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Satsuma is a mandarin orange with loose skin that peels easily.

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Detroit Free Press PHOTOS

Citrus fruits to shop for include Cara Cara, from bottom clockwise, minneola, blood orange and white grapefruit.

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Detroit Free Press

Citrus fruits bring some juicy health benefits to recipes including these Pork Chops With Oranges and parsley dish.

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Now is peak time for oranges, and most stores are loaded with them, including blood oranges.

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Citrus fruits bring some juicy health benefits to recipes including this Cara Cara Orange, Beet and Fennel Salad.

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Detroit Free Press

Use 8 to 10 clementines or mandarins, honey tangerines or oranges work well, too, for this Clementine and Five-Spice Chicken recipe.

By SUSAN M. SELASKY Detroit Free Press

Orange you glad it's January?

If you eat and shop for food in season, check out the citrus aisle. Now is peak time for oranges, and most stores are loaded with them.

Not only is the fruit a bright spot in winter, it brings some juicy health benefits. But the selection of neatly stacked orange orbs can be confusing.

Look closely at their sizes, shapes and textures. There are thick- and thin-skinned varieties. Some can be peeled in seconds. Many are seedless.

You may find sweet Satsumas. And that darling clementine, also called a Christmas orange, may be available.

But there are others - like the Cara Cara, Honeybell (not actually an orange but a tangerine-grapefruit hybrid) and blood oranges.

Their flesh varies from brilliant red or orange to salmon pink to orange streaked with crimson. Their flavor profiles are just as different, from sweet to super sweet to sweet-tart. And some are more chin-drippingly juicy than others.

Jim Moran, produce manager for Westborn (a Midwest grocery store chain), says customers often ask him when certain varieties will be available.

"Now there's more supply, and more growers venturing off into exotic fruit-growing, so there is more availability to the buyer," Moran said.

What's particularly popular now, albeit for a very short time, are Honeybells, Moran said. Their season begins and pretty much ends in January or early February.

"They are very sweet with great flavor and tons of juice," Moran said.

So let's compare. Follow the guide to five varieties in stores now.

Know your oranges

Buy fruit that is heavy for its size and without blemishes or soft spots. Most will keep at room temperature for about a week and in the refrigerator for 3 weeks. One orange can provide 100 percent of the recommended daily vitamin C intake. They're also a good source of vitamin A, fiber and potassium.

# Blood: The moro variety is the most common in stores. They are about the size of a tennis ball. The flesh is dark crimson and sweet-tart with berry notes with few to no seeds. The skin may have maroon patches. Use it for making juice, sauces and drinks or put segments in salads.

# Cara Cara: A navel orange with low acidity that is seedless and has a sweet and tangy flavor. The flesh is dark pink or reddish. They can be tough to peel. Add segments to salads and juice or sauces.

# Clementine: An easy-to-peel mandarin orange, often called a Christmas orange because it's available December through January. Clementines are sweet and usually seedless. They are a great snacking orange and are often sold in 5-pound boxes or 3 pound bags. Clementine juice is great in vinaigrettes.

# Honeybell: A bell-shaped tangelo from Florida, Honeybells are a cross between a tangerine and a grapefruit. They are easy to peel and super sweet and juicy. Honeybells are best eaten out of your hand. Get them now; their season ends this month or early February.

# Satsuma: A mandarin orange with loose skin that peels easily. Seedless, sweet and juicy, Satsumas are terrific snacking oranges. They are often sold with leaves attached, so it has a decorative use as well. Most canned mandarins are Satsumas.