6 ideas for winter citrus

Last weekend was gorgeous here, so Dave and I did some much needed yard work, including pruning the tangerine and orange trees in our back yard. This is the first year that I’ve really been able to appreciate the amazing bounty of these trees, and I am a little overwhelmed! Now that it’s rainy and cold out I’m grateful for the great tubs of sunshine sitting in our kitchen, but I’m at a bit of a loss for what to do with them all. The oranges are really sweet and juicy, so we can squeeze them for orange juice if nothing else, but the tangerines are a little tart. I didn’t realize I needed to thin the fruit, so the tree produced more than it could really support, leaving them a bit small and less sweet. I did some research this morning and came up with a few good ideas, and will list them with some links below. Do you guys have any other ideas? We only harvested a small fraction of what’s on the trees, so I will be doing citrus recipes and projects for some time to come…

1. orange marmalade

2. candied orange peels

3. orange campari sorbet (extra credit when served in 1/2 orange “cups”)

4. fresh orange and yogurt tart

5. spinach, tangerine and goat cheese salad with avocado
This is one Dave and I make occasionally – Just dark leafy greens, 1 avocado, 1 or 2 tangerines (or 1 orange), goat cheese to taste and a balsamic vinaigrette. Good with pecans if you have them, too!

6. tangerineade, vodka optional