box of Clementines

I really like citrus. I have discussed this before, I know. But I have to talk about this again. I keep buying boxes of Clementines. We are on our 3rd now since Christmas, and eat them constantly. I have here my favorite breakfast which is maple syrup and homemade granola (from this recipe cheat sheet) and then plain yogurt and a Clementine on top. I had never had orange with granola until last year and it's so good. Very refreshing. Sometimes I use a regular orange, but I never take the time to segment it all fancy, I just peel it and then hack it up and throw it in. Pete's not about the membrane on oranges, but I like them just fine. The girls are split. My brother is actually very uncomfortable with membranes or anything fibrous in food. I actually thought he was going to hurl when he helped the girls carve pumpkins this year. He's what I call a bio-phobe. Like, his worst nightmare ever is seeing potatoes with eyes/roots growing on them. It's hysterical. He's all about computers, so I guess this sort of makes sense? I grew up with incredible pride that I, his little sister, could gross him out so easily. Which I did often. Wow, sorry if I ruined this breakfast for you. I am pretty sure there are certain words you should never use when writing about food and membrane is probably one, but what else to call that orange part? Plus, it's funny.

Okay, the polka-dotted aprons keep coming in for Tie One On! I will try to finish the gallery this weekend, when the e-mails stop coming. . .and the new theme will be up very very soon. Thanks you guys!

Comments

[Sarah Jackson]

Only 3 boxes? We're going through a Costco box per week, at least. Can't get enough. And grossing out brothers is always worth talking about. I sure did it!

[jen]

technically, the white part of the orange is called the pith :)

[Jules]

This post is so funny to me! I'm in so-Cal and have three very productive trees. I have been trying desperately over the last few weeks to use up my seemingly bottomless pit supply of oranges. I'll have add this recipe to the rotation. Thanks!

[deedeen]

I really don't like membranes eihter... But the worse for me are the "white-things" on clementines...

[jmbmommy]

Can you say,,,funn--eee? really enjoyed the membrane talk, I have had it in my head a thousand times, thought I was alone, guess not. I used to peel the orange segments, but then one day I was OK. SO interesting, I know. Thanks!!

[Lisa thedomesticdiva]

LOL! We love Clementines in our house. We're on box #6!

With friendship,
Lisa

[macati]

ok, here's the conclusion: you're normal, the others are freak!
:)
tasty breakfast for sure... will try it!

[Debbie]

I love the term bio-phobe! I once almost made my husband hurl at the dinner table with the little word "ovary!" (And it was used appropriately in a sentence.)

[Kirsten]

Oh citrus! Have you ever tried topping a halved, pre-sectioned grapefruit with yogurt and granola? That's my favorite citrus breakfast. Sometimes I add a little maple syrup, to make up for the lack of clementine sweetness.

[daisy janie]

I am equally addicted to citrus (orange juice=liquid gold). A great but odd pairing is oranges with kalamata olives...mmmm. Something about the sweetness of the orange and the salty tang of the olive....thanks to my Italian in-laws for that!

[melissa]

we LOVE clemmies. My husband and son go through a 4 lb box every week while they're in season. Did you see the clementine clafoutis recipe in Mark Bittman's column a few weeks ago? It's over here,/a>

[Ericka B Traven]

I love clementines and had not thought to put them on my daily granola. Tomorrow for breakfast I know what I am having.

[Lynne]

Breakfast looks good! my biophobe relative is my sister, she is grossed out by any kind of plant growing indoors: houseplants, seedlings, herbs...I think that's so funny!

[Judy B]

I live in the north and we don't often get clementines but our vacation to Cypress last year opened up the world of clementines for me. There are trees of them by everyone's house and lining the streets of Larnaka. They taste so sweet it's like eating candy (even with the membrane).

[Janelle]

Be careful!

I once bought a box of clementines, ate pretty much the whole thing in a day or two cause they are so good, and I got kidney stones. :(

Yeah, it was NOT a fun experience. Just remember not to eat an entire box in a day or two!

[Rachel]

Man, I could never gross my brother out. I am so jealous. We are totally clemintine (or plemintime as my girls say) crazy too...I just took a polaroid of our box yesterday! Going to have to try them with yogurt.

[Carol]

I'm totally with your brother!

[Patricia Scarpin]

I love citrus flavors, too, and would love to try it on my cereal sometime, great idea!

[Rachel]

Membrane is a hilarious word! It's even funnier when used when talking about grossing somebody out! I laughed at the part where your brother almost lost it carving pumpkins. Thanks for the great story, especially for those of us with younger brothers. It brings back great memories.

[Phoebe]

Ooh, I used to have the potato eye growth phobia too! I used to shriek, and I mean SHRIEK, whenever my roommate would shove an old potato in my direction. I sort of got over it, although they still sort of squig me out a little.

[Lisa M]

I love clementines!! I too buy the cart of them and eat them everyday! So yummy! That breakfast of your looks to die for!!
Have a great weekend!
♥Lisa

[~ bridgette ~]

I'm with your brother (and Carol). I love Clementines but it takes me forever to pick everything off of them. I don't have a problem with plants just slimy stuff. Scooping the guts out of pumpkins makes me gag.

[Melanie]

Too funny! I had to read through the comments to figure out what exactly a Clementine was. We don't pay attention to produce names around here, except maybe when I send my husband to the store for apples. I need yellow Golden Delicious apples and no other kind will do. Those babies are the best.

[katie]

I also love to buy boxes of clementines, but secretly it's because i desire the cute boxes. I use them for all types of storage - for makeup and lotions in the bathroom, for craft essentials on my desk, as gift boxes, etc. so good.

[jessica]

There is a recipe for orange compote that I think you would like in the Moosewood Cookbook. It's just fresh oranges, marmalade, and triple sec... it goes GREAT on ice cream or yogurt.

[the farmers wife]

Oh, that looks so good. I thought it was ice cream though!

[emmy lou]

I think I've turned into a clementine this year! But with granola?? I started making granola for the family, it's so darn easy... um and yummy!
Loved the nan bread btw!

[maya]

that breakfast looks fabulous!! i seriously need to try that.

[allison]

we're all about the satsumas at our house and we definitely do not like the 'membranes'. In fact, just the other day my 5 year old said, "they should make these without all the white stuff." Cracked me up. I told him I would call Mother Nature right away and put in his order.

[Mary from California]

We go through box after box of clementines. It's sort of like q-tips: use them once and then they are a permanent habit.

Glad you explained bio-phobes: one of my son's friends became queasy because we had cucumber in a salad one time...I really did not get it until now.

[Paige]

My kids are crazy about the clementines - I love that they're so easy for my older boy to peel, and I love how sweet the word "clementine" sounds when my toddler girl says it.

[Sally McEntire]

I found a simple granola recipe that uses honey and orange juice concentrate to sweeten it that turns out delicious! Then throw in some orange flavored cranberries from Trader Joe's, YUM!

[Andria]

Clementines are my favorite, too. Tangelos are a close second. I don't like the hassle of peeling other citrus fruits so these are the only ones I eat. We have gone through four and a half boxes since November with only two humans in the house. The one who eats the most is the dog. She loves them!

[Junie]

Now I'm gonna have to make some granola...

(What is "maple sugar"?)

[wendi]

I've never had a clementine. I've been reading about them lately in several blogs, went to the store to get some today...$19.00 for a bag! Too rich for my blood. They did have tangelos...are they anything like a clementine? And I also want to know what maple sugar is!

[wendi]

ok, nevermind the maple sugar question...re-read and it says maple SYRUP and I totallyh know what that is!

[Jill]

Try grating an apple over the granola and yogurt (after clementine season). There's something really bracingly fresh tasting about it that I adore. I'm going to try the clementine idea though too.

[coastalgirl]

Funny you should mention orange with granola. The granola I bake in the oven is grains/seeds mixed with orange juice and milk and a little oil, then baked on cookie sheets. I have been making it this way for years. It's very yummy! I too love it with yogurt, but would pass on the clementines...sorry! :-)
I call the membrane stuff all pith...but what do I know?

[Maggie Sumner]

I'm on a little bit of a red grapefruit tear myself. I've been peeling them and then cutting them up and eating them after dinner. I love the tangy sour and sweet flavor. I find that I've been craving them more than anything. Yummy and guilt-free--my favorite kind of food.

[tammy]

I love clementines! In fact, I just started a batch of wine with them last week -not sure how it'll turn out, but hopefully as yummy as the fruit.

[Holly]

Hi Amy, I tried sending an email to you but it came back stating something about spam. Anyway, I was wondering if you could suggest crafts for the elderly? I have to volunteer for a class at school and I would like to present something other then the usual crafts, which I'm sure that they've done a million times before. Any advice would be helpful. Again sorry for posting this here. Thanks for helping.

[Alice]

Oh...those clementines! They are so delicious...my daughter loves them. She's coming to visit...so off to the store for a box!

[Day]

Clemmies are so yummy- and much better than the caseloads of Ghiardelli chocolates I've been scarfing down as of late. Thanks for the inspiration - tomorrow morning I will try this!

[Ali]

If you find yourself with a few too many to eat, I can thoroughly recommend the Mandarin Jam recipe in 'Apples for Jam'. I made some with clementines this week and it was glorious.

Although you do have to remove all the membranes (not a job for your brother!).

[lissilulu]

mmmmmm...citrus.
we have a great friend who brings us produce boxes that grocery stores think are not saleable anymore....she goes through them and passes them out to many families.
we are a lucky recipient and have been juicing oranges like mad and freezing them in ice cube trays for the base of smoothies.
i haven't tried oranges with granola and yogurt...usually have frozen blueberries...i will give it a whirl soon.
lori

[Margo]

BIOPHOBE!! Now I have a name for my sister-in-law and she hates the very same things your brother does. Pumpkin innards particularly gross her out. She also is weirded out by pomegranates and digging out the seeds. har har! I don't get that at all.
From the comments, I think the whole country is fending off scurvy with citrus. And I learned a piece of trivia that makes me even lazier about picking off the pith: most of the Vitamin C is in the pith!

[Stephanie]

We have a serious clementine addiction at our house as well! Yum!!!

[molly]

have you seen this? creative things to do with your clementine box?!

http://www.darlingclem.com/consumer/creativeuses.aspx

[michelle]

Our family loves Clementines too! We just used some of them to make a Clementine PoppySeed Bread last night---to go with our 'breakfast for dinner' tonight. =)

[seven]

I printed out that recipe cheat sheet, and my sister made the chocolate cake... oh. my. gosh. To die for. Thank you so much. My whole family loves you. :)