Sweet, flavorful oranges are a popular snack, and with good reason. One orange provides a whole day’s worth of vitamin C; and you’d have to eat seven bowls of cornflakes to get the same amount of fiber found in one orange, according to the Indian River Select website.
Fun Facts
- Orange trees are small, evergreen trees. They can produce as many as 60,000 white blossoms in the spring. The white blossoms have a sweet, orange-like scent.
- Bergamot oranges aren’t used for food, but for making oils that are used in perfumes, air fresheners, and cleaners.
- Only about 20 percent of oranges grown are eaten fresh. The rest are used for juice, flavorings, and jams.
- Orange trees were first grown in China. The Chinese believe that eating pummelos, the largest citrus fruit, brings good luck.
- Christopher Columbus brought orange seeds to America in 1493.
- Today, Florida is the largest orange grower in the U.S., followed by California. Florida-grown oranges tend to be greener than California oranges. This has to do with the warm nights in Florida. It doesn’t affect the fruit’s flavor.
- Orange juice is the most popular juice in America.
Vocabulary
- Bergamot: a fragrant variety of orange
- Evergreen: a plant that keeps its leaves year-round.
- Pummelo: a large citrus fruit
Questions and Answers
Question: What’s the best way to eat an orange?
Answer: There is no one best way. Some people prefer to peel and quarter oranges. Have an adult score the fruit first with a knife to make it easier to peel. Others prefer to cut oranges into quarters.
Learn More
Visit a California orange orchard.
