The Chime Is Right For This Belle

When Peter Chaires of the New Varieties Management & Development Corp. stopped by the office the other day with a bag of oranges, we knew we were in for a treat. You see, what he was dropping off was the first University of Florida-created citrus variety meant for commercial production --- aka the Sugar Belle. The news about this cultivar broke a couple months back. Now, we were about to get our sneak preview. One of the perks of being an ag editor.

The Sugar Belle is a Mandarin orange hybrid that is made up of a cross between a sweet clementine and the Minneola. The bell-shaped beauty was bred to be high in flavor and low in seeds. An early maturing fruit, this orange also is suited for winter-holiday marketing purposes.

OK, enough background info, let the peeling begin --- which I must say, was easy. As the skin was peeled back, a very strong aroma of the fruit's citrus oil began to permeate. My colleague commented how he could smell the orange half-way across the office. It was pretty potent. So was the taste going to match the Sugar Belle's aromatic prowess?

I would describe my culinary experience as quite juicy and flavorful. The sweetness was a high note for me. I wouldn't call it "sugary sweet," but it was definitely satisfying. The stringiness was minimal on the flesh and I only found one small seed in the fruit.

Overall, I can honestly say Sugar Belle met my expectations as well as the ones built up by my co-workers since learning about it. We'll have to see if the Sugar Belle rings true when it hits the stands. I know I'll be looking for it when it does.

Out Of Gift Ideas? Try A Plant

Year after year, the holiday season turns up the pressure cooker on those trying to find the right gift to give -- especially in the cases when it is for a distant relative you see maybe once a year or the office worker you were stuck with in the holiday gift exchange. Either way, gift giving certainly can be a challenge.

While the buzz of high-tech toys and gadgets are a cool gift choice, they can be a bit pricey. Gift cards, while practical, are kinda boring. And hey, nothing says "re-gift" like a slightly disheveled box that contains a Snuggie.

OK, let's explore some other options. Clothing: Attempting to shop for someone in this department is a sure-fire way to find yourself in the dog house. Taste is a hard thing to account for --- especially in clothes. Taking this route normally leads to a number of equally tragic scenarios following the receiver's frantic search for a gift receipt: a one-time wearing of said garment and never to be seen again; the garment doesn't make it out from an unfortunate dryer incident; or perhaps it finds itself on a one-way trip to the Goodwill pile. Either way, the chances of the oversized sweater, shirt, or ugly tie you gave showing up on the catwalk is not very likely. Let's pass on this, shall we?

Jewelry: Don't even go there.

Come on, time is running out before the onslaught of the company holiday parties and family get-togethers begin. This year, instead of falling back on the old reliables (or unreliables), consider giving the gift of a plant or plants. Though hard to wrap, there is no shortage of variety, size, shape, and color to choose from --- all at relatively reasonable prices. In short, your much sought after gift idea might be as close as your local garden center or even in your own nursery.

Poinsettias are popular during the winter holidays. Although they tend to get lost in the shuffle and discarded once the confetti has settled from the New Year's bash, these colorful foliage plants can really be a solid gift choice any time of the year.

Stepping off the beaten holiday path a bit, orchids are a nice desktop and/or counter-top adornment. They also now are being marketed for ease of care and convenience. Case in point, Just Add Ice Orchids launched earlier this year by packaging attractive orchids with easy maintenance instructions. As the name suggests, the watering secret is to add 3 ice cubes once a week (according to the directions) and that's it. People like things that are pretty simple. Pretty and simple is even better. An orchid on the rocks, please. I like the sound of that.

Mini container gardens of succulents or bromeliads also are attractive, cool-looking low-maintenance gift-giving options. You could go with bigger specimens (depending how much you like the person you are getting the gift for) like a ficus and/or a potted palm. The spectrum of height, width, color, and texture is extremely broad. That ensures the gift's originality. All plants, even if they are the same species, are unique.

While you still might get that less-than-enthused reaction when you give a plant as a gift, tell them you got it for their health. There are several studies showing the benefits of having indoor plants around. For example, "Project Carbon," an ongoing three-pronged study is seeking to provide the additional science that would support an expansion of the certification to indoor plants. Preliminary results released a couple of months ago (more to be revealed during the Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition next month in Ft. Lauderdale) show that a total of 216 4-inch plants of Ficus benjamina, pothos, philodendron, sansevieria, aglaonema, and spathiphyllum, clearly fix carbon. Research like this not only bodes well for the foliage industry, but also for us who enjoy breathing. It's good information to have when giving a plant as a gift, too. You can call it a gift that keeps on giving.

Now, if the aforementioned suggestions and all else fails, perhaps it's time to go with Plan B: Can you say Chia Pet? Like I said earlier, there is no accounting for taste.

Happy holidays to all, and here's to getting as good as we give!