Orange varieties: which to choose and when each is in season
The orange is not one fruit: it is a whole season. From November to July, six orange varieties follow one another in our grove — from Navelina to Valencia Knight — along with five mandarin varieties, each with its moment and its ideal use. This is the guide written by the people who grow them: a grove our family has tended since 1917, five generations on.
The Valencia orange calendar
The golden rule almost nobody tells you: there is no "best orange" — there is a best orange for every month. Anyone selling you the same orange in December and in June is either quietly switching varieties or keeping fruit in cold storage. Ours travel from the tree to your home with no waxes and no post-harvest treatments, so we can only offer what the grove gives at each moment.
These are the six orange varieties we grow, in order of appearance:
| Variety | Season (our grove) | Flavour | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navelina | November – January | Sweet, low acidity, seedless | The table, and the first juices |
| Navel | December – March | Balanced, with a fine touch of acidity | The table — the winter classic |
| Navelate | January – April | Very fine and juicy, clean sweetness | The table, the season at its best |
| Navel Late | February – May | Sweet and mild, very little acidity | The table, well into spring |
| Valencia | April – June | Sweet-sharp, the queen of juice | Juice — the taste of spring |
| Valencia Knight | May – July | The late Valencia: juice into high summer | Juice — it closes the season |
Dates are those of our own plot and shift a week or two each year — the orange decides, not the calendar.
Table orange or juice orange?
It isn't marketing: they are different varieties — and sometimes the same variety at different moments.
- Table: segments that separate cleanly, easier-to-peel skin, high sweetness. Navelina, Navel and Navelate are the big three.
- Juice: no single name here — a relay. Winter Navels give very sweet, very generous juice; spring and summer Valencias, the classic glass with its touch of acidity. Every variety in the table presses beautifully in its moment.
- For marmalade: oranges with healthy, untreated skin — essential whenever the peel goes in. More in our marmalade guide.
And the mandarins?
They share the grove with the orange trees — and with them, the season starts even earlier. We grow five varieties that pass the baton to one another:
| Variety | Season | In two words |
|---|---|---|
| Oronules | October – December | The year's first: early, fine, wonderfully aromatic |
| Clemenules | November – January | The Valencian clementine par excellence: seedless, practically peels itself |
| Clemenvilla | November – February | Juicy and intense — almost a small orange |
| Hernandina | December – February | The late clementine that stretches the winter |
| Orri | January – April | The late jewel: sweetness and texture worth waiting for |
Frequently asked questions
Which orange is best for juice?
The one in season. In winter, Navelina and Navel give a very sweet juice with plenty of yield — the breakfast of December through March. In spring the Valencia takes over with its classic sweet-sharp balance, and the Valencia Knight stretches it into high summer. No need to wait for any month: there is spectacular juice from November to July, each with its own character.
When does the orange season start and end in Valencia?
In our grove, November to July: the Navelina opens it (with Oronules mandarins even earlier, in October) and the late Valencias close it in summer. In the remaining months there is no Spanish orange in season — whatever is sold then comes from cold storage or the southern hemisphere.
Why do supermarket oranges shine more than yours?
Because they are waxed. Wax adds gloss and shelf life but improves nothing inside — and it means you shouldn't use the peel. Ours come with no waxes and no post-harvest treatments: matte skin, freshly picked fruit, and a peel you can zest or candy with confidence.
What is the difference between Navel and Navelina?
They're family. The Navelina arrives earlier (November–January) and is a touch sweeter; the Navel follows (December–March) with more balance. Both carry the tell-tale "navel" and peel easily.
Is the blood orange a normal orange?
It is a variety in its own right, not a dyed orange: the cold nights of late winter activate anthocyanins — the same pigments as in cherries and blueberries — which create the red colour and berry notes. It only exists from February to April.
From the tree to your home, at just the right moment: a box of Valencia oranges. And if you want the whole season to be yours, sponsor an orange tree and receive its harvest.
