Customs clearance of oranges

Juicy and sweet oranges can be stored for quite a long time if the right conditions are provided: containers, a certain temperature and humidity. It is also important to know how to choose the right fresh fruits. There are a number of signs by which you can determine both juiciness and freshness, and how sweet these citrus fruits are.

Selection rules

Pay attention to the color of oranges: it should be bright, even, uniform. Do not choose those fruits that are sharply different in color from those lying next to them in the box.

Important!

However, the brightness of the peel should not be the only selection criterion: even outwardly unripe, that is, greenish, citrus fruits can be sweet. Be aware that some suppliers artificially turn unripe fruit orange. Remember that color may depend on the variety.

To select sweet, juicy oranges, take them, hold them in your hand, and estimate the weight: fresh specimens are usually heavier than unsweetened and already wilted ones.

Quality is also determined by its aroma, but only when these orange fruits are sold in a warm room: outside, especially in cold weather, it is very difficult to determine the aroma. The strong scent of oranges indicates that these citrus fruits are riper than those that have no scent at all.

The size of the fruit is important: large ones are usually not as sweet as medium and small ones, so it is better not to choose them, although they are more beautiful. In addition, the large size may indicate that “chemistry” was used in growing the fruit. High-quality citrus fruits should not be overgrown: in this case, they are not too juicy and aromatic.

When choosing, look at the peel: the thicker it is, the less sweet the pulp turns out to be. The only advantage of thick-skinned oranges is their ease of peeling. You should not choose fruits with embossed skin: usually the pulp of such specimens is dry and not very sweet. A thin peel is determined by its pores - they should be small, and for this reason the peel will be smooth.

When choosing, you should also feel the fruits: one of the indicators of their sweetness is their shape. High-quality, fresh oranges should be firm, but not too soft and not too hard. There should be no stains, dents, damage or mold.

So, when choosing, pay attention to:

• weight;
• color;
• peel thickness;
• size;
• aroma.

If you nevertheless bought citrus fruits that turned out to be sour, do not rush to throw them away; use the fruits in preparing various dishes: sauces, jellies, compotes; The zest of sour fruits is used to flavor rooms or add them to baked goods.

Orange liqueur recipe

1. Scald oranges with boiling water, then rinse in warm running water to remove wax or other preservative from the peel, which is applied to citrus fruits to increase shelf life. Wipe the fruits with a dry cloth.

2. Using a grater, vegetable peeler, or knife, carefully remove the zest (yellow part) from the oranges. Peeled fruits are not needed and can be used for other purposes.

Attention! Do not touch the white pulp, otherwise the liqueur will taste bitter.

3. Place the zest in a jar or glass bottle, pour in an alcohol base (vodka, alcohol), and close the lid tightly. Infuse in a warm (room temperature), dark place for 14 days. Shake once every 2 days.

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4. Mix water and sugar in a saucepan, bring to a boil, simmer over low heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring and skimming off the white foam. Cool the syrup to room temperature, then pour into the orange infusion. Close tightly. Leave for another 7 days. Shake 2 times a day.

If honey is used instead of sugar, in order to preserve beneficial substances, after mixing with water, heat to 35-40°C, stir until the honey is completely dissolved, skimming off the foam, then cool.

5. Strain the finished orange liqueur through cheesecloth and squeeze out the zest. Then filter through cotton wool or a coffee filter.

6. Pour the drink into bottles for storage and close the caps tightly.

When kept away from direct sunlight, the shelf life of homemade orange liqueur is up to 5 years. Strength – 23-26 degrees. The taste of the drink differs little from similar store-bought ones, for example, Cointreau.

You can make orange liqueur at home at any time, since citrus fruits are sold all year round. The result is a natural alcohol with a characteristic fruit smell and mild taste. The cooking recipe will not cause any difficulties even for beginners. Choose the most fragrant oranges without blackened parts, rot or mold on the peel, the quality of the drink depends on this. Alcohol and vodka can be replaced with well-purified moonshine or cognac (tannic notes will appear).

Preparation for storage

There are several tricks that will allow you to prolong the freshness of citrus fruits for a long period:

• The best storage containers are paper bags or cardboard. But plastic in any form, including plastic containers, is not suitable;
• each fruit must be wrapped in a separate package (preferably a paper napkin) before being placed in a common container;
• Oranges are sensitive to temperature changes, so after cold they should not be immediately placed in heat, and vice versa. Be especially attentive to this rule, because the pulp will lose its bright taste and sweetness due to a sharp temperature change;
• choose a place where they will not come into contact with other fruits and food in general: this can cause the oranges to rot;
• If you store a large number of citrus fruits, then regularly sort through the fruits to identify those that have begun to rot and deteriorate. They should also be wiped regularly to prevent rotting due to high humidity;
• if you are going to store citrus fruits until the New Year, then it is better to choose unripe ones, during this period they will finally ripen;
• each fruit can be rubbed with a small amount of vegetable oil, which will prolong freshness.

Choosing the “right” fruits

The key to successful long-term preservation of any fruit is careful selection of fruits.

• First of all, inspect the orange. It should be a uniform bright orange color. The richer the color, the riper and sweeter the fruit. The sweetest varieties have smooth skin with red speckles.
• The porous peel is usually very thick, which does not affect the taste of the citrus, but gives it additional weight. But such fruit is easier to clean.
• The orange should not be too soft or deformed to the touch. The juiciest and, accordingly, sweetest fruits should be heavier than their less ripe counterparts.
• You definitely need to smell the orange. If it is stored at high enough temperatures, you should detect a distinct sweet-citrus aroma.
• If you come across a fruit with a “navel” on top, take it without hesitation. These fruits are always the sweetest.
• Large oranges are usually not tasty enough. It is better to choose small and medium-sized citrus fruits.
• If you use not only the pulp, but also the peel for food, then do not choose specimens with a shiny surface. Such a surface, as if varnished, indicates the use of a special preservative wax containing chemicals harmful to health.

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Storage temperature

The duration of storage depends on the temperature. So, at room temperature, oranges can be kept fresh for up to a week. To extend this period, it is better to place them in the refrigerator, where they can be stored in special containers for several months.

Storage temperature depends on the ripeness of the fruit. The ripest fruits, rich orange in color, remain fresh from two weeks to two months at a temperature of +1...+2 °C. Yellow fruits (i.e. not ripe enough) can be stored fresh at temperatures between +2 and +4 °C. Unripe (that is, greenish) can withstand long-term storage for about six months at a temperature of +5 to +6 °C.

Nuances of storing oranges

If you plan to store oranges for a long time, then you need to prepare the fruits in advance. There are several rules and nuances, thanks to which citrus fruits will not lose their marketable appearance and will not affect their taste:

• to store oranges, it is better to use cardboard boxes or wrap each fruit in paper;
• Under no circumstances should oranges be kept in polyethylene (citrus fruits quickly deteriorate and rot due to lack of air and humid conditions);
• with a sharp decrease in storage temperature, the orange may become tasteless;
• Oranges wrapped in regular napkins are well preserved;
• if oranges are planned to be stored in the refrigerator for a long time, then periodically they should be left at room temperature;
• It is not recommended to place oranges in close proximity to other fruits or food products (the products may absorb the smell of the orange, and the citrus itself may deteriorate under the influence of components that accelerate the rotting process);
• if oranges are stored in large quantities, then the fruits must be inspected periodically (if dark spots appear on the surface of citrus fruits, the fruits must be disassembled);
• if you know in advance that oranges will have to be stored for a long time, then it is better to buy citrus fruits that are not too ripe (in this case they will have to be stored in a dark place at room temperature; such oranges will not ripen in the refrigerator);
• Vegetable oil can extend the shelf life of oranges if you lightly rub the skin with it (this method can be applied to all citrus fruits).

Oranges are not uncommon on the shelves of modern stores. There is no point in buying citrus fruits to store at home for several months. It is recommended to do this for no more than four weeks. During this time, the citrus will not deteriorate or dry out, maintaining its taste. A long shelf life implies some difficulties in maintaining the required air temperatures and humidity levels.

If you plan to store oranges for a long time, then you need to prepare the fruits in advance. There are several rules and nuances, thanks to which citrus fruits will not lose their marketable appearance and will not affect their taste:

Orange has long become a familiar fruit, which is found in almost every refrigerator and certainly in every store, since these citrus fruits are grown in any season. Due to the fact that there are different ripening periods for oranges, we can pamper ourselves with their wonderful fresh taste all the time.

What should you pay attention to when buying oranges in the store? Firstly, their color. Ripe natural fruits should be a uniform sunny orange color, smooth and neat. There are fruits with rough, porous skin - this does not mean that the orange is somehow bad, just that the varieties are completely different. If the fruit is not firm and strong enough to the touch, it means it is overripe or was stored incorrectly.

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Where to store

For storing large quantities of oranges, the most suitable room would be a cellar. The room should be dry, dark, well ventilated.

If you bought fruit to use immediately, just leave it on the kitchen counter and it will stay fresh for a week.

Oranges can be stored for a long time and even kept fresh until the New Year if you provide them with optimal conditions: storage temperature and air humidity are important. They should be selected based on color, crust condition, and weight.

Transportation of oranges

Since the shelf life of oranges under the necessary conditions is 2-4 days, fresh fruit is delivered to the Russian Federation mainly by air delivery. Storage conditions for fruit during transportation are from 1 to 2 degrees. And the temperature maintained by the refrigeration chambers at temporary storage warehouses at Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo airports is 5-6 degrees Celsius, because the bulk of imported fruits must be stored at this temperature. If the fruit, after being placed in a temporary storage warehouse, remains there for longer than 1 day, it may simply go bad. Therefore, customs clearance and phytosanitary control procedures need to be accelerated as much as possible and try to be completed in a short period of time (up to 2 days). Delivery of oranges to the Russian Federation must take place under the control of an experienced customs broker.

The main importing countries that ship oranges are Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa, Spain, China, Brazil.

Arrival time for oranges from these countries in the Russian Federation:

• Air transportation of fruit to Russia – 2-3 days (depending on the presence of transit flights)
• Delivery by sea - ports in St. Petersburg and Novorossiysk - 20-35 days, it depends on the country of departure.