Blood Orange

While shopping at Sprouts I saw an orange-like fruit called a blood orange. I had heard about blood diamonds and wondered if these blood oranges had been harvested by slave labor. The blood oranges were smaller than the regular Navel or Valencia oranges. I had never heard of a blood orange and I was curious as to what it could be, how it was different than a real orange, where it came from and what taste it would have.

When I sliced the blood orange, the inside was a deep red, almost maroon. The color is pretty and would give color to a salad, could be used as a decoration on a plate or just be eaten like a regular orange.  I read where it is an orange with a slight raspberry taste. The blood orange I ate tasted just like a regular orange, but not as sweet. The blood orange was a bit more expensive than regular oranges. I liked that it did not have any seeds.

On Wikipedia I read: The blood orange is a variety of orange with crimson, almost-blood-colored flesh.  December and January are the months when they are sold and most of crops we get are from California. I found out that something called anthocyanins causes the color red and can be found in red-purple fruit or vegetables.
The anthocyanin is beneficial to our health and can protect from many diseases! Who knew? The blood orange is loaded with Vitamin C, folic acid, anthocyanins, calcium, and Vitamin A. It is rich in antioxidants and a good source of fiber. It has been called a anti-aging orange. Wow, I must make a note to eat lots of  blood oranges!

I find it interesting that at my age I am still learning about new things. Makes me wonder where the fruit has been all my life and why this is the first time I came across it!

A blood-orange is new to me,

quite pretty you will agree.

Though it's a deep red inside

the orange flavor cannot hide.

E. Moscoso

January 8, 2015