The temple orange was named after William Chase temple, former president of the Florida citrus exchange and native Floridian. These oranges have been called “Queen of the Crop” and “Florida’s finest”.

Juicy, sweet, and tangy, temple oranges are a deep orange-red color. This hybrid of the Mandarin and Sweet orange is globular in shape with a thin, leathery skin. They are easy to peel and have very little pith, with about three seeds per section. The temple is the largest of the Mandarin varieties.

Serving Ideas

Temple oranges are great fresh, eaten out-of-hand. They make excellent juicing oranges as well because of the high volume of juice per orange. Also known as the Royal orange, these oranges are easy to section and make good additions to salads or desserts. Make some aromatic temple orange marmalade, or use the juice as a marinade for meats. Make temple orange ice cream or sorbet, or simply freeze the juice in molds for homemade popsicles.

Geography/History

The temple orange was first discovered in Jamaica in 1896 by a Florida fruit buyer. It wasn’t until 1915 that it came to the attention of W.C. Temple who then introduced it to a friend at Buckeye Nurseries, a leading Florida citrus nursery. The orange with unusual aromatic and juicy qualities was named and introduced to the market in 1919. The temple orange is also known as the Tangor, a cross between ‘tangerine’ and ‘orange’, and Royal Mandarin. It is known as a Florida citrus fruit; however, it can also be found growing in Coachella Valley, California.

Seasons/Availability

Temple oranges have a short season during the late winter months.