Oranges - What's best for flavorful zest and juice?

[JWK1]

Every year around this time I make my year's supply of cranberry/orange jam. I've done internet searches on oranges that are tops for "best zest", but always come up with nothing. I'm wondering if anyone here has any thoughts on this. In fact, I make a few things where I only use the zest, so this is really the priority. Last year I just used regular "juice oranges" from wally world. In the past I've used cara cara, blood, mandarin.

Thanks for any info.

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

I’ve got a blood orange tree (I think Arnold) and that made some interesting marmalade.
I’ve used store bought Valencia and Navel oranges with reliable success, but they’re nothing interesting.
I gave a bunch of my home grown Meyer lemons and Tahitian limes into marmalade which was quite interesting as the peel did most of the work (tasted a bit like a lemonade cocktail on toast).
I’ve also got a Minneola Tangelo tree, which I’ve always thought would be interesting to try as a marmalade, given the aroma of the peel is a bit different, and the quite tart flesh might need a bit more sugar and setting agent (if you’re using it) given the higher acidity, but every winter we always end up eating all the fruit so don’t have any left over.
Not sure how adventurous you want to be. I’ve got a half finished jar of ginger marmalade which is pretty different, a bit of a firey pepp up in the morning or adds a bit of razzle dazzle to a plain scone (I think called a biscuit in the USA?).
Let us know what you end up trying!

 

[MarcelNL]

make sure they're organic for zest, or the outside might just have quite an interesting mix of chemicals on it

 

[Corradobrit1]

Valencia oranges.

 

[ReiHamono]

Anything from Big Island, location location location

 

[JWK1]

Valencia oranges.

Valencia, blood, cara cara, are not available now. They're all summer oranges. However, your suggestion spurned on a little research. I know a lot more than I did, so thanks for that.

 

[JWK1]

make sure they're organic for zest, or the outside might just have quite an interesting mix of chemicals on it

Good point.

 

[Jovidah]

Even when it's organic I've always found organge zest to be finicky at best. It's easy for it to turn out bitter. There's ways around it, but you'll have to look into it, it's not like lemon or lime zest where you can just grate it and throw it straight into anything and it'll be awesome.

 

[MarcelNL]

Even when it's organic I've always found organge zest to be finicky at best. It's easy for it to turn out bitter. There's ways around it, but you'll have to look into it, it's not like lemon or lime zest where you can just grate it and throw it straight into anything and it'll be awesome.

true, yet that is in how it's handled. Orange oil has a lot more bitters in it I guess....we used to dilute Essential Orange Oil in freshly distilled Ethanol, diluted with distilled water and some sugar in school...I blame the splitting headaches on the bitters ;-)