The holiday season always arouses old memories and one that was brought to my mind recently was of Florida oranges. A few days ago, I bought a couple of navel oranges from Food Lion. They were fat and colorful and appeared orchard fresh. And they were, with quite a fragrance – like the Florida oranges of my memory.
Mama Ida always sent our family a box of fresh citrus fruits from Florida in advance of Christmas, even when she couldn’t come. The box held freshly picked grapefruits, tangerines and navel oranges from Florida’s finest orchards, and we devoured each one. I particularly remember how the aroma from a couple of those oranges could overwhelm the inside of a car as we drove from one quail field to another, taking time to snack on one of Mama Ida’s Florida oranges along the way.
In those days, we ate oranges a bit differently. We cut out a round hole at the top of the orange, then squeezed and sucked the juice until there was no more. Then, we pulled the orange apart and peeled and ate the sections from the rind. That way, you didn’t waste or spill any juice and could eat the entire orange.
Next week, I think I’ll buy myself some more oranges – if they look fresh – and cut a hole in the top and enjoy it as I once did in the past.
