Much of the literature on trifoliate oranges suggests that the raw fruits are inedible but make a delicious marmalade. It seems that not many folks bother to harvest them although I suspect that is changing, as it should. Trifoliate oranges are definitely challenging to work with but there are rewards to be had.

The fruits ripen in the fall, are very aromatic, loaded with seeds, contain little juice, and have very bitter peels. Removing the seeds and pith from fruit will remove a lot of their bitterness. The shrubs have long vicious thorns that can make harvesting the fruit potentially painful, but fallen fruit can easily be gathered from the ground. The fruits will be softer, sweeter, and yield more juice if they’re stored off the vine for a few weeks on the counter, in the fridge, or in the freezer. Working with the fruits will leave a sticky residue on your tools and hands that can be removed with hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol or oil.
Trifoliate Oranges have been planted in the region since the 19th century. There are several shrubs in Northwest Philadelphia that I know and harvest from. Ask around, there’s bound to be a shrub somewhere in your neighborhood or in the vicinity of places that you frequent that you may be able to harvest from.

The fastest, easiest, and tastiest thing I’ve made with trifoliate orange to date is a cheong syrup. Cheong is a Korean cold process preservation method for making condiments. Cheong syrups are made from roughly equal amounts of sugar and fruit. The sugar draws out the moisture from the fruit creating a flavor packed syrup that can be used to sweeten hot or cold beverages, desserts, marmalades, dressings, and marinades. The strained fruit can be used in anything that would benefit from some bittersweet, citrusy funk. This season I made trifoliate orange cheongs with and without lavender, mostly with fruit harvested a few weeks prior to use, one batch with the juice from whole frozen trifoliate oranges harvested last season. Delicious!

There are potential edible uses for the blossoms, unripe fruit, and leaves of trifoliate oranges as well. I attempted making a cheong this spring with freshly harvested trifoliate orange blossoms but the blossoms don’t have enough water in them for that method to yield a syrup. In the coming spring I’ll harvest trifoliate blossoms and make a cordial, or fermented syrup. The results should be much better. We’ll see. Mallory O’Donnel at howtocookaweed.com has a post on Salt-Cured Cherry (and other) Blossoms; I hope to try that one in the spring with trifoliate blossoms. Mallory also uses the zest of green unripe fruits as a seasoning. Another “we’ll see” edible possibility to try in early summer are cooked young leaves.
There are many potential edible and medicinal yields from trifoliate orange shrubs. Next up, mature fruit preserved in salt!
Please see disclaimer at end of article before consuming any fruit or other parts of the Trifoliate Orange plant.
Trifoliate Orange Recipes

Trifoliate Orange and Lavender Cheong
Makes 1 pint
Ingredients
5 – 7 trifoliate oranges
1 cup sugar, more to cover fruit as needed
2 teaspoons dried lavender blossoms
Method:
- Wash and dry the trifoliate oranges, slice into thin rounds, and remove the seeds.
- In a dry, sterilized pint jar add 4-5 trifoliate orange slices, followed by 1⁄2 teaspoon of lavender blossoms, followed by a few tablespoons of sugar. Repeat layering the trifoliate slices, lavender blossoms, and sugar, topping off with more sugar to cover the fruit if needed.
- Cover the jar with a tight fitting lid.
- Leave in a cool spot for three to four days, turning the jar upside down and back several times a day to mix and keep the fruit covered in syrup to prevent mold. Refrigerate and use within 3 months.
- Note: Cheong can also be mixed in a bowl and then added to your sterilized jar. This method is faster.
Recipe adapted from: https://www.beyondkimchee.com/korean-lemon-syrup/
Trifoliate Orange and Quince Marmalade
Yield: 6 half pint jars
Ingredients
10 ounces trifoliate oranges – measure sliced peel after seeds and pith are removed
10 ounces quince – measure after cores are removed and the quince are grated
3 1⁄4 cups water
3-4 cups sugar
Method Note: this is a two day process
- Wash and dry the trifoliate oranges. Cut in half along the meridian and juice, removing the seeds as you go. Strain the juice into a 32 ounce glass jar and add 2 cups + 2 tablespoons of water.
- Cut the peels into quarters, remove a good amount of the pith, then cut the peel into thin strips, add to the juice and water in the jar, and stir. Cover the jar and let sit on the counter for 24 hours.
- The next day, wash, quarter and core the quince. Grate or finely chop the quince quarters. Put the trifoliate orange peel, juice, and water into a wide saucepan. Add the grated quince and 1 cup + 2 tablespoons water.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour.
- Remove the lid, add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Keep at a low boil and cook uncovered for 45 minutes.
- Chill a small plate in the freezer. Put a spoonful of marmalade on the plate, let it cool for a minute then run your finger through it. If the marmalade runs back together, continue cooking. If not, your marmalade is ready to can. Ladle into sterilized jars, top with sterilized lids and barely tightened rings. Hot water bath for 5 minutes.
Recipe adapted from the following:
https://www.charmcityedibles.com/2020/10/12/bitter-orange-marmalade/
https://www.womensweeklyfood.com.au/recipe/quick-and-easy/quince-and-lemon-marm
alade-11171/
Trifoliate Orange + Lavender Ice Cream
Makes 1 1/2 pints
Ingredients
1 1⁄2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons dried lavender blossoms
1/2 cup trifoliate orange cheong
pinch of salt
Method:
- Combine the whole milk and heavy cream in a heavy saucepan and heat to a simmer but do not let come to a boil. Add the lavender blossoms, remove from heat, cover and let steep for 30 minutes.
- Strain out the lavender blossoms, add the trifoliate orange cheong, and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine all the ingredients and dissolve the salt crystals.
- Chill for four hours before churning in an ice cream maker.
Trifoliate Lemonade
Ingredients (can be multiplied for larger quantities)
2 cups water
2 tablespoons trifoliate juice
4 tablespoons sugar
Method:
- Freeze fruit and defrost for easier juicing
- Cut defrosted fruit in half and squeeze out juice, seeds, and pulp. Use a strainer to separate juice from the solids. Consider using disposable juicer and/or strainer since trifoliates can sometimes leave difficult to clean residues.
- Leave juice in fridge with open top overnight to let stronger, more bitter flavors subside. Do not use any resin that settles to the bottom.
- Combine sugar with cup of heated water to dissolve. Mix in remaining water and juice after it has cooled and serve over ice.
Additional Resources
Check the following links for medicinal benefits of trifoliate orange.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9821892/
http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/herbs/p/poncirus-trifoliata=bitter-orange.php
https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/bitter-orange-for-qi-stagnation-and-recipe
POP DISCLAIMER
The information presented on this website is for informational, reference, and educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as a substitute for diagnosis and treatment by a health care professional. Always consult a healthcare professional or medical doctor when suffering from any health ailment, disease, illness, or injury, or before attempting any traditional or folk remedies. Keep all plants away from children. As with any natural product, they can be toxic if misused.
The Philadelphia Orchard Project stresses that you should not consume parts of any wild edible plants, herbs, weeds, trees, or bushes until you have verified with your health professional that they are safe for you. As with any new foods that you wish to try, it is best to introduce them slowly into your diet in small amounts.
This blog post contributed by Jeannie Gerth.
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