Winter is almost over, and soon the market will be flooded with citrus fruits. So, you’ll be able to enjoy the different varieties of oranges, pomelos, kumquats, grapefruits, limes, lemons, tangerines, and clementines.

Many citrus fruits are good to eat. Some are great to turn into fresh juices, and others are used for cooking. Citrus fruits have other cosmetic and industrial uses, as well.

Types of citrus fruits

While you commonly see and use oranges, limes and lemons, do you know other citrus fruits look exotic and mysterious? Have you seen limes with red pulp or a citron fruit that is difficult to juice?

Even if it is uncertain where citrus fruits originated, what is definite is that the parent species are pomelo, mandarin, and citron. The mixing of their various attributes produced new varieties. If you need a steady supply or large quantities of citrus fruits, visit http://www.eebriansmith.com.

Let’s get to know some of the citrus fruits available today.

• The fruit’s skin is yellow. It smells slightly like a lemon. The pith is thick and bitter, and the juice sacs are either non-existent or very small.
• The fruit is bigger, and the skin is aromatic. The pith is thicker, and the membranes and interior fruit may be bitter.
• The orange-coloured fruit is typically squat. It is easy to remove the skin and separate the segments, which are juicier and sweeter.
• The fruits have different varieties, such as tangerines, clementines, Valencias and navels. These came from mandarins. Some are good for candy making and aromatics; some are for juicing while other groups are suitable for eating. The smaller and sweeter tangerines, satsumas, nippled tangelos, and seedless clementines are good to eat. Navel oranges are good for candy making and zesting. They are good to eat raw and in salads. Valencias are excellent for juicing, while the peels and sour and bitter flesh of bitter oranges or Seville oranges are for flavouring Curaçao, Grand Marnier, and triple sec. They are used for marmalade, as well.
• They are hybrids of bitter orange and citron. Lemons are the sourest of all citrus fruits. The most common is the Eureka lemon that you see in supermarkets. The more fragrant and sweeter Meyer lemon is good for baking. Buddha’s Hand is excellent for zesting and candy making.
• They are less acidic and sweeter than lemons. What you’ll often see in supermarkets is the Persian lime, and the Key lime, which is a Florida Keys native. Citrus limetta is a sweet lime from North America and South Asia. They are great for juicing. Makrut (formerly Kaffir) lime is prized in South and Southeast Asia for the flavour of its leaves and skin. Speciality limes include Rangpur, Calamansi, and Finger limes.
• The grapefruit is a hybrid of sweet oranges and pomelos from the Caribbean. It tastes slightly bitter but is eaten raw.
• Yuzu, which is from Japan, is small, aromatic and fragrant, and is suitable for cooking, just like Kumquats. The Ugli fruit might not look pretty, but it is sweet and good for eating and juicing for marinades and dipping sauces.

You may find some odd-looking citrus fruits today, which are results of the cross-breeding of fruits we have here.