National Grapefruit Month
February is here and you know what that means! It’s time to stock up on your favorite Texas Rio Red grapefruit in honor of National Grapefruit Month!
It’s the season of citrus and the best part is, in a time where health is so important, grapefruits are a great way to boost your immune system! Not only are they rich in vitamins A and C, but grapefruits also have plenty of potassium.
For those with underlying health conditions or trying to be more health-conscious in 2021, grapefruits are also fantastic for the fact that they don’t have any cholesterol or sodium and only have 52 calories per serving. Celebrate this February by indulging in this wonderful juicy fruit for its sweetness free of any guilt!
Ways to Observe This Month
Now’s the ideal time of year to bring more color and sweetness into your diet with some grapefruit. Here are some fun facts about this delightful fruit:
- One grapefruit tree alone can grow more than 1,500 pounds of fruit.
- In 1993, Texas declared the red grapefruit its official fruit.
- The grapefruit is referred to as one of the Seven Wonders of Barbados!
- Grapefruit trees can grow up to 30 feet and have a lifespan of 50 years!
- One single grapefruit contains 75% juice!
- Historians cannot come to an agreement regarding whether grapefruit got their name due to their pattern of growth being in clusters similar to grapes or due to their taste being close to grapes.
HISTORY
Let’s take a look into the history of this yummy treat.
When it comes to their origin, their ancestry is a bit mixed. One of the grapefruit’s suspected ancestors is the Jamaican sweet orange, which is a hybrid originally from Asia. Another fruit believed to be a derivative of the red grapefruit is the Indonesian pomelo. Historians say that the grapefruit has been given the nickname of “forbidden fruit” by naturalists since its initial identification in 1750.
Back when the grapefruit tree first started showing up in Florida, its purpose was mostly decorative. In fact, grapefruit trees would usually get chopped down to make room for more well-known citrus such as lemon. Then, in 1870, things started to shift once the first grapefruit greenhouse was set in California. By 1881, early settlers started to plant their own grapefruit trees to begin growing their own tasty fruit. By 1940, the U.S. had stocked roughly 11,000 grapefruit juice cases and half-a-million cases of sectioned grapefruit.
The Texas red grapefruit specifically came to be known in the 1920s. A farmer came across a bright red grapefruit thriving on a pink grapefruit tree. Eventually, more farmers from other groves discovered redder, sweeter grapefruit not too long after. And ever since, the ruby red fruit has brought something for us Texans to enjoy!
The Grapefruit & Its Structure
Citrus paradisi, more commonly referred to as grapefruit, is structured very closely to their citrus relatives. The fruit has a thick outer layer called the flavedo that has tiny glands all over that make essential oils. These oils are what give grapefruit its enticing smell!
Underneath the flavedo, you will see the pith or albedo. The albedo is the bitter tissue attached to the peel and central spots of fiber with the name of columella. These columellae comprise the strong walls of the fruit’s membrane. This membrane gives fruit what it needs to hydrate water into its cells.
What’s even more of a phenomenon is that every grapefruit includes about 30 segments, and with those segments are a bunch of tiny sacs known as vesicles. Vesicles are filled with juice and a refreshing citrusy flavor we know and love.
Celebrate National Grapefruit Month with our lovely local Texas Red Grapefruit.
Winter Sweetz will be here to supply all the juicy Texas red grapefruit you desire! Take a look at our social media to learn more about our scrumptious grapefruit, its benefits, and the best times to buy!