We are a land of citrus fruits, from north to south, in the valleys and on the plains the evergreen and living green of the orange trees traces the paths and roads. We always had a lime or a blood orange on hand. Those etched memories of the way grandma peeled oranges, in the form of a spiral and all at once, or grandpa's face eating the sweetest orange with the juice dripping down his cheeks.
That is why we wanted to start the year by letting ourselves be carried away by the citrus desire, while reviewing the Valencian producers who offer us jams (and also other products) with orange, file, tangerine or other citrus fruits, with the protagonists. We also take into account the concept of KM 0, that is to say, of proximity, as well as the fact of biological agriculture. If you are a citrus enthusiast, take a look and taste our proposals!
Biotourism
Biotúria is an exciting project of artisan fruit and vegetable preserves from KM 0, run by Juanvi and Pau. This young Valencian company produces more than twelve varieties of jams, among which stand out the orange one, Mandarin's and Carlota's, orange and lime. They make two versions: the classic, with organic integral cane sugar (from a 60% of fruit), and what they call macrobiotics, made with rice syrup (with one 80% of fruit). Your jams, totally ecological, they are made from fresh fruit from their fields in Domenyo and it is there that they are immediately processed.
☞ Variety of jams: With cane sugar: Taronja; tangerine; carlotta, orange and lime; pussy; cherry; unwise; green pepper; green tomato; figa palera; file; grapefruit and banana, and apricot. Sense sucre (with rice syrup): Taronja; tangerine; carlotta, orange and lime; cherry; strawberry; pussy; tomato, and plowing.
☞ It makes us happy! The strong point of Biotúria is that the fruit and vegetables in their preserves are produced by themselves, in an ecological way and with which they want to offer a completely natural product. Tangerine jam without sugar (250 g) they are €3.5 and that of whole cane sugar (250 g), 3€.
☞ Practical info: Clara Campoamor street, picanya (l'Horta), phone: 633337883, web: bioturia.com (online sale), facebook: facebook.com/bioturia.
☞ Where to find them in Valencia: In the municipal markets: The Masereta (Rojas Clemente), Seed Fruit (Jesus), Infringing, with your hands in the dough (Central Market), Mars Earth (Benicalap). In the shops Biokids (Patraix), It is economized i Tasting Area (Benimaclet), Flavor point (Old City), Your garden (Russafa). Direct sales: Ecomaclet, UPV market.
Sra. Jam
In Sedaví, Ms. Jam, which began to form part of Vegadénia in February 2017. Ferran, Mònica and Carolina are the three partners of this cooperative that produces twelve types of jams, aside from eight vegetable pâtés. Carolina points out that her gourmet products are suitable for vegans and have no added preservatives or colorings. All the raw material they use is organic with a priority of KM 0.
☞ Variety of jams: sweet orange, sweet orange without added sugar, orange with chocolate, file, strawberry, cherry, prune, apple with a hint of cinnamon, apple with a hint of cinnamon without added sugar, caramelized onion, red pepper and tomato with a touch of ginger.
☞ It makes us happy! We recommend you try the sweet orange marmalade (made in the English style) and the lime one, which were better traditional artisan product 2017 by the Valencian Crafts Center. The price of the jar of 280 g costs €4.30.
☞ Practical info: telephones: 963 504 045 i 616 428 518. Web: sramermelada.com (online sale), Facebook: facebook.com/sramermelada.
☞ Where to find them in Valencia: In the municipal markets: A i The Cupboard (Central Market); Earth and Xufa (Russafa); Panolea (Monsignor Sorell); Eco Cabanyal (El Cabanyal). In the shops: Herbs, Sensible (El Cabanyal); Your ecological pantry, Custom made, Oliguer Nuts, Eco Nature (Benimaclet); Biosophia (Russafa); To Granel (Tearing); Natursami (Ways to Degree); Vegan theme (La Saïdia); Gastroteka, Original CV i The Store (Old City).
Ó del Plan
Ó del Pla is a direct sales company of oranges, grown in Pobla Llarga (Upper Ribera). Among his first creations, the orange marmalade stands out, with crispy strips of caramelized corfa that contrast with the sweetness of the jam. Besides, they have started making a bitter orange marmalade, with a counterpoint of taste. The other products they market with orange is an orange flavored oil, truffles and chocolate jewels, chocolate flavored with orange and its strips, and Maldon salt flavored with orange.
☞ Variety of jams: sweet orange with strips of caramelized corfa and bitter orange.
☞ It makes us happy! The mixed crunchy and sweet texture of the sweet orange marmalade with caramelized corfa strips is very interesting (6€, 270 g).
☞ Practical info: telephones: 685 336 098 (Miguel) i 627 323 314 (Joan) – lataronjadelpla@gmail.com – www.odelpla.com (online sale), Facebook.
☞ Where to find them in Valencia: Original CV i Nougats Ramos (Old City).
Tarongina Dolceria
Claudia i Ximo, from the obrador shop located on Piles beach (Safor), they make citrus delicacies from KM 0. The oranges come largely from the family orchards located in the Safor region. They always use fair trade oranges and some varieties come from organic orchards. Their jams are handmade and have a great variety with citrus as a base. Apart from that, Tarongina Dolceria also produces a wide range of products derived from citrus fruits, with grapefruit chutney, onion and ginger; orange dressing, mustard and honey; candied cumquats and candied orange slices, others.
☞ Variety of jams: Taronja (rustic style, extra, because, orange with raisins and cinnamon, orange and ginger), tangerine (extra), file (all alone or with honey), chocolate and orange jam, and orange, xocolate i rom.
☞ It makes us happy! If you are a citrus enthusiast, taste the orange, an orange paste similar to quince but with orange. Its bitter orange marmalade, marketed with a jar of 250 g, val 5€.
☞ Practical info: Carrer del Mondúber, 37, Piles (Safor). telephones: 962956215 – tarongina@taronginadolceria.com – Official website (online sale) – Facebook.
☞ Where to find them in Valencia: Original CV (Old City).
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Brancal is a company in the Plana de Castelló, which produces two types of jams from oranges from the region. Brancal jam is made with a variety of clementine (clemenules) organic certified by the CAECV. I counted a 60% of orange and one 40% sugar. The other, called Bondia!, comes from the company's own orchards, feta based on the clemenules i nàvel variety. The band, we find other products with a citrus base: mandarin liqueur and orange and white chocolate cookies.
☞ Variety of jams: of Bondia orange! (clemenulas and navels variety) with a price of €3 (200 g), and Brancal orange (clemenules), per 5€ (265 g).
☞ It makes us happy! Brancal allows you to adopt one of its orange trees (the mandarins) for a whole year 59 € and with the possibility of receiving around fifty kilos of citrus fruit at your home comfortably. Despite looking weird, more and more Valencian orange groves are being abandoned due to price pressures from large distributors. It seems to us an original idea to have a Valencian product of km 0 and quality directly at the table.
☞ Practical info: phone 689 38 89 80 – info@brancalmelmelada – brancalmelmelada.com (online sale) – facebook.com/brancalmelmelada.
☞ Where to find them in Valencia: Cucala, the pleasure of taste (Central Market).
Todolí Citrus Foundation
You know the puncher, the limequat or the shikuwasa? These are citrus varieties among the more 400 varieties (with an average of 5 trees of each) which the Todolí Citrus foundation has planted in the Bartolí orchard, in the Saforenc term of Palmera on a plot of land with an extension of 33.000 m².
Vicent Todolí's project connects, therefore, with the Valencian tradition of the cultivation and use of citrus and expands scientifically and gastronomically to study and make known the varieties of citrus and their uses and wants to popularize the ancient varieties of citrus, as well as other new varieties.
To publicize their interesting project, they set out to make jams with less conventional citrus fruits: it should be smoothed out (a cross between lime and cumquat), together, lipo (hybrid between lime and grapefruit), yuzu, orange and mandarin orange, poncir and shikuwasa are the citrus fruits chosen for these jams.
It should be noted that some of these varieties were common, at least in the past, for Valencians like, for example, the putting (also called poncil o ponchos) with which the citronate was made (poncir jam). This lepolia is already mentioned in Tirant lo Blanc "[…] a large gold plate, in which he had lemon and pineapple, and almonds." and it was also Papa Luna's favorite dish where the poison was injected to try to kill him.
Eugene S. Reig also explains, in the work Valencian in danger of extinction, that the poncir is common to see in the markets of Alcoi and that his family used to put small pieces of the white part of the poncir on the dried rice and, finishing, they ate it all together.
Returning to the Todolí Citrus foundation, it is planned that the 2019 it obliges the doors and can receive visits from all kinds of public, so many fans, experts, schools, et cetera. The foundation, which collaborates with the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA), has a laboratory-kitchen under construction, which is designed with the help of great connoisseurs of the gastronomic world such as Ferran Adrià. In this kitchen, all kinds of culinary projects will be developed with the own citrus fruits, in order to give people a utility to each and every variety. In fact, renowned chefs, like the Valencian Ricard Camarena, they prepare dishes with citrus fruits from the orchard of the Todolí Citrus foundation.
If you want to buy some of the citrus jams from the Todolí Citrus foundation, contact the foundation at the email address below.
☞ Variety of jams: it should be smoothed out, together, lipo, yuzu, orange and mandarin orange, poncir i shikwasa
☞ It makes us happy! That a project of this magnitude will soon be accessible to Valencians. A way to get to know our citrus tradition and expand it with the specific knowledge of each citrus fruit and its properties.
☞ PR infohasctic: Church Street, 28, 46714 Palm (Safor) – Email address: info@todolicitrus.org – Web: https://todolicitrus.org
XAVIER BENAVENT / MARTINA MONLLAU
