Fruit recipes

It is now generally conceded that the Spaniards introduced their adopted fruit into Florida during their earliest explorations, although the.seed and soil were so eminently adapted to each other and the fruit of their union was so prolific that ‘wild orange groves were soon to be found all over Florida and in consequence some authorities have declared it must be native to the Gulf'regions. The Bitter- Sweet (C. aurantium vulgaris) is but a variety of the Seville, though Manville, in describing it as a ‘‘tree indistinguishable from the sour,”’ terms it the ‘‘Native wild orange of Florida.”’ In flavour this variety is exactly what its name indicates, both bitter and sweet. Most of the wild orange groves have been killed in some one of the several descents to freezing temperature during the last century, or have been budded to sweet varieties, as the sour stock is generally immune from foot-rot and has all over the world proven less susceptible to extreme cold or drought than the sweet stock. The Aurantium bigaradia, as the Seville is scientifically termed, is smaller than the sweet orange tree, more generally inclined to be spiny, and its leaves more truly elliptical, though both these points vary. The oil cysts are concave, the general texture of pulp and rind heavier and coarser, and the flavour quite distinct from the common sweet orange. The flowers are similar in form and fragrance but susceptible of much variation by cultivation and Europeans are familiar with varieties of the bigaradia cultivated exclusively for their floral beauty, as, the Nosegay Plant, or le bouquetier of the French, these blossoms growing at the end of the branches in thick clusters. Other varieties are the double-flowered bigarade, the myrtleflowered and the bizarre bigarades, the last of which has purplish-white flowers, and fruit which curiously varies in form and flavour. Throughout the semi-tropical portions of North America the original, simple form of the imported Seville orange trees, blossoming and fruiting, also offer abundance of beauty to the eye and nostril. But the average tourist fails to appreciate this ultimately because of lack of proper introduction, the taking for granted that this is the sweet orange of common popularity, and the consequent shock on discovery of its peculiar acidity. This results in sudden coolness, the dropping of the slight acquaintance, and injury to the wild beauty’s reputation and standing in society, whereas, were it but known that the Seville is the proud descendant of the ancient Spanish line and one of the few remaining tangible traces of the days of the gallant Spanish explorers, all this would be avoided. It is particularly a pity that the average Northerner misses so simple yet so great an intellectual and gastronomic enjoyment since the season of the Seville is longer than that of the usual sweet varieties, lasting well into the spring when sweet oranges are scarce and high in price. In time, however, the Seville will doubtless come into favour as has the grape-fruit (or pomelo), through similar experience, for it was but a few years ago that the pomelo was not appreciated; there was no demand for the few shipped north and the remainder, almost without exception, lay upon the ground until decayed because even in the South it was supposed that, although exceptional, depraved palates might be educated to the point of imaginary enjoyment, the pomelo could not be fit for cookery in any form and even uncooked, separated from all “rag” and served with sugar, the result was extremely doubtful. From the fruit of the Seville much of the citric acid of commerce was manufactured until quite recent times.