HoneyBell oranges really are that juicy

I didn't have a chance to think it was a joke when I opened my box of twelve HoneyBell oranges and found two plastic bibs inside. I'd been warned right on the packaging that the bibs were no laughing matter. And cutting into an orange right then and there (I'd barely removed my coat after a long day at work), I found it to be cold, and sweet, and positively exploding with juice. So the bibs came in handy. I'll admit to being thrilled by the two orange-shaped temporary tattoos that came in the box too. But I didn't really need to be reminded to "Share with Favorite People Only!" as the box instructs.* 

In the long stretch between Christmas and Memorial Day, it can feel like there aren't too many things to look forward to. But for me HoneyBells have become something to anticipate--they're available just a few weeks a year in the month of January. A hybrid of tangerine and grapefruit, these oranges are shaped like bells and colored a deep orange. They're the perfect thing to eat with breakfast, or after dinner, or before your hot yoga class, or after a night of heavy drinking.

And the story behind Cushman's Honeybells is a cute one too--in 1945 in West Palm Beach, Florida, Ed Cushman and his family were running a citrus stand. One day they received, in a shipment of grapefruits, some strange-looking oranges that immediately distinguished themselves for their "honey-sweet" taste. And thus, the Honeybells came to be. Cushman's is owned by Harry & David now, but the oranges are just as sweet and juicy as ever.

*Full disclosure: I shared with no one.