The cultivation of the ruby red grapefruit, also known as the Redblush, the ruby, Shary Red, Curry Red, Fowcett Red, Red Radiance and the Webb Grapefruit, has become a large citrus business in the United States .
By 1950, more than 75% of Florida’s production of grapefruit was of ruby red grapefruit of the pink or red seedless type as the demand for this fruit grew increasingly popular in the first 50 years of the 1900s and continues to grow to this day. The seedless variation of the ruby red grapefruit broadly speaking totes a deeper red color than though with seeds.
Florida is the ideal location to grow the ruby red grapefruit as the fruit prospers in warm subtropical weather . Also, the ruby red grapefruit that is cultivated in Florida is lower in acidity than that of its rival cultivators due to the duration of time from flowering to fruit maturity. The high humidity of Florida also contributes to a thinner exterior fruit wall, or peel, and also contributes to a much juicier fruit.
The Florida ruby red grapefruit crops mainly group in mildly acidic sand with lime additives. They are usually produced in September or October although they can be ‘stored’ on the tree for months and can be harvested as late as May. This makes for a nearly yearly supply of the fruit with a peak season of wintertime into early spring. The lower hanging ruby red grapefruit are still typically harvested by hand while the upper branches are no longer done with hooks to avoid ruining the fruit . Now, these higher growing red grapefruit are harvested via mechanical harvesting with a team of 3 employees . Ruby red grapefruit trees suffer from the same pests and diseases as orange, lemon and lime trees which include the Caribbean and Mediterranean fruit fly. It is also highly susceptible to several viruses and citrus cankers and has a long account of voluntary removal of contaminated trees over the past century.
For the best quality, the ruby red grapefruit are kept at nearly 65 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 to 3 weeks. Once purchased it is best to keep them in your refrigerator in the fruit and vegetable compartment . Customarily this has been a breakfast fruit but in the 1970s during the rise of ‘the ruby red grapefruit diet’ they fruit became more widely used across all meals by adding sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves or somewhat broiling it to make it softer for a dessert.
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Article contributed by Hale Groves, providing fresh fruit baskets, gift baskets and Florida oranges and citrus, including delicious navel oranges, honeybells, ruby red grapefruit, valencia oranges, tangerines and more! Visit HaleGroves.com for more information.
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