There are very few things I like about winter: faux fur jackets, hot bowls of soup, warming cocktails and cara cara oranges. And that's about it.
As a native Floridian, I have a soft spot for citrus fruits of all kinds. But it wasn't until I moved to the Northeast that I ate my first cara cara. It was like no orange I had ever eaten before; it tasted sweet and slightly floral, with a hint of berry flavor. Not to mention the fruit's gorgeous color -- cara caras have deep, orange-pink skin and ruby red flesh, like a pink grapefruit. It seems dramatic to say that an orange was mindblowing, but...it was. There is nothing quite like a cara cara.
Cara caras, which are also called red navel oranges, are in season from January to April. Most are grown in California's San Joaquin Valley, but some are imported from Venezuela and South Africa. Can't find them at your local market? Melissa's World Produce sells them online and ships to most stats.
They're delicious eaten as-is or juiced, and I also like using them in salads, especially with creamy avocado. I may not live sunny in Florida anymore, but I can still eat like I do!
