How do you choose your orange?

Naval oranges are sweet - Example of a naval orange, supposed to be sweet
@whyaskq (7523)
Singapore
June 29, 2007 6:21am CST
I wanted to eat an orange. The basket was full of oranges, big and small. Habitually, I do my selection. It has a nice skin, smooth and bright and yes, it was round and big too. It just appear beautiful. And more importantly, it has a big hole at the bottom. It has all the elements that I looked out for - in an orange. Yummy! This sweet naval orange should be able to provide me the necessary vitamins and fibre for the day. LOL. It turned out sour! I never like oranges which are sour. Yes, the most important element I look for in an orange is the hole at the base of the orange. I will select the biggest - one that has the biggest naval. This, from experience tells me the orange will be sweet. My mom tells me the color of the orange that I selected indicates that it is not sweet, even though I had selected a naval orange, which is supposed to be sweet. I was stumped! Friends, do you have any other ways to select oranges? Especially for sweet oranges? How do you select oranges? Skin? Color? soft? hard? Kindly share :)
6 people like this
19 responses
@muscare (3068)
• Australia
29 Jun 07
Well, I have to say that you can't always tell if an orange is going to be sweet. I have two orange trees in the back yard, and early in the season, they can be sour, but I have also had oranges still with a bit of green on them and they are really sweet. And I have to say, a fresh orange or two a day is a great way to get vitamin c into your diet!
2 people like this
@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
29 Jun 07
Pardon my ignorance. I didn't know oranges from one tree can have both sweet and sour ones. I thought if the tree produces sweet oranges, all oranges from that tree will be sweet and vice-versa. Thanks for the info.
1 person likes this
@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
29 Jun 07
So when the orange is ripe, the color of the skin gets darker. That's why darker color oranges are sweet?
@muscare (3068)
• Australia
29 Jun 07
I think it is more impatience in waiting for the first orange of the season, and seeing an orange that looks orange but hasn't fully ripened. I think too, one side of our tree gets more sun, so the oranges on that side do tend to ripen quicker. Once they have all fully ripened, though, they are all sweet!
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@Darkwing (21583)
29 Jun 07
The first thing I look for is the Jaffa label. lolol. Jaffa oranges are normally ripe, and sweet, so I stick with them most of the time. Other than that, I feel the peel should be a somewhat dark orange, and to test juiciness, I would expect it to feel hard. Better luck with your next choice, Why... I have sour oranges! Brightest Blessings my friend.
@Darkwing (21583)
29 Jun 07
The more flesh the jucier, my friend... don't you agree? We're both Jaffa freaks then! lol
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@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
29 Jun 07
I do take Jaffa ones. Sunkist too. Hard orange, I was told it is more for the flesh instead of juice?
@aidonia (4209)
• Greece
29 Jun 07
I never though choosing an orange can be so important.I usually choose without I care so much.OK,they must have nice bright color,clean skin but until ther.............I never checked the hole at the base.
2 people like this
@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
29 Jun 07
Do you particularly go for sweet oranges? Or any orange will do as long as it caught your fancy? lol.
1 person likes this
@charms88 (7538)
• Philippines
29 Jun 07
This is interesting, bighead. I have never heard that orange has a naval. I only pick any orange that looks good on my eyes. I didn't even consider taking notice of the skin since its quite obvious that all orange is color orange. I will try to follow what you said and see if the orange is indeed sweet. :)
@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
29 Jun 07
Look at the bottom of the orange. If there is a hole, likely it is a naval if it is not eaten by an insect :P
• Singapore
29 Jun 07
For me, I have to be honest and say that I take my oranges from the fridge (but I don't really eat fruits till lately and still, my area is more apples and bananas) - so I don't choose them from the orange-seller. I have heard though that you need to look at the backside of the orange. If it looks like a big star, totally exploded at the bottom, then it is a sweet orange. So way to go when you eat that. And yes, as I read further, it seems you heard the same thing.
2 people like this
@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
29 Jun 07
I was choosing from the basket in the fridge. My expertise is not on buying fruits, so I leave it to the expert, my mum.
1 person likes this
• India
29 Jun 07
Hello everyone, I love to eat Oranges, Its so Sweet & with Full of Vitamin C, Its so nutricious fruit. But here 1 thing i want to share with you all bout how to select sweet oranges ! please read carefully, To choose sweet oranges, 2 things to checkout , 1st one is there is circle on bottom of oranges, & 2nd thing is it should not be 2 soft & 2 hard. select those type of oranges I am sure you will get sweet oranges. so Enjoy it !!
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
29 Jun 07
Hello Whyaskq, For most of my life, oranges have been in my top five favorite foods. So, like you I choose to the best of my ability, and feel great anticipation for that first release of juice, as I bite into that first section. And, I agree that sour oranges are a terrible dissapointment. I choose by smell first. The aroma can be detected even from outside the skin. I also make a point to not choose an orange with too thick, or too thin a skin. The really thick-skinned oranges strike me as being over fertilized to facilitate quicker growth. I don't know if that's true, or not. But, that is my perception from my own fruit growing experience. Of course, I haven't had a citrus tree since I was a little girl. So, I could be completely wrong about that. Lastly, I compare the weights of a few oranges, in my hands. The denser oranges should, theoretically, have more juice. And, for some reason I equate juicier with sweeter. I can think of few foods that are as naturally yummy as a ripe, sweet orange. Maybe we should start "The Orange Fan Club". What do ya' think?
1 person likes this
@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
29 Jun 07
Will you be able to describe the aroma of a sweet orange? It smells sweet, I guess? Thick-skinned orange - they are smart. They know you dont like them. lol. And I am fine with member of "The Orange Fan club", Miss President !
@stella1989 (2274)
• India
30 Jun 07
I choose oranges by sqweezing them a little..!! Which feels too soft it means its in a bad condition and which feels too hard it means its not sweet.So which is not too soft neither too hard is in good one to take ...!! I follow the same way..!!And it has to be clear not deep dark spots and specially no CUTS..in that fruit..!! And YEs last but not leats no worms..!! :P
@Katlady2 (9904)
• United States
3 Jul 07
I also look for the big navel at the bottom. But I also go for the ones that have a nice dark orange color with a smooth shiny texture. If none of that is there, to me they taste bitter. Oh, and as long as the orange isn't too squishy either when it's squeezed. LOL
1 person likes this
@sidoney (1033)
• Jamaica
30 Jun 07
I think your mom has a point as I normally look at the color first and then the size but smoothness is not something I look for
1 person likes this
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
30 Jun 07
I'm curious. How does the way one chooses an orange get to be a "hot topic"? I don't get it. Can someone tell me how they decide the criteria for "today's hot topics"?
@squaretile (3778)
• Singapore
10 Aug 07
well, I'm not a big orange fan. and usually I'm not very picky either, so I'll just rummage in the fridge and eat whatever pops out. the most of the oranges that we get are bright orange cos of some GM i guess. not soft oranges cos that hints of being overripe or rotting. I like orange juice. florida natural. hehe.
1 person likes this
@sakana (260)
• Singapore
29 Jun 07
I'm too lazy to peel and eat oranges everyday, but I do like them a lot. When picking oranges I try to feel for the weight of the oranges, and pick the heavier ones. I also note the colour, aroma and texture of the oranges. If you like sweet oranges you could try mandarin oranges. The skin is slightly looser so it's easier to peel, and they're really sweet and juicy.
@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
29 Jun 07
Oh I hate eating mandarin oranges. I prefer to squash them into juice.
@rupee1 (38)
• Pakistan
30 Jun 07
hehe, i never thought that a perfect orange has so many features... well i never think much before choosing... at least not oranges, Well, i preffer to keep my decisions simple in simple tasks of life, getting into details before making decision in each and every small part of task makes life so complex.. at least to me! Why not just pick on up.. it surely wont be a spoiled orange if its in the fruit basket offered to you.. even if it is,,u can change it.. nothing to lose.. but thinking too much before picking it..Gosh!!.. thats fussy :)
1 person likes this
@asmurthy (2461)
• India
29 Jun 07
The sweet orange tree is a moderately vigorous evergreen with a rounded, densely foliated top. The fruits are round or somewhat elongate and usually orange-colored when ripe. They can be placed in four groups: the common oranges, acid-less oranges, pigmented oranges, and navel oranges. They may also be distinguished on the basis of early midseason, and late maturity.
@pendragon (3350)
• United States
29 Jun 07
Large oranges with thick peels, that are ripe.I don't like the one's that are incredibly difficult to peel.Speed is of the essence,i'm diabetic and am usually grabbing an orange to quell a low blood sugar, so easy access is a must,lol.
• India
29 Jun 07
I usually select the bigger ones hoping that they will be ripe and sweet, the color also mattters, also it should be soft, and with smooth and shining skin. It gives us a lot of vitamin c.
1 person likes this
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
29 Jun 07
i imagine that the smell of an orange would have a lot to do with the quality and freshness of the fruit as well...besides all the other items that you mentioned!
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@rachel83 (101)
• Australia
30 Jun 07
i got a massive orange in the markets, but i'm too scared to try it as somehow i think that because its so big, it won't taste as good!? but, i have an orange tree in the garden and those oranges are small, and a bit sour....so maybe big means sweet? i think it depends a lot on where they grow? :-)
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