All About Grapefruit

In this week’s bag, everyone will be getting grapefruit, either from Csiszar Olena Farm or Lotus Buddhist Monastery.  This fruit is high in Vitamins C and A, as well as fiber, potassium, thiamine, and folate.  The grapefruit is originally from the island of Barbados, created as a hybrid of sweet orange and Pummelo.  It prefers a subtropical climate and nutrient rich sandy soil.  The temperature in which it is grown in affects how long the fruit takes to form; from 7-8 months in warmer areas to 13 months in cooler areas.

It is called different names all around the world, including suhu/suha in Filipino, pamplemousse in French, and jarib furut in Arabic.  We know the fruit as grapefruit, but when it was introduced to American farmers for the first time they did not like that name and tried to change it to “pomelo”.  Having two different names for one fruit caused confusion for people buying it, however, so most people use “grapefruit”.  If you aren’t a fan of eating grapefruit on its own, try out the recipe below for a nice warm-weather juice!

Grapefruit mocktail:

2 oz grapefruit juice freshly squeezed.

1 oz lime juice, fresh

1-2 Tbsp maple or agave syrup

4-6 oz sparkling water, to taste

Ice cubes

In a glass, combine grapefruit juice, lime juice, and sweetener and stir well.  Fill the glass with ice, top off with sparkling water, and stir until mixed well.