A little trivia: Surprise! The name orange refers to the fruit's scent, not its color. The word comes from the Sanskrit word naranga, which in turn comes from the Tamil word naru, meaning fragrant. The United States -- in particular, Arizona, Texas, and of course Florida and California -- is the world's top orange-producing country.

What they look like: Three of the most popular oranges (excluding the Mandarin family) are the Valencia, Navel, and Blood varieties. The Valencias have seeds and thin skins (which are easier to peel when the fruit is mature), are more fibrous than Navel oranges, and are renowned for their delicious juice. Navel oranges, which get sweeter as the season progresses, are typically large, seedless, and easy to peel and separate; also, each one has a little "baby fruit" imbedded at the top (underneath the skin). Blood oranges, usually grown in Mediterranean countries, sport a thin, red-blushed orange skin, with flesh that ranges in color from pink to brilliant red to burgundy; they taste tart-sweet and slightly berry-like.

Selection tips: Pick those that are firm to the touch and heavy for their size. Since oranges are sometimes dyed with food coloring, color isn't necessarily a key to goodness or ripeness. In fact, neither bits of green nor rough, brownish areas on the skin have any effect on flavor or quality. Do avoid, though, any fruits with mold or spongy spots. Be especially careful when buying oranges by the bag, as the crowding could prevent you from catching such spots, and a single moldy orange can quickly affect the whole bunch.

Storage tips: To keep these sunny gems fresh longer, choose refrigeration over the fruit bowl. Oranges last only a couple of days at room temperature, but up to two weeks in the fridge.

How to eat them: Naturally, one of the tastiest ways to experience an orange is to cut it in half or peel it, then eat it out of hand. If you're following a recipe, though, there's a good chance you'll be asked to section the fruit. To do so, peel the orange, cut between the white membranes to expose the flesh, and remove the sections (for more juice, squeeze the leftover membranes. Helpful hint: When grating the rind, don't push too hard on the fruit; you want to just take off the color, not the white pith.

Peak growing season: The finest oranges are grown from November to April.

Health benefits: Oranges are rich in antioxidants, including vitamin C. In fact, a single orange contains approximately 70 milligrams of vitamin C (nearly 117% of the recommended daily amount), which aids in healing, boosts your immune system, helps your body absorb iron, and even helps reduce the risk of cancer. This citrus fruit is also a good source of fiber, which helps lower cholesterol and, like vitamin C, reduce your cancer risk. (To maximize your fiber intake, be sure to eat some of the spongy white pith right under the skin.)

Nutritional info: Choose a medium-sized Navel orange for a snack and you'll be consuming 60 calories, 3.1 grams of fiber, 1.3 grams of protein, 0.1 grams of fat (none of it saturated), 1.0 milligram of sodium, and no cholesterol.