For those who are very dirty martini with three olives kind of people, after a long week of work, it is one of the small pleasures in life on a Friday evening. But then again there are Fridays that you would like to have something with a little bit more flavor and an exotic flare. The ruby red grapefruit martini is a divine alternative that packs more calories, but an alternative flavor and the very necessary antioxidants, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, potassium, folates and Vitamin B5 your body craves to relieve stress. If you want a small change to your…
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Continue ReadingThe state of Georgia is known for its sweet peaches. Did you know it’s known for sweet onions as well? One of the newest additions to the genus Allium, the Vidalia Onion was discovered in Georgia in 1931. Named for its hometown, sweet Vidalia Onions are one of the most successful agricultural products in the history of the Peach State. A highly versatile vegetable, the Vidalia is an unusually sweet, mild onion that can be enjoyed cooked or raw. It is for this reason that it is a common ingredient in numerous world cuisines. The Vidalia is large, with a…
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Continue ReadingEating grapefruit throughout the winter will help you stay healthy throughout the year. During the winter it's easy for people to pick up viruses, colds, and other illnesses that can continue to impair the immune system throughout the year. But eating a grapefruit everyday will give your body the Vitamin C and other vitamins it needs to fight off colds and illnesses during the winter so that you don't end up with a compromised immune system later in the year. Like oranges, grapefruits are full of vital nutrients that your whole body needs in order to work as efficiently as…
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Continue ReadingOnce the holidays are over the hardest part of the New Year starts – getting back in shape. After tossing your healthy diet to the wind for six to eight weeks during the winter holidays it can be a real struggle to get back on track. A great way to kickstart your new, healthy diet and exercise routine is to add Ruby Red grapefruit to your daily diet. Grapefruit contains a lot of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs to stay healthy, and it's an easy to transport snack that you can take anywhere with you. Ruby Red…
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Continue ReadingImage via Wikipedia How did a subtropical fruit from the West Indies become the first fruit to receive a U.S. patent? How did it change colors? And why does it call Texas home? In this article we are going to answer all of those questions as we review the interesting history of the Texas grapefruit. Though the grapefruit was first documented by a Welsh explorer on the Island of Barbados in 1750, the first crop was most likely cultivated in Jamaica sometime during the 17th century. Since the grapefruit is a hybrid fruit, a cross between the Jamaican sweet orange…
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Continue ReadingAll grocery stores and supermarkets stock fresh fruit, which means that most Americans have easy access to popular citrus varieties. Why then are online fruits sellers popping up all over the place? Located mostly in the citrus-producing states–Florida, California, Texas, and Arizona–online sellers are filling a gap in the fruit market. What is this gap? As any fruit lover or foodie will tell you, the selection of fresh anything at the average supermarket leaves something to be desired. But the issue is arguably the most egregious in the fruit section, where only the most popular fruits and fruit varieties make…
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Continue ReadingImage via Wikipedia A flavonoid is an organic compound found in citrus fruits, like oranges and grapefruits, and vegetables. There are particularly high concentrations of a flavonoid called Naringenin in Texas grapefruit. Why is this important? Well, studies have shown that this particular flavonoid works as an antioxidant and helps repair the damaged DNA of prostate cancer cells. According to recent numbers, prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer for American men. It is also the second deadliest after lung cancer. The statistics are quite sobering. One out of every six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer…
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Continue ReadingImage by ladybugbkt via Flickr The first grapefruit crop in Texas was planted in 1893. The state had joined the union only a few decades earlier in 1845 and farmers were desperate for reliable agricultural products. Though cotton and cattle had been sold for years, there was a definite dearth of fruits and vegetables. With the highest acreage of arable land in the nation, farmers were free to experiment a bit with exotic crops. The grapefruit was one of them. The new fruit had come from Florida, which cultivated its first grapefruit crops in 1823. But few Floridians actually enjoyed…
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Continue ReadingAnthropologists inform us that the human species has been about four million years. Scientists have identified more than a dozen distinct species that belonged to the hominoid family. Of course, they all had one thing in common. Give up? They all had to eat to survive. Why did they eat certain foods? As a general rule, hominids were omnivores, meaning that they ate both plants and meats. But long before we had scientists to analyze foods and create those nutritional labels for everything, most species knew what to eat based on appearance, smell, and taste. In fact, the olfactory sense…
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Continue ReadingIf you want to really impress your guests at your holiday parties this year make sure that your bar is stocked with plenty of grapefruits, oranges, lemons and other citrus fruit. Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice is the perfect addition to cocktails because the slightly tart taste of the grapefruit balances out the super sweetness of some types of liquor and gives other alcohol a light, tasty flavor. Always use fresh squeezed orange and grapefruit juice in your cocktails. Frozen or store bought juice rarely has the same delicious taste as fresh squeezed. Grapefruit segments, orange peel, and candied tangerine peel…