General Produce LP : Bright & Tangy

Tart and tangy, with an under­ly­ing sweet­ness, win­ter grape­fruit offer bright­ness to the cold days of Jan­u­ary.

This juicy piece of cit­rus shines by pro­mot­ing good nutri­tion while deliv­er­ing a zippy taste.

Orig­i­nally known as 'the for­bid­den fruit', grape­fruit made its way to the United States in the early 1800's via the Span­ish and French set­tlers who brought seeds to Florida.

From there, Span­ish mis­sion­ar­ies are cred­ited for bring­ing grape­fruit west to Texas, Ari­zona and Cal­i­for­nia.

Although avail­able year-​round, they are in sea­son and at their best from win­ter through early spring.

Grape­fruits usu­ally range in diam­e­ter from four to six inches and include both seeded and seed­less and pink, white and ruby red vari­eties. The won­der­ful fla­vor of a grape­fruit is like par­adise as is expressed by its Latin name, Cit­rus par­a­disi.

A really good grape­fruit doesn't have to be per­fect in color. Skin dis­col­oration, scratches or scales are nat­ural and may affect the appear­ance of a grape­fruit, but will not impact the taste or tex­ture qual­ity.

The fruits should be heavy for their size as this usu­ally indi­cates that they have a higher con­cen­tra­tion of juicy flesh. Grape­fruits should be firm, yet slightly springy once gen­tle pres­sure is applied.

The new year allows for, almost demands, a clean slate of dis­cov­ery in the food arena.

Refresh­ing and ver­sa­tile, incor­po­rate seg­ments of this pow­er­house cit­rus icon in sal­ads.

Pair with avo­ca­dos, beets, pis­ta­chios, fresh herbs, seafood, and pun­gent cheeses. From cock­tails and brulee (sweet and zesty) to tacos and wraps (savory and spicy), treat grape­fruit like a new found love.

Take advan­tage of the color, tex­ture and bursts of juice from densely rich seg­ments. The fra­grance is sub­tle but dis­tinc­tive.

Look­ing for a tonic to sup­port health and jump start a pos­i­tive new year? Ditch the orange juice morn­ing rou­tine and make it a fresh-​squeezed grape­fruit juice rit­ual.

Like most other cit­rus, grape­fruit gives an incred­i­ble lift to the immune sys­tem. Stay hydrated and enjoy fur­ther grape­fruit ben­e­fits for detox­i­fi­ca­tion, weight con­trol, diges­tion, heart and blood pres­sure health. Bright and tangy, sounds right.