“Hand me that wrench” is a request I’ve never once heard from my dad.
In many families, finding the man of the house squatting under the sink tinkering with a leaky pipe or balancing on a ladder swiping the leaves from the gutters is the norm. I, however, often discovered my dad hunched over the stove tinkering with a lemon brown butter or standing at a salad bowl balancing a honey-thyme vinaigrette.
Cooking was our thing. It ended up being a win-win for all, as I had—and still have—no interest in learning how to assess roofing or use a wrench. My dad may not have schooled me on the purpose of screwdrivers or sanders, but he showed me every crucial item I needed in my culinary toolbox.
At the top of that essential inventory list was citrus. It wakes up a boring protein, adds dimension to a dip, and even brings baked goods to a whole new level. Utilizing acid from citrus is like flipping a switch on the flavor circuit board.
In the words of Samin Nostrat, author of the brilliant foodie bible Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, “Just as I’d learned to constantly evaluate a dish for salt, now I knew I needed to always taste for acid, too. It was finally clear to me—acid is salt’s alter ego. While salt enhances flavors, acid balances them. By acting as a foil to salt, fat, sugar, and starch, acid makes itself indispensable to everything we cook.”
Preach, girl.
In my dad’s kitchen, almost everything was made from scratch. Standing on a chair he had pulled up to the counter, I learned to assess and adjust flavors until they checked every box on my tastebuds. This meant loads of fresh herbs, bright spices, and savory aromatics. Citrus was always on deck, and I loved how each different shade and shape had its own temperament. Lime added a tart zip, lemon brought a more refreshing tang, and orange was subtle and sweet. You can imagine my excitement to learn that this small sampling was just the gateway into an entire world of citrus out there for me to explore.
And thus, begun my daring, delicious adventures with Noble tangerines.
Ugh, I love getting to say “thus.”
Not only are Noble’s fabulous Florida products rooted in a remarkable four generation journey, but they’re superior to standard citrus in practically every way. But don’t take my word for it, look to the USDA inspector with 50 years under his belt who branded Noble’s crown jewel Juicy Crunch® with the highest brix level he’s ever seen. For those not in the know—Brix is a scale that measures a fruit’s natural sugars. A typical tangerine falls around 10 or 11, while JC’s sweetness comes in as high as a whopping 17. Keep in mind that we’re talking natural, not artificial, sweetness here. This means that when I reach for one of Noble’s varieties as my citrus-of-choice, I don’t need to back it up with a bunch of processed sugar to balance things out.
Next up on my go-to list of Noble’s products are the Florida Starburst Pummelos™. They bear resemblance to an oversized grapefruit, but are less acidic and boast their own unique personality. Not only do they have the highest brix and sweetest flavor of any US pummelo, but Noble can actually guarantee that the product was in good hands because, well, they hand-clipped these suckers straight from the trees. The delicate citrus is a sweet, juicy fall treat.
Speaking of seasonal delicacies, let’s talk Autumn Honey® Tangerines. Their distinctive honey notes (sweet, floral, and woody) make them a shoo-in around the holidays and they happen to arrive just in time for Thanksgiving each year. A cinch to peel, low in acid, and with undertones of that sticky, luscious golden liquid we all know and love—they’re a must-have around my festive foodie table.
Last up: Noble’s New Generation Florida Tangerines™. They rank right alongside Juicy Crunch® and Autumn Honey® as some of the best craft-cultivated tangerines in Florida. This easy-peel variety is celebrated for its zipper skin you can crack right into, low or no seed content, and super sweet flavor.
So nowadays when I’m on the hunt for an acidic element that will enrich my recipes with a signature flair—there’s no question what’s going in my cart. Citrus is undoubtedly one of the vital building blocks of my culinary repertoire, and Noble has proven itself to be the only brand whose vivacious fruit speaks for itself.
Moral of the story? Don’t ask my dad and I to traverse the aisles of a hardware store. But when it comes to navigating the produce section—Noble’s got us covered.
