When Life Gives You Navel Oranges

Country Basil Orange Pound Cake and Orange Spread Recipes

I searched high and low but couldn't find Seville oranges on grocery market shelves in Montana this winter. So, instead, I embraced the opportunity to make the best of the situation and used naval oranges to create simple but delightful orange preserves in place of marmalade.

Seville oranges, with their unique bitter-sweet and sour flavor, remind me of life's complexities, while navel oranges, with their aromatic sweetness, reflect the simple beauty of the ordinary.

Although winter citrus, including oranges, are available year-round, they do have a distinct season. Every winter, the monsieur and I make an enormous batch of marmalade after Noël when we're in France using a copper pot à confiture.

From grand-mère's apartment near Neuilly-sur-Seine, we ride the metro to a small neighborhood market on rue des Martyrs. Paris produce markets, or Les Primeurs, are abundant with limes, bergamots, mandarines, and seductive pamplemousse.