Buyer's Guide to Florida Citrus

Buying Red Navel Oranges

The Bottom Line

The red navel, also known as the Cara Cara, has gorgeous red flesh and a fragrant, complex, and aromatic flavor. It's also even more nutritious than other oranges you might buy! Lycopene lends this fruit its attractive red color and delivers a helping of anti–aging antioxidants.

Buy Red Navel Oranges

Appearance

This large orange is bright orange on the outside and a beautiful deep pinkish–red inside.

Taste

When it comes to flavor, experts agree that the red navel is one of the most complex and interesting oranges you can buy. Some taste hints of strawberry and rose, while others detect cranberry or cherry. Yet the red navel is also delectably sweet and low–acid.

Juiciness

The red navel is a nice, juicy orange, though not so juicy as to make a mess.

Seeds

Like many great snacking oranges, the red navel is mostly seedless, though you may find a few seeds from time to time.

Eating out of hand

This easy–peeling and attractive orange is a great fruit to eat out hand. It appeals to just about everyone, including kids. It's fun to see the surprise and delight when people open one up and find the gorgeous color inside.

Availability

Our red navel oranges are generally available for purchase from October to early December.

Interesting Facts

Although the color of the red navel may remind you very much of a Ruby Red grapefruit , it is not a grapefruit hybrid, as some people mistakenly believe.

The red navel has only been on the market in the U.S. since the 1980s, and these unique and delicious citrus are still not easy to find at your typical supermarket. One more reason to buy online!

One single red navel provides 30% of your Vitamin A needs for the day. Red navels have 15 times as much vitamin A as "regular" navel oranges!

History

The red navel originated from a "bud sport," or a spontaneous mutation, on one branch of a Washington navel orange tree. It was discovered in 1976 on the grounds of Hacienda Cara Cara, Venezuela, which is where its other name, Cara Cara orange, comes from.