Looking for the Perfect Gift? How About Sending Texas Grapefruit by Mail!
The grapefruit season may be over, but that doesn’t mean the team at Winter Sweetz isn’t keeping busy! This week, we wanted to share information about the history of sending grapefruit by mail— and how to do it yourself when the season new begins!
At Winter Sweetz, we pride ourselves on the juicy goodness packed into every one of our delicious Texas Rio Red Grapefruit. Read on to learn about how to send one of these tasty treats to someone you care about once the new season begins.
The History of Sending Grapefruit by Mail
Grapefruit and the mail service have been closely connected from the time when grapefruits were first grown in the United States. This is largely due to the refrigeration available on railways and steamships which allowed farmers to ensure their fruit stayed fresh while in transit. Refrigeration allows Rio Reds to be shipped all across the nation despite only being grown in the Lone Star State.
How to Send Grapefruit by Mail
Nowadays, Texas Rio Red grapefruit can be sent by mail far and wide in a fraction of the time. To keep your Rio Reds fresh and juicy while in transit, there are a few steps you will need to take:
- Place the fruit in a sturdy cardboard, polystyrene, or wood box.
- Add a gel pad or dry ice pack, as it is always important to keep grapefruit you plan to mail refrigerated (you never really know what kind of environment it will be in while in transit).
- Wrap your fruit in bubble wrap or foam padding.
- Wrap the sealed box in two layers of paper to prevent leaks.
- Properly label your box with things like “perishable,” “fragile,” “refrigerated,” or “dry ice”.
- Mail the package from a post office so the postal workers can check the packaging.
- Let the person you are sending them know their grapefruit are in the mail!
Before you decide to send grapefruit by mail, you may want to contact your local postal service to check that citrus fruit can be shipped by mail in your state. You may also wish to call the local office wherever you are planning to send the fruit. If your local office doesn’t have this information, it can usually be found on the website of your state’s Department of Agriculture.
If you look into whether or not you can send Texas Rio Red Grapefruit by mail in your state and still aren’t sure, you may be better off ordering grapefruit directly from us and shipping them to your friend or loved one through our “Order” tab. Of course, this option is only available when our grapefruit is in season–usually from October on through April of the next year, with peak sweetness happening around November through March.
Winter Sweetz: Your Source for Yummy Rio Red Grapefruit!
The Texas grapefruit season may be over, but it will be back before you know it! For fans of our fruit, you can talk to your local grocer about ordering our Texas Rio Reds for their store, or you can order some for yourself directly once the new season begins!
In the meantime, you can also follow Winter Sweetz on social media to keep up with all the ways we’re staying busy this summer.