The honey tangerine, also known as the Murcott orange, is a sweet and juicy fruit grown only in Florida. It is a mix of tangerine and sweet orange, with a high sugar content and up to 24 seeds per fruit. It is best eaten fresh and only available from January to March or April.
A honey tangerine is also known as a Murcott orange and is grown only in Florida. The exact origin of the fruit is uncertain, but it is thought to be a mix of a tangerine and a sweet orange, which is called a tangle. The name Murcott refers to Charles Murcott Smith who ran an asylum in Bayview, Florida and is thought to have developed the honey tangerine in the early 1920s. J. Ward Smith and WT Swindle are also said to have been involved in the creation of this fruit.
The Murcott orange is the first fruit of its kind to be sold under the product name of the honey mandarin. The color of the fruit varies, but is often a red-orange unless winter growing conditions were warm and then the skin may be more orange-yellow. It has the slightly flattened shape of a typical mandarin and is small to medium in size. The flesh is a vivid orange and the seed count is quite high with up to 12-24 seeds per tangerine. The skin is a little harder to peel than that of a typical tangerine.
The honey tangerine is named for its sweet taste and is the sweetest variety of tangerine. It has a higher sugar content than honey, or Minneola tangelo, which is another variety of tangerine. The juice of this fruit can be used in baked desserts such as orange cakes. The juice is also delicious with salad dressings and fruit salads. For a quick and easy summer dinner, you can add honeyed tangerines, canned fish, salad dressing, and croutons to a bed of salad greens. You can also throw a few tangerine honey segments into a pan at the last minute to compact things.
When shopping for honey tangerines or Murcott oranges, look for fruit that feels heavy and has a smooth, shiny skin. Tangerines that seem very light may not be as juicy. Tangerines with wrinkled skin, green spots other than the stem end, or white areas anywhere should be avoided. These fruits spoil quickly compared to other oranges and can only be kept for a couple of days at room temperature and a week in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. Honey tangerines are grown only in Florida and are usually only available between January and March or April.
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