange into a glass of soda water for a fizzy drink alternative.
But if you’re feeling creative and want to use them for something a little extra, keep scrolling for recipes.
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For something savoury:
For something sweet:

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