“Navel Washington” Orange

Characteristics

The Navel Washington orange is a very vigorous but compact variety, with very dark green foliage – perhaps the darkest of all oranges – and few small thorns. Navel Washington oranges are very large and derive from a spontaneous mutation of the Selecta orange. They have an elongated, globular shape and ripen from late December to March.

ORIGIN
Basilicata and Calabria, southern Italy

HARVEST
It flowers abundantly in spring, and the contrast between the white blossoms and the dark green foliage is beautiful. The intensely fragrant flowers produce fruit that at ripeness reaches a remarkable size and a deep orange colour. Ripening begins early: the harvest starts at the end of November and lasts until March.

PROPERTIES
This fruit offers a delicious flavour with blond, seedless flesh. Its main characteristic is its pleasant, never acidic taste, which makes it truly delicate. Other blond orange varieties vary in flavour, while Washington Navel has sweeter flesh and a perfect balance of flavour and aroma.

The main qualities lie above all in the flesh: the juice vesicles dissolve in the mouth and leave almost no residue. The Navel Washington orange can be said to possess an exceptional quality linked to environmental factors such as climate, soil and water – they give this citrus fruit not only its authentic flavour but also its highly prized organoleptic properties:

Vitamin A: essential for the proper functioning of the retina and of vision, and crucial for bone growth. Vitamin A keeps skin, hair and mucous membranes healthy and protects the lungs from various infections.

Vitamin B1: strengthens the body in times of fatigue and stress.
Vitamin B2: an excellent anti-inflammatory. It is an extraordinary remedy against mouth ulcers, stomatitis and lip lesions. It relieves heartburn and inflammation.
Vitamin C: a powerful antioxidant that protects our body’s cells from damage by free radicals and aids iron absorption.

USE
The Navel Washington orange can be eaten fresh, processed into juice or used for jams and liqueurs. The peel is suitable for candied fruit. This citrus fruit ripens from November to March.

Available from November to April / May.