Sour Oranges

It's feast or famine over here! Sometimes I have a lot to say, and sometimes I don't, so I don't say anything. To be very honest, I haven't had anything to say because I had a lot of disasters in the kitchen last week. This is normal, I have to remind myself. Sometimes you just get on a roll of badness, and that's when you slowly step away from the kitchen, eat at a few diners, and take solace in the kitchen being clean for a few days. Which is exactly what I've been doing.

I looked at my gallery on Instagram the other day (@whatjuliate) and realized it was all gray and white. It's full on winter over here, and the temperatures just dropped drastically. So, I was really glad to get three boxes of Florida sour oranges in the mail the other day from my mother. She picks them from a neighbor whose tree is full and under appreciated. This has been happening for a few years now, and at first I was unsure of the worth of these guys. Now I know better. I look forward to their arrival. This year I had to remind my mother! Organic citrus is expensive, and some backyard fruit from Florida is always appreciated.

In the past, I have made these goodies from my sour orange haul:

Triple Sec
Sour Orange Cocktail Mix
Candied Peels (not a recipe, just a quiet rant)


I think this year I will make some sour orange syrup, and save the peels for more candying, of course! I've really enjoyed my candied peels this year. I can't wait until January is over so I can start eating them again!

Aside from the exciting delivery of sour oranges, I also received good news about my company, Half-Pint Preserves: my apple plum jelly was a winner at the Good Food Awards! It's a real honor for my little tiny company (I just sell to a few local markets) to be a part of such fine company. Check out this list of wonderful food producers, see if there are any near you and support them!