Exotic Blood Oranges Worth Gushing About

Along with kumquats, limequats and Calamondin limes, blood oranges figure among the most exotic citrus that North County has to offer. For color, however, blood oranges definitely have the advantage, yielding an aptly named crimson-colored juice with flavor that is a little more tart than that of a regular orange.

Like many other fruits and vegetables, blood orange production in Southern California has suffered its ups and downs. The fruit was first cultivated in Italy and landed on American shores at the turn of the century. Blood oranges, although practically seedless, tend to be smaller than regular oranges.

“Blood oranges are not new to the area, they’ve been around a long time,” said John Schmidt, owner of Harvest Time Produce in Oceanside. What has changed is the level of interest in the fruit.

Oliver Atkins of Atkins Nurseries in Fallbrook said the fruit was popular here years ago, fell out of favor and now is coming back again.

Both growers agree that one stumbling block in the fruit’s appeal may be the word blood. To counteract the negative image the name often implies, efforts are under way to market it as “Burgundy orange.”

Like most new varieties of fruit, the blood orange was “discovered by mistake on the branch of a tree, much like a mutant,” Atkins said. “Now it’s sort of an odd fruit that people like for their back yard.”

As it turns out, they can choose among several varieties: the Tarocco, the Sanguinelli, and the Moro are the most popular, as is the ruby blood, which was developed at the UC Riverside.

The Tarocco and the Moro, which both begin to produce two to three years after planting, are best suited to the warm days and chilly nights of the inland areas of North County, according to the experts. Indeed, blood oranges blush even more deeply when exposed to a good chill. When it comes down to a clear winner in the blush category, the Moro gathers all the votes.

“The Moro blood is the largest seller, its red color comes through best,” Atkins said. In addition, the Moro has few seeds and offers a flesh as sweet as a regular orange when it is allowed to ripen on the tree. The Tarocco doesn’t do as well in coastal areas, Atkins said.

Both kinds of fruit are good when eaten out of hand, although many buyers prefer to use them for juice. “The juice is just exotic. It’s something different,” Atkins said.

Blood oranges may still be a novelty in the general marketplace, but grower Martin Warren of Trinity Ranch, along with several other vendors at local farmer’s markets, attract dozens of knowledgeable buyers. “Blood oranges were always popular,” Warren said. “Their taste is unusual. Some say they are tangy, with a more pronounced taste.” Warren also likes the challenge of trying to grow his chemical-free fruit to a uniform color.

“This year, the color will be a little hit and miss because of our mild winter,” Warren said. Blood oranges require no special equipment to pick, since the ripe fruit drops right off the tree. “Those are the ones that make the best juice,” Warren said. The freshly squeezed juice has a natural, deep vermilion hue.

Alan White, salesman for Cal-Net, a fruit brokerage company in Oceanside, said the juice “makes an interesting Tequila Sunrise. It’s all ready.” From a mass-marketing standpoint, however, “blood oranges are a very tough sale because the demand is very specific.”

He and his fellow brokers thus concentrate on supplying ethnic markets nationwide. Another problem encountered in marketing the Tarocco is its relatively light blush in comparison to the Moro’s deeper color. “This year’s oranges were smaller than average,” White said. Uneven coloring also is a factor.

“The color often depends on which side of the tree the orange is on in relation to the sun,” White said. “Usually oranges in a warmer spot will color up better.”

Oceanside packer and shipper John Schmidt, owner of Harvest Time Produce, handles sales for more than 30 growers of blood oranges in San Diego and Riverside counties.

He said consumers shy away from the Tarocco because it looks a lot like a regular orange. Although it is larger than the Moro, the Tarocco’s lack of outer coloring often leads the consumer into believing that it is just a regular orange with a higher price. The Moro, with its more obvious red, is becoming much more common. “They hang like grapes on a tree, and they are very prolific,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt and his colleagues are facing possible overproduction next season because growers have been eager to cash in on what they see as the latest fruit to catch the consumer’s fancy--a fact that may eventually translate into lower prices for blood oranges at the supermarket.

Most of Harvest Time’s fruit is bound for the East Coast market, where a large ethnic population is already familiar with the product, although the California blood orange often faces stiff competition from Italian imports.

Blane Vice, manager of Walker Vice nurseries in Valley Center, said that, although the blood orange has been overlooked before, it’s becoming more “fashionable.” Vice said that, even though the Tarocco is a “very, very, sweet orange” the redder rind of the Moro makes it more marketable.

When choosing a blood orange, keep in mind that the deeper the blush on the outer skin, the darker the flesh will be. Blood oranges can be eaten out of hand, or juiced. They are also well-suited to making marmalades and preserves. They are particularly attractive in fresh fruit salads, for instance, and as garnishes.

Trinity Ranch, Highland Valley. 758-5845. Will pick to order with 24 hours notice. Medium-sized oranges, six for $1. Larger oranges, four for $1.

Atkins Nursery, 3129 Reche Road, Fallbrook 92028. 728-1610. Open Monday to Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. 1- to 2-year-old trees, $10 for 5-gallon containers and $30 for 15-gallon containers.

Harvest Time/Cal-Net, 303 Via del Monte, Oceanside, 92054. Wholesale only.

Walker Vice Nurseries, 11050 Mystery Mountain Road, Valley Center 92082. 749-1615. Open daily Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Orange trees, $9.95 per 5-gallon container.

Harvest Ranch Market, 162 Rancho Santa Fe Road, Encinitas. 944-6898. Blood oranges: $1.99 a pound.

Cream of the Crop, 2009 S. Hill Street, Oceanside. 433-2757. Certified organic blood oranges: 2 pound bag costs $1.29. Fresh juice, $1.99 a pint.

Supermarkets. If you don’t find blood oranges on the produce shelf of your favorite supermarket, try asking the produce manager to order some. At Ralph’s Bernardo Heights, 15727 Bernardo Heights Parkway, Rancho Bernardo, 487-3490, blood oranges sell for $1.99 a package in the gourmet produce section.