The Washington heirloom navel orange can be thought of as the original navel. Brazilian orange trees first reached Washington, D.C., in the 1870s, and the Department of Agriculture sent them to a horticulturist in California, who began to grow them with great success. Although the orange went on to change the face of the state of California, it became known as the Washington navel. Today's heirloom navel growers pay special attention to the soil and work to preserve the quality of this extraordinary fruit. Sweet and juicy, yet nuanced and balanced, Washington heirloom navels have the pitch-perfect, old-time flavor you imagine when you think of the ideal orange.