March 20, 2003

Prairie Fare: A Taste of Spring

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

Lately my lunch buddies have been eating lots of oranges: huge, glossy, fragrant oranges. They’re so juicy that someone gets a free squirt of flying juice on a daily basis. I have to fight off the impulse to grab a section or two when they’re not looking. It must be spring: oranges are back in season.

While apples get all the credit for keeping the doctor away, oranges are probably more nutritious. A medium-size orange, which is about the size of a tennis ball, contains 70 calories, no fat, 7 grams of dietary fiber and more than a full day’s supply of vitamin C.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant nutrient that helps fight harmful "free radicals" that are linked to cancer development. National Cancer Institute researchers have shown that a diet with abundant vitamin C-rich foods is linked with a lower risk for certain types of cancer. Vitamin C is also needed for the manufacture of collagen, so it helps heal wounds.

Orange pulp is also a good source of dietary fiber, particularly soluble fiber. This type of fiber is linked with lowering risk for heart disease due to its lowering effects on blood cholesterol.

Oranges also are a good source of the B vitamin folate, the naturally occurring form of folic acid. This vitamin has been shown to help prevent birth defects such as spina bifida. That’s a good reason for pregnant women or any woman who could become pregnant to consume plenty of folic acid-rich foods, which also include leafy greens, dry beans and fortified cereals.

How do you know a good orange from a not-so-good one? Look for firm oranges that are heavy for their size, with fine-textured skin. Oranges may be stored at room temperature for several days but will retain their freshness longer if refrigerated.

Don’t be swayed by a beautiful, unmarred overall orange-colored appearance. Oranges with a few minor scars on the skin are usually as tasty and nutritious as their unblemished counterparts.

Even green-flecked oranges are technically "ripe." An orange that is greenish on its stem end has just undergone a natural process called re-greening while on the tree. As the weather warms, oranges reabsorb chlorophyll and turn green again while on the tree.

Enjoy oranges as whole fruit, or in salads, desserts, baked goods like muffins, or juiced and used in beverages and marinades. Here’s a tasty recipe that combines two healthy fruits with whole grain oatmeal and some nuts.

Orange and Apple Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 c. butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 egg
Grated peel of one fresh orange
1 orange, peeled and cut in bite-size pieces
1 apple, unpeeled, cored and chopped
2 c. quick oats, uncooked
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and orange peel; beat well. Gradually blend in dry ingredients. Stir in orange, apple, oats and nuts. Drop batter from teaspoon on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes 5 1/2 dozen cookies. Each cookie contains 70 calories, 3 grams fat, 10 grams carbohydrate and at least 1 gram fiber.

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Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu

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