FoodFood InformationFruit
Citrus fruits are produced on evergreen trees and are native to Ancient
China and India. They thrive in subtropical climates, but don't do as well
in the very warm tropics and are badly hurt in areas with even moderate
frost. Citrus fruits are grown commercially in all the subtropical areas
of the world. In the United States they are grown on a very large scale
in Florida and California. Texas and Arizona also have substantial crops.
Louisiana and parts of Georgia grow citrus on a very small scale. Although
only six states out of our fifty grow citrus commercially, the total combined
citrus fruits are our nation's number one fruit in tonnage and dollars and
our number one export fruit crop. The five basic citrus fruits are: oranges,
lemons, grapefruit, limes, and Mandarin oranges. Mandarins are hybrids created
by agricultural husbandry. A few citrus varieties that don't quite fit into
the basic five are: kumquats, ugli fruit, and bitter oranges.
Citrus fruits have a wide range in size, from the tiny kumquat to the huge
three-to-four-pound pomelo. The pomelo is an ancestor of the modern grapefruit,
but is not grown commercially. All citrus fruits are green in skin color
prior to maturity and color up as they ripen. As a rule, ripe citrus fruits
have either golden-yellow skins or orange-colored skins that are often mottled
or russeted. By some quirk of nature, most ripe citrus fruits, if not harvested
when they reach full color, revert back to green. An orange or grapefruit
that is green because it has yet to reach full maturity and high color will
be tart rather than sweet. But oranges or grapefruit that have begun to
regreen late in the season will have a high sugar content. Citrus fruits
do not ripen after harvest. When they age off the tree, they get softer
but not sweeter.
Tangerines
Murcotts (Honey Tangerine)
Temple Oranges
Tangelos
California Mandarins
Clementines