Stephen C. Hale, Jr. and the History of Hale Indian River Groves 1919-2005 Stephen Hale, Jr., founder of Hale Indian River Groves, passed away late last year. He was 86 years old. Few people in Indian River County can claim they were here before Hale Indian River Groves began selling fresh citrus to winter visitors. Yet, like so many other American business success stories, it had humble origins. In the fall of 1947, Steve and his wife, Polly, opened their first fruit stand. But Steve was not interested in just a fruit stand; his intention was to be in the…
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There are plenty of great areas in Florida to experience. For the night life and beaches, you can’t beat Miami. For family fun you need to head over to Orlando, the home of Disney World. Further south you can find great vacation spots in Key West. But for the best tasting Florida oranges you simply can’t beat the fruit grown in the Indian River County. The Indian River region is located on the east side of Florida between West Palm Beach and Daytona Beach. When you combine the perfect climate with rich soil you find in this region it’s no…
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Getting back to basics is often a good thing, especially when it comes to our diets. For the last two decades, the U.S. government has been imploring its citizens to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. The popular food pyramid guide that was introduced in the early 1990s prominently featured fresh fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, the guide was ultimately unsuccessful. Lowered expectations At the start, medical professionals recommended two to four servings of fruit on a daily basis. When few Americans heeded their advice, they dropped the number of servings down to just two. But fruit consumption still lagged! One…
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Oranges are one of the oldest and most diverse fruits on the planet. They originated in Southeast Asia more than five thousand years ago. Prone to mutation and easily crossed with other species (hybridization), there were more than six hundred distinct varieties of the fruit at last count. Today we will discuss Temple oranges. With so many different varieties, it is no surprise that little known about most of them. But because the Temple orange was discovered in America during the rise of the citrus industry, its story has been well-documented. It is important to note that the Temple orange…
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A great way to use citrus fruit is to make your citrus fruit preserves and marmalade. There are many different variations of a basic marmalade recipe that you can use to make sweet, delicious citrus fruit preserves that you can freeze and use throughout the year. Homemade citrus fruit preserves also make fantastic, inexpensive holiday gifts. To make citrus fruit preserves start by ordering a few boxes of fresh citrus fruit, or order a fresh citrus fruit assortment so that you can try making different kinds of fruit preserves. Then use these tips to create a delicious fruit spread by…
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Continue ReadingThe history of the tangerine is quite interesting. The tangerine is actually a variety of the Mandarin Orange, which is native to Southeastern Asia. The name “tangerine” originates from Tangier, Morocco that was the port from which the very first batches of the tangerine fruit were shipped from Tangier, Morocco or Southeast Asia to Europe. Tangerines have been cultivated for over three thousand years in counties like Japan and China. However, this amazing fruit did not arrive in the US until the mid nineteenth century. The first batch of tangerines was brought to America when the Italian consul in New…
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Continue ReadingFlorida has been the U.S. leader in citrus fruit production for over a century. Though they are the world leader in grapefruit production, the orange is easily their largest crop. At last count, there were over sixty distinct orange varieties in the Sunshine State. Since ninety-five percent of the total orange crop is sent to processing plants for juicing and most of them are Valencia Oranges, the remaining varieties are often sold as fresh fruit. However, not many varieties make their way out of Florida. If, for example, you are shopping for oranges in Princeton, New Jersey, you may have…
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Continue ReadingThe delicious taste of sweet Georgia Peaches is certainly good news, but there’s much more to consider than just taste. Sweet Georgia peaches are readily available during the summer months, provide great nutrition and are the perfect addition to many of your favorite recipes. Sweet Georgia Peaches can be enjoyed all summer long. Their harvest season is generally mid-May through mid August. With many seasonal varieties, it seems that there is always a peach available during the warm summer months. The early season peaches include clingstone varieties. Clingstone peaches can either be yellow-fleshed or white-fleshed and are so named because…
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Continue ReadingYou already know that Florida oranges are packed with nutrition and taste great, but did you know that Florida oranges are some of the best in the world because of the unique growing conditions found in Florida? Florida oranges are more than just a delicious snack. They have a long and interesting history. Here are some other facts about Florida oranges that you probably did not know: Oranges have been grown in Florida since the middle of the 16th century. Even though oranges were not grown as a cash crop until much later the first oranges were planted and grown…
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Continue ReadingFresh fruit arrangements and assorted fresh citrus fruit baskets are great gifts, but they are also great to have around the house as decorations during the holidays. If you have family and friends staying with you during the holidays having a citrus fruit arrangement centerpiece is a pretty way to let your guests help themselves to some fresh, healthy fruit in the mornings. Citrus fruit assortments are also great to have on hand for an alternative to holiday cookies and cakes for people who cannot eat a lot of sugar or are trying to watch their calorie intake over the…