In an episode of the award-winning sitcom Seinfeld, the character Kramer, played by Michael Richards, becomes obsessed with a rare piece of fruit from Oregon called the Mackinaw peach. These juicy peaches are only ripe for two weeks each year. Like many of the products and MacGuffins in the history of the show, the Mackinaw peach is entirely fictional. However, it was inspired by a real piece of produce. Much like the Mackinaw peach, the Honeybell Orange is only ripe for a few weeks each year. As a result, fruit lovers order it weeks, even months in advance. Also known…
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Those who are thinking of growing citrus crops have to become informed about some of the pests and diseases that may create havoc with their crops. While these will vary depending where a person lives, it is important to know where these problems exist. While many of these problems exist on the west coast that does not eliminate the possibility they may cause problems with citrus growers in Florida as well. It’s important before you think of growing any citrus crops to become informed about any problems that may create an unhealthy citrus fruit tree. Citrus plants are high susceptible…
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Nature saves the Best for Last How did the Valencia orange get its name? It’s a story worth telling. In the 1870’s, a shipment of young citrus trees arrived at a grove owner’s orchard from a nursery in England- but the name of the trees wasn’t included in the shipment. The orange variety went nameless for years, until a visiting citrus grower from Spain ended the mystery when he saw them and remarked, “Aha! The late orange of Valencia.” The “late” orange of Valencia, though it matures later than other oranges, remains in season for 3 months or longer, allowing…
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What New Year’s resolutions have you set for yourself? Have you made the decision to get back in shape, to lose the weight you’ve carried for too long and to get back to feeling the youth and vigor you used to feel? Honeybells are the perfect way to make your New Year’s resolutions come true. There is a saying that “health and wellness are the efforts of a lifetime,” because no matter how long you live there is always a need to safeguard your precious health and vitality. When you actively work on maintaining and improving the quality of your…
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There you are standing in the fruit aisle of the grocery store once again debating what fruit you are more in the mood for this week. After all, with so many delicious options, it is often hard to limit yourself to one citrus fruit craving for the day or the week. So the next time you start feeling torn between the decision to choose one or the other, why not try a Florida tangelo as your citrus choice? What in the world is a tangelo you ask? A tangelo, commonly referred to as a honeybell, is a combination citrus fruits…
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If you already eat pink grapefruit everyday because you know how healthy it is for you but you are getting a little tired of eating pink grapefruit the same way everyday don’t worry. There are dozens of ways to eat pink grapefruit and other grapefruit and citrus fruits too. You can eat delicious pink grapefruit everyday and get all the benefits that come from eating pink grapefruit like vitamins and minerals as well as Lycopene without getting bored. All it takes is a little creativity and a little inspiration and you can make pink grapefruit a different way everyday of…
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Welcome to the new Grove Update, a weekly blog and monthly e-newsletter to keep you connected with the finest Indian River oranges and grapefruit in the country. We’re here to keep you up-to-date on the health, status and deliciousness of Hale’s premium citrus products all year long. Our first issue recounts the experience of a first-time visit to one of Hale’s citrus groves. Like many of us in North America, I grew up drinking orange juice and consuming oranges as part of my daily morning experience. The health benefits were always emphasized as a child, but I never gave thought…
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You probably already know this but orange drinks are not necessarily orange juice. In fact in the vast majority of orange drinks there isn’t any orange juice. Orange drinks are just,,,well they’re just orange. Of course the Feds couldn’t let something this obvious go by without creating a regulation to protect those of us who mistake Tang for real orange juice. That’s right, if you thought that orange Nehi soda was made from some magical orange that had mega doses of sugar and carbonated juice, then you are exactly the consumer that the FDA wants to protect by requiring the…
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With over 74 million citrus trees on 550 thousand acres, the Florida citrus industry is enormous. The most popular fruit is the orange, which grows on about eighty percent of the trees. Not surprisingly, Florida is the nation’s number one orange producer with around seventy percent of the market. In this article we will discuss some of the most popular orange varieties in the Sunshine State. Dream Navel A sweet, juicy, less acidic orange variety, the Dream Navel was discovered in Orlando Florida in 1944. It is of medium size with a loose skin, which makes peeling a cinch. The…
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Sweet mountain Bing cherries are for many fruit lovers, the epitome of summer fruit. However, prior to the late 1800s, Bing cherries did not exist. Were it not for a very treacherous trip from Iowa to Oregon over a hundred years ago, we would not be able to enjoy the delicious taste of sweet mountain Bing cherries today While the origins of today’s sweet mountain Bing cherries are not fully known, the legend as to how they got their name goes something like this: Back in 1847 a Quaker nurseryman, named Henderson Lewelling decided to head west from his home…