Extracted from the rinds or peels of fresh fruit, essential oils are widely used in aromatherapy. According to many users and some medical professionals they may have numerous health benefits. Although not as popular as oils that are extracted from oranges, grapefruit essential oils are a profitable niche industry in the United States? Why here? It may have originated in the Caribbean (most likely in Jamaica), but when the grapefruit came to America it found its true home. Nearly two hundred years later, the U.S. is easily the global leader in grapefruit production, with around one-third of the annual supply.…

Image via Wikipedia Farmers have been growing oranges in Texas for more than a century now. The famous fruit arrived in the Lone Star State at the end of the nineteenth century. And although they are not a top orange producer, Texas oranges are some of the most sought after on the market today. Let us take a brief look back at the origins of Texas oranges. The orange is one of the oldest fruits on earth. Most historians believe that it was first grown in ancient China four thousand years ago. Then, during the age of exploration, the orange…

It is certainly something everyone wants to do: maintain healthy skin. Sometimes finding the right product can be the biggest challenge of all. With so many different products on the market, how does a person decide which products are best for their particular skin type? Indeed, how do you decide which ingredients in those products will achieve the best results? What this really involves is research: before you choose a new skin care product, you need to conduct some research and talk to people who have used particular products to develop some kind of consensus about the reliability of different…

Image via Wikipedia When you go to a party or wedding reception you will usually find various types of appetizers that precede the meal. At many formal and informal gatherings you will find some type of fruit cup on the table. When you are preparing the fruit cups for your function, you can add red grapefruit to anything else you may be including. It makes it much easier to add fruit cups to the table than to attempt to place a bowl of fruit on every table–this is especially true if you are hosting an affair with a large number…

It is commonly known that the citrus family is a fantastic supplier of Vitamin C to the body. It is also common knowledge that you can get this vitamin C from eating the fruit whole or even by taking a sip of your daily orange juice to your favorite grapefruit drink. But what many people do not know is that the citrus family offers more then just Vitamin C to your diet! If you want to know how these delicious fruits can help you, keep reading to find out exactly how much you are helping your body. Each fruit is…

The grapefruit almost didn't make it in America. What is now one of our largest citrus crops was a bona fide flop when it arrived in Florida in 1823. The exotic island fruit is a hybrid fruit, a cross between an Indonesia pomelo and a Jamaican orange. Unfortunately it didn't taste like an orange, and that was the problem. Floridians had been eating sweet oranges for centuries by the time the grapefruit arrived on their shores and they simply did not enjoy its sour taste. As the Florida orange industry continued to grow, the grapefruit became little more than a…

Image by little blue hen via Flickr If you're thinking about buying a lot of tangerines, you need to know how to store them properly. Whether you want to eat them over the course of the next few days or put them up for later consumption, it's necessary to store each tangerine in a way that keeps it as fresh-tasting as possible. By keeping just a few things in mind, you can store your tangerines so that they maintain their greatest appearance and flavor well after the date of purchase. For starters, you'll need to buy good fruit. When shopping…

If you've never tried a Texas navel orange, you have not tried the best of Texas produce. Of course, you may live in another state and still have the good fortune to buy a navel orange from the western part of the United States–not all navel oranges are native to Florida by any means. You need to take the time to engage in some enjoyment of the Texas navel orange whether it is from a produce stand or just enjoying the flavor along with your wonderfully prepared dinner at any of the many excellent restaurants. Why should you take the…