Best Time to Buy Ruby Red Grapefruit

Looking for juicy, sweet–tart taste? Look no further than gorgeous, succulent Hale Groves Ruby Red grapefruit! You can buy Ruby Red grapefruit from November through March, but they’re at their peak in January and February. (In fact, February is National Grapefruit Month!)

Does this surprise you? If you’ve steered clear of grapefruit due to the so-called “grapefruit diet,” take heart – it’s not how many calories in a grapefruit that makes it a popular choice for dieters (though grapefruit calories are only 52 per serving), but that’s due more to the fact that its both filling and great-tasting.

The Origin of Red Grapefruit

Ever hear of a “limb Sport?” The term is used to describe a tree branch that displays different characteristics than the rest of the tree. In 1929, A. E. Henninger of McAllen, Texas discovered a red–fruited limb sport growing on a pink grapefruit tree. Henninger was quick to see the fruit’s potential, and by 1934 he’d patented his discovery. The Ruby Red and other red varieties took off from there.

Once the Ruby Reds hit the market, they’re popularity rapidly surpassed most other grapefruit varieties. Here are just a few reasons why:

• The way they taste. The Ruby One of the sweetest grapefruit varieties available, Ruby Red grapefruit has a distinctive sweet–sour, full–bodied taste.
• The way they look. The Ruby Red has a classic yellow grapefruit peel with a lovely blush of red. Slice open the thin–skinned fruit to find beautiful, light–pink to deep-red flesh inside.
• They’re great for juicing. Ruby Reds produce lots of delicious juice with all the same grapefruit juice benefits as other varieties. And if you’ve wondered is grapefruit juice good for you, the answer is yes – grapefruit juice is full of vitamins A and C, plus it’s lower in calories than orange juice. Ruby Red grapefruit juices is great for breakfast or as a mix-in for cocktails.
• They’re seedless. Unlike other white and pink varieties, the Ruby Red is virtually seedless. (As with other seedless citrus, you may find a stray seed here and there.)

Is Grapefruit Good For You?

Here’s a fun fact – Ruby Red grapefruit is actually more nutritious than white grapefruit! Like all citrus, grapefruit benefits include plenty of vitamin C — but Ruby Reds are also high in lycopene, an antioxidant with the power to fight free radicals, which age our bodies. In fact, lycopene is what makes red grapefruit red. Ruby Reds are also much higher in vitamin A than white grapefruit. Red grapefruit has also been found to lower cholesterol levels, while white grapefruit had no such effect.

What is Grapefruit Good For

When some people here the word “grapefruit,” “weight loss” is often the first thing that comes to mind. But while grapefruit is a healthy, low-calorie food, it’s lots more than that. Halved and sectioned as a breakfast fruit is a popular way to enjoy Ruby Red grapefruit, but it’s also growing in popularity for its culinary uses. As stated above, it’s a popular mix-in for cocktails, but clever cooks are increasingly using sectioned Ruby Reds in salads, sauces and seafood dishes. Even grapefruit oil (extracted from the glands in the fruit’s peel) is growing in popularity among aroma therapists for its ability to balance the mood, suppress the appetite and lower stress!

How to Eat Grapefruit

A half of a juicy grapefruit is a great way to start the day: not only is it healthy, its delicious, puckery taste wakes you up! Can you eat a grapefruit out of hand? When it’s a Ruby Red, you might well want to…grapefruits do require a small amount of prep work, but it only takes a sharp knife to quickly free up those tender, sweet and juicy segments. If you use a serrated grapefruit spoon (also known as a “grapefruit knife”) it’s even easier!

1. Cut the grapefruit in half across its equator. Tip: if you take a small slice off of each end of the grapefruit it will sit flat and not wobble around on the cutting board.
2. Cut around the perimeter. Using your sharp serrated knife, cut the fruit at the place where the pulp and the rind meet. Instead of plunging the knife in straight, place it at a sight angle with the point toward the center to accommodate the curve of the fruit. Using a sawing motion, make your way around the fruit.
3. Free up the segments. Carefully slice on either side of each thin membranes separating the segments.

Eat and enjoy!