Citrus!

When gloomy winter weather brings yet another bounty of hearty greens and root vegetables, the menu can start to look a little bleak. What better time for bright, fragrant citrus to take the stage? There are the usual players, of course, sunny lemons and heady, sweet oranges but don’t discount the numerous other quirky varieties just waiting to awaken our palettes and invigorate our dishes.

Be on the lookout for the flavor-packed, easy-to-peel Satsuma tangerine, one of the first to appear on the scene. Next up are the charming mandarinquats, a hybrid nagami kumquat and mandarin orange variety, ready to eat-out-of hand but even better candied and preserved. Packing a smaller, but no less tasty, punch are the tiny limequats—a cross between a Mexican key lime and a kumquat, great for saucing or wedging in the neck of a cold beverage. And rounding out the eclectic bunch is the wrinkly, local-grown kaffir lime. Powerfully pungent and perfect for zesting, these little fruits are a welcome reminder of the upcoming warm, summer months.

So when that beautiful bunch of kale comes by again and you just can’t think of roasting another potato, remember the citrus—for all it’s sunny freshness, it’s just the thing to get us through.

Citrus Variety	Lbs. sold Jan 2009- Jan 2010
Satsuma Tangerines	3,944.09
Kaffir Limes	375.5
Mandarinquats	15
Limequats	12