Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Naturally good Aussie Navel Oranges are back in season

Naturally good Aussie Navel Oranges are back in season

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Keeping ourselves healthy in mind and body has been a vital part of the past 18 months, which is why every bit of help counts. One way of ensuring that our bodies are strong is by fueling them with rich nutrient fruits. Luckily for us, striking a happy balance between nutritious and delectable is easy with Australian Navel Oranges.

Celebrated as a natural immunity booster, oranges are high in Vitamin C and contain natural flu-fighting properties that aid in fending off cough and colds. These fruits also help maintain healthy blood pressure levels and a healthy heart to boot.

Australia is once again bringing in its high-quality Navel Oranges straight from Australia’s pristine south east regions for Filipinos to enjoy. To mark another productive harvest season, Hort Innovation hosted an online launch event under the Taste Australia banner last Friday August 27, 2021, which featured Celebrity Chef, Luigi Muhlach, who demonstrated the versatility of oranges as tasty flavoring in a savory dish, as well as Bento Mommas, who carefully demonstrated a delightful way of packing oranges for meal preps.

“It’s a great source of Vitamin C, and it’s an immunity booster especially during this time, so it has been a great ingredient for our bento boxes. That’s why we go into bento making, to make sure that our kids get a balanced meal every time, either on a plate or in a box,” said Monet Aquino of Bento Mommas.

As for our special guest chef of the event, Chef Luigi said “It’s very easy to use, in terms of cooking and in making drinks, it’s seedless, pulpy, and sweet,” he adds “it’s packed with Vitamin C and it’s very healthy.

It’s good to use at home because you can incorporate something delicious and healthy at the same time.” Picked fresh from only the highest quality crops, Australian oranges are in peak season until October and Taste Australia strongly encourages consumers to take advantage of this harvest season and indulge in this sweet, delectable and nutritious fruit.
“Australian citrus arguably has the best kind of flavour and sweetness of any citrus in the world, there’s no disputing that. And it’s purely our unique climate that gives us that advantage,” said David Daniels, General Manager, Citrus Australia.

“The Taste Australia program is designed to support our customers to learn more about Australia’s amazing horticultural produce and the advantages of quality, safe and healthy Australian horticulture products.” said Brei Montgomery, Head of International Trade, Hort Innovation.

Taste Australia allows consumers to take advantage of these much-loved seasonal sensations, with products branded or promoted under its banner guaranteed to be perfectly ripe, fresh and sweet. We “see these promotions as a good way to promote Australia within the Philippines and it falls in line with all the programs as we celebrate 75 years of Philippines-Australia relations.” said Christopher Lim, Senior trade and Investment Commissioner, Austrade.

This season’s pickings are available in Rustan’s Supermarket, Shopwise, Marketplace by Rustan’s, Robinsons Supermarket and S&R, and through e-Commerce partners like AlwaysFresh, Dizon Farms, Baytown’s Produce and Crate2plate. Consumers can also view trending recipes, learn helpful tips and tricks, or be involved in the latest conversations by following Taste Australia – Philippines on Facebook and @TasteAustraliaPH on Instagram.

You may also watch the online event here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VryYppHJ1YY3dulDASDDwd52lc1rSBk5/view?usp=sharing

Australian Navel Orange Factsheet

Did you know?

The first Australian citrus trees were planted in the late 1700s. Today, 2000 growers annually produce 600,000 tonnes of high-quality citrus fruit with oranges being the most produced citrus variety (76%).

The main variety of orange is the Navel, which is usually seedless, with easy-to-peel skin, very sweet juicy flesh and a small protrusion at one end that resembles a human navel — hence the name of this variety.

Australia’s diverse climate and pristine natural environment provides quality conditions needed to produce high-quality oranges. South-east Australia is the major growing region – the Murray Valley of Victoria, the Riverina of New South Wales and the Riverland of South Australia.

An orange tree grafted onto rootstock may take three years to begin producing fruit, whilst a tree grown from seed can take up to 15 years! Initially, a Navel Orange tree may produce as little as 9 kilograms of fruit, however when it is mature, this may increase to 180 kilograms per tree.

Australian Navel Oranges are available and in season from June to October each year.

Application and recipes

Australian oranges are incredibly versatile, making them the perfect anytime snack or addition to sweet or savoury dishes. Oranges are a great alternative to a quick fix sugary drink or a chocolate bar as they contain carbohydrates and B vitamins.

Must try recipes can be found at http://www.oranges.com.au/recipes

Health benefits

Australian oranges are famous for its high vitamin C content and natural flu-fighting properties. They are also high in antioxidants, fibre, folate and potassium. Australian oranges have numerous health and nutritional benefits including:

● Nutrient density, which is great for weight control
● Good source of folate, which is perfect for pregnant women (may help prevent spinabifida) and the rest of the family (helps the immune system and heart)
● Great for blood pressure control with high potassium and low salt
● Rich in antioxidants which helps keep you fit and healthy throughout the year.

Selection and storage at home

1. Make sure to select fruit that has bright orange skin, is firm, and feels heavy for its size (avoid dry, wrinkled or softer looking oranges as they do not ripen further after harvest.).
2. Oranges can be stored for up to two weeks at room temperature, and longer when refrigerated.
● Store oranges unwashed as moisture on the skin can lead to mould.
● Either peel or wash oranges in cool water before slicing. If cutting, use a clean cutting board to prevent cross-contamination.
● Do not freeze oranges or store them below 3°C.

This project is being funded by Hort Innovation using the citrus industry levy. Hort Innovation is the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture.