Oranges? Check. Lemons? Check. Limes? Check. While these popular fruits may all line your cart come checkout, their less familiar counterparts are just as worth loading up on this season. Here are three nutrient-dense fruits that might not typically steal the limelight (see what we did there?) but are perfect for everything from garnishing cocktails to popping straight into your mouth.
1. Pomelos
The largest of citrus fruits (it looks like a big grapefruit), is sweeter than grapefruit and the flesh is a nice red color. And, oh hey Vitamin C, what’s up? Just one fruit is brimming with over 600% of your daily recommended intake.
Try it: Cut it into nice segments to add to cereal for breakfast.
2. Blood oranges
Sweeter than oranges, this fab fruit is also richer-tasting and smaller with a thicker pith. Its stunning color (you guessed it, blood-colored flesh) makes for gorgeous cake decorations or salad toppers. Anthocyanin, the red pigment that gives the fruit’s pulp its distinctive pigment, is a powerful antioxidant that may help ward off cancer and heart disease.
Try it: Layer thin slices atop salmon and then squeeze some more juice over the fish before baking for sophisticated plating and a killer-citrus infusion for the fish.
3. Kumquats
Bet you can’t have just one! Grown in temperate, frost-free regions,these tiny “golden gems” are about the size of a cherry tomato and taste like a more sour version of the clementine.Unlike other citrus, eat the peel, just make sure you wash thoroughly before diving into a bowl.
Try it: If you can resist eating them straight, this super versatile fruit can be sliced into rounds (it’s got a low juice content) or muddled for their essential oils. They’re great for making marmalades, candied for dessert accoutrements, or trumping the cherry as a classy cocktail garnish.
