Red Grapefruit

The red grapefruit is a large fruit that is part of the citrus fruit family. Other citrus fruits in that category include orange, lemons and pomelo. Grapefruits are white, pink or red. This is the color of the inside of the grapefruit whereas the outside skin is either yellow or pinkish-yellow. Grapefruits are generally 4-6 inches in diameter so they are larger than others in their category. The red grapefruit is pretty much seedless. The grapefruit comes from the Latin name Citrus Paradidi Connotes.

Red grapefruits were discovered in the Barbados during the 18th century. It was once thought that the grapefruit was actually a crossbreed between and orange and a pomelo. Pomelo is a citrus that was brought to Barbados in the 17th century from Indonesia. In 1814, the name grapefruit was given to the citrus fruit in Jamaica because it looks like clusters of grapes when they grow on trees. In the 19th century, grapefruit trees were first planted in Florida. But early in the century, the grapefruit trees did not make much of an impact on the commercial industry until later in the century.

When choosing a grapefruit, one thing to note is that is doesn't have to be perfect in color. There are times when the grapefruit skin may be discolored, there may be scratches on the skin or scales on the grapefruit all affect the outward appearance of the grapefruit but they do not interfere at all with the taste and quality of the inside of the skin. It a grapefruit is going bad includes a black spot at the stem of the fruit and some areas of the grapefruit skin make appear water soaked. If the grapefruit has these qualities, it will result in poor flavor of the red grapefruit. When picking up a grapefruit, you want it to be heavy. The heavier the fruit, the thinner the skin and the juicer the inside flesh. If the red grapefruit has a rough or wrinkled outside, this mean the skin is thicker and needs to be avoided.

Grapefruits should be firm when touching it but should also be springy as well. A fully ripened will have more antioxidants. If the grapefruit is refrigerated it will not have any aroma at all but if the grapefruit is kept out a room temperature it will have a sweet aroma. Grapefruits can be purchased any time of the year but are in season from winter to spring.

Grapefruits are much juicier when they are warm instead of cold, it is better to store them at room temperature. They will stay good for up to a week at room temperature. If you are not going to use them within a week, store them in the refrigerator where they will stay fresh for up to a month.

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