In the darkest days of winter, bakers yearning for fresh produce are rewarded with the colorful bounty of citrus season. Ruby Red grapefruit, maroon blood oranges, verdant Key limes, sunny yellow lemons—it’s a rainbow of edible sunshine. Whether juiced, zested, or left whole, citrus brings bright acidity and sweet tanginess to the table. But each fruit of the citrus tree has its individual quirks and pitfalls.
Let’s begin with the most popular citrus fruit: the orange. Comprising more than half of all the citrus grown in the world, the orange family is divided into two main categories, juicing oranges and eating oranges. The distinctions between the two groups are numerous biological adaptations made over hundreds of years by growers. Juicing oranges,
