Orange Recipes

One of my friends has been commenting about all the extra oranges growing on their massive tree this year. They just can't eat them all, which makes juicing such a great alternative. By juicing the oranges and using them to create other recipes, they can preserve the fruit instead of letting it go to waste. While I love making all manner of jams, jellies, and marmalade, freezing is also a great way to use extra fruit. After all, a simple orange sorbet uses 2 cups of orange juice and can be stored in a simple plastic container in the freezer. If it kept in an air-tight container and stored in the back of the fridge, it will stay fresh for ages.

Orange sherbet is one of my favorite options lately. Sherbet is like the best of both worlds - all the flavor of a fruit sorbet with a little extra creaminess from milk or heavy cream. You can actually update most of your sorbet recipes by adding a little milk and extra sugar. Tip: two scoops of orange sherbet and one scoop of vanilla ice cream are a perfect pairing. If you love Orange Creamsicles, this is one way to recreate the flavor profile.

Ice pops are by far the simplest way to use up excess fruit and fruit juice. Nearly any liquid or puree can be frozen into an ice pop mold, or even frozen in a small cup with a popsicle stick in the middle. My orange banana popsicle recipe uses creamy bananas to give the finished product a great texture without extra effort. If you can use a blender, you can make this recipe. It's also a healthy dessert to feed your family. Ice pops need a lot less sugar than many other frozen desserts, since you want them to freeze into a solid block of ice.

Don't wonder what to do with those extra oranges. Juice them and make a fun recipe or two!