a big glowing

George Hamilton, friend of Nigel Dempster and Burt Reynolds' drinking partner, goes skiing in Klosters every year. And he always comes back looking like a big glowing orange. He puts this down to the strong sunlight bouncing off the snow. But George is only trying to conceal his addiction to the Valencia variety of orange. The Valencia is extremely sweet and excellent for squeezing, something that juicy George knows all about.

George shares his addiction with ladies who work behind the make up counters at posh department stores. Also affected were Blake and Krystle from Dynasty, but they recovered during the third series of the popular Denver-based soap. They were hooked on easy-to-peel Navel oranges, but Fallon's UFO kidnapping made them re-evaluate their lives.

Oranges from Florida

Florida oranges are heavier than others. Their rinds are thin and as a result of plenty of Florida sunshine and rainfall, they are juicier on the inside than non-Florida oranges. But that extra weight value can be countered by the superficial appearance - the dreaded "wind-scarring".

Oranges from Florida may sometimes have a slightly marked exterior, a bit like Castillo's face from Miami Vice. It results from gentle breezes blowing the fruit against the tree's branches.

No doubt Castillo had a tree-house in an orange grove as a young boy.

the citrus king

Oranges are not native to Florida, the state of America traditionally associated with the citrus king. The fantastically named Ponce de Leon planted the first orange trees around St. Augustine, Florida, sometime between 1513 and 1565. And from such acorns grow.....lots of oranges. Florida grew 254 million boxes in 1998, second only to Brazil in the world production stakes. And 90% of those are turned into juice. Well I never.

If you have any fruit facts, please email fruitcorner@innocentdrinks.co.uk and we'll squeeze your orange-thoughts onto our page.