Religion and Citrus: A Surprising History

"Court of Oranges" at the Seville Cathedral in Spain.

There’s something about the aroma, color and flavor of fresh citrus that’s intoxicating, exotic, and yes, some would say almost mystical. I’m certainly not the first person to think so. A dizzying variety of citrus is grown around the globe, and over time, a number of these fruits have taken on cultural or religious importance.

In fact, citrus has been used in ritual for hundreds and even thousands of years. Surprisingly, botanists aren’t quite sure where the genus originated—it may have been Australia, or it might have been Southeast Asia. But wherever the original plants came from, their appealing qualities meant that the trees and their fruits quickly spread across travel routes, making their way through Asia and to the Middle East, Europe, and of course, the Americas, where Spanish explorer Pedro Menendez is believed to have planted the first Floridian orange trees in the mid-1500s.

The etrog fruit used during Sukkot.

One ritual use of citrus that you may not have heard of involves a fruit known in the Jewish tradition as an etrog. This citrus fruit, which looks rather like a long, bumpy-skinned lemon, is a type of citron. The etrog has long been a part of Jewish religious observance, and is considered to be the “beautiful fruit of a tree” referred to in a key passage of the Torah. During Sukkot, a holiday celebrated in the fall, observant Jews recite a blessing over an etrog, date palm fronds, and willow and myrtle tree branches. A ritual etrog should be unblemished and grown from seed (as opposed to grafted, like most citrus). Perfect, beautiful specimens can fetch a high price, and the etrog may be kept in a special, elaborate case. While etrog is edible, it is mostly rind.

Buddha's hand

Another fascinating citrus fruit used in religious ritual is the amazing Buddha’s hand. With its many long “fingers,” this fruit looks like no other citrus you’ve ever seen. Buddha’s Hand is often displayed on altars in Buddhist homes and represents good luck and good fortune. Its “fingers” are said to symbolize the hands of the praying Buddha, with a more closed “finger” posture considered preferable. The Buddha’s hand is also almost all rind, but it’s highly fragrant, and the zest is said to be delicious. As with the etrog, this fruit is a type of citron. Interestingly, the citron is also considered a sacred fruit in the Hindu religion, where it can be seen depicted in statues of various gods and goddesses.

Yuzu floating in a hot bath.

A traditional kagami mochi.

In Japan, the winter solstice (December 21) has long been traditionally marked using citrus. The yuzu, a very cold-hardy Asian citrus that is somewhat similar to a grapefruit, is used in ceremonial hot baths at this time, where it releases its heady fragrance and symbolizes the ability to thrive through the winter. The bath is also thought to be therapeutic. Japanese New Year celebrations also incorporate an ancient Asian citrus variety called the daidai, which is a type of bitter orange. The daidai is used to top an elaborate altar decoration called a kagami mochi. This tradition is thought to date back to the 16th or 17th century.

And though this is a less formal and solemn tradition, many cultures around the world have associated citrus with Christmas. Here in the United States, it was once very common to receive an orange in the toe of one’s stocking. This was back when oranges were more of a rare, expensive luxury. Today, oranges still make a great gift around the holiday and year round. Send someone you love the unique gift of fresh oranges! In Europe, too, oranges remain associated with gift-giving and holidays.

Oranges in shoes for St. Nicholas's Day.

In Germany, for instance, children receive oranges (along with sweets and nuts) in their shoes on December 6th—St. Nicholas’s Day. And many delicious , traditional Christmas treats also incorporate the flavor of oranges and other citrus.

It’s been fascinating learning about some of the uses of citrus in cultures around the world—and this is just the tip of the iceberg. These gorgeous, delicious, and fragrant fruits have found their way into art, religion, and culture for centuries. When you enjoy citrus, you’re joining millions of other people around the world who have venerated and valued these amazing fruits.


References:

• http://gogermany.about.com/od/historyandculture/tp/Germany-Christmas.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kagami_mochi
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuzu
• http://www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/ethrog.html
• http://www.buzzle.com/articles/buddhas-hand-fruit.html
• http://www.satvikshop.com/blog/herbs-knowledge-base/citron
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha%27s_hand
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citrus

Image Credits

• "Torre y Naranjos" by Antoni Soler licensed under CC BY 2.0.
• "The ETROG" by Flavio~ licensed under CC BY 2.0.
• "Buddha's hand citron" by Mark licensed under CC BY 2.0.
• "Buddha's hand" by Oxag licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
• "Yuzubath" from Beautanical blog.
• Picture of wood shoes with orange from No Kangaroos in Austria.

This Homemade Citrus Treat Takes Just 4 Minutes in Your Microwave

I’m guessing you passed up the “Microwave Cooking” books the last time you browsed the cookbook section in your local used bookstore. Back when the microwave was a new and exciting convenience, these books probably flew off the shelves. Yet as time went on, most people settled into using microwaves mainly for reheating leftovers and making frozen entrees. The concept of actually “cooking” in microwaves was mostly forgotten.

However, there are some recipes that can be easily made in your microwave with less fuss and trouble than on the stove, and with great results. Recently, I came across a recipe for microwave lemon curd.

Homemade lemon curd is really delicious, and a fabulous topping for all kinds of things--but the stovetop version is a bit of a production. For one thing, it involves a double boiler. Personally, I don’t own a double boiler, so when a recipe calls for one, I tend to improvise with this and that. Frankly, this doesn’t always end well.

Stovetop lemon curd also involves a fair bit of patience. I don’t know about you, but standing still and whisking something has never really been my favorite kind of kitchen job.

The great thing about microwaving citrus curd is that there’s no double boiler, and not nearly as much stirring. It’s also very quick to make. Clean-up is easier, too.

Lemon curd is most traditional, but you can make curds with all kinds of citrus, including lime, orange, grapefruit, and other, more exotic varieties. I’ve been enjoying some gorgeous grapefruit recently, and I thought I’d see how that unique flavor worked in a curd. I wasn’t disappointed.

There are lots of recipes out there, but this one is pretty simple. Stock up on some grapefruit and give it a try!

Grapefruit Curd

(Yield: about 2 cups)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice (note: you may substitute another type of citrus)
• 1 T fresh grapefruit zest (Optional—some people prefer a totally smooth curd. You can also try this tip: use a vegetable peeler to remove large pieces of peel. Cook the curd with them in to extract their flavor, and remove them when it’s done.)
• 3/4 C sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

Instructions

	Thoroughly whisk the eggs, egg yolk, and sugar in a large, microwave-safe bowl.
	Then whisk in the juice, zest, and finally, the melted butter.
	Microwave at full power for about 4 minutes, removing and whisking after each minute, till the mixture smoothly coats the back of a spoon and is distinctly thicker—about the consistency of heavy cream.
	Pour the curd into a container and refrigerate it. It will thicken up quite a bit as it cools.  The curd will keep at least 3 weeks.

This delicious curd, with the unique sweet-sour tang of grapefruit, makes a luscious topping for all kinds of foods. Think biscuits, scones, waffles, pancakes, or even just plain old toast and English muffins.

You can also stir the curd into yogurt, oatmeal, or cottage cheese, fill crepes with it, or dip berries into it. Or, if you’d like to take things in a more decadent direction, how about using it to top ice cream or cheesecakes, or as the filling for tarts and bars?

We also won’t tell anyone if you decide to just eat it out of the jar with a spoon. Enjoy this easy and delicious citrus treat!

Everything You Didn’t Know About Orange Blossoms

What flower’s fragrance is your absolute favorite? We all know that the roses smell wonderful, and many enjoy the heavy, deep aroma of gardenia. Down south, wisteria and jasmine are often planted for the glorious perfume they bring to a yard. And while the flowers are tiny, the scent of lily of the valley is exquisite.

Orange blossoms
were a symbol of love
and fertility for the
ancient Greeks.

But if you’ve ever been lucky enough to visit an orange grove in March when the trees are in bloom, then you’ve experienced one of the most delicately beautiful fragrances on earth. There’s really nothing quite like this scent, which is sweet, light, ethereal and somehow very fresh. Aromatherapy holds that the essence of orange blossoms is naturally cheering and uplifting, and I’m certainly inclined to agree. I’ve even heard it said that heaven must smell like orange blossoms.

While the flowers aren’t extremely showy, orange blossoms also certainly have a dainty, feminine beauty. Interestingly, they’ve long had an association with weddings and love, dating back thousands of years. Greek mythology holds that when Hera wedded Zeus, Gaia, the earth goddess, crowned her with orange blossoms as a symbol of love and fertility.

For her wedding, Queen Victoria wore a wreath
of orange blossoms instead of a tiara.

Much later, orange blossoms became madly popular among Victorian brides after Queen Victoria chose to wear a wreath of the fragrant flowers on her wedding day. Bride after bride followed suit, wearing the blossoms in their hair or carrying them in their bouquets.  Artisans even crafted imitation orange blooms out of wax for women who couldn’t get their hands on the real thing. Women who yearn for a Victoriana wedding can still purchase these wax hair ornaments today, and tiaras, wedding jewelry, and even wedding dresses with orange blossom themes and ornamentation remain popular–and lovely.

Orange Blossom water is
used in many Middle Eastern
and European recipes.

Orange blossoms are edible, though not many of us in this country have been lucky enough to try them. In Morocco, the flowers are steeped with mint and green tea leaves to create what must be a gloriously sweet-smelling beverage. They can also be candied or used to decorate baked goods. Commercially, the blooms of the bitter orange tree are used to make orange flower water, an ingredient in Middle Eastern and European cooking. Orange flower water lends its sweet perfume to treats like baklava, meringues, and madeleines.

Appropriately enough, the orange blossom is the state flower of Florida. If you’ve never had a chance to appreciate this enchanting scent, I hope that one day you’ll have the opportunity. For now, you might seek out one of the many perfumes, fragrances, or essential oils derived from the flowers. Or maybe you can get your hands on one of those tasty baked goods made with orange flower water. In the meantime, we might suggest enjoying the sweet, delectable flavor of a fresh orange or tangerine. After all, they’re the delicious end result of these fleeting, sweet blossoms.

References:

• http://moroccanfood.about.com/od/teacoffeebeverages/r/tea_orangeblossom.htm
• http://www.victoriana.com/bridal/powell/blossoms.htm
• http://www.proflowers.com/guide/florida-state-flower-the-orange-blossom
• https://www.rubylane.com/blog/orange-blossoms-the-flower-of-love
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_blossom

Image Attribution

• "Orange Blossom and Oranges" by Ellen Levy Finch licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
• "Orange Blossom Water" by Liquor and Drink.

Don’t Throw Away Those Orange Peels - Make This Gourmet Ingredient Instead

If you’ve ever juiced a pile of oranges for a recipe, a big breakfast, or maybe even a decadent mimosa brunch, you know that you end up with a big pile of rinds afterwards. To most of us, this probably looks like something to sweep into the garbage.

But hold on a minute there! Has it ever crossed your mind that you’re throwing out a world of flavor every time you do this? As every cook knows, the zest of an orange (or any citrus) can add sweet aroma and powerful citrus essence to a recipe.

So why not take these former “throwaways” and use them to stock your pantry with some great citrus-based flavor boosters? Today, we’ll teach you how to make dried, powdered orange zest and citrus salt and sugar from discarded peels. You can use these items to easily and conveniently flavor your food, even when your fresh citrus is long gone.

To make the dried peel, we’re first going to use a knife to remove the zest from a few oranges. Of course, thoroughly wash and lightly scrub them first to remove any surface dirt.

Zested orange

I used just two oranges for this demonstration, but for efficiency’s sake, you’ll probably want to wait till you’re about to juice a lot of oranges. If you need to restock on oranges, we can help with that. Note that I didn’t peel the oranges by hand. Instead, I used a sharp knife to remove the colored exterior zest, while trying not to get too much of the white interior pith, which is a little bitter. I wasn’t too compulsive about this, though.

Next, I put my zest pieces into a very low oven (170 degrees; if your oven won’t go quite this low, set it at its lowest temp and start checking them sooner) and baked them for about 3 hours, or until they easily snapped in half. Here are the baked zest pieces.

Baked zest pieces

You could also use a dehydrator for this step, or, if you’re patient, you could try drying them in the sun or at room temperature, which will probably take a few days to a week, depending on the weather. Some websites mention that it’s possible to bake them at a higher temperature for a short time (250 for 1 hour) for a slightly more “roasted” flavor.

Next, I got out my coffee grinder to grind the peel. First, I cleaned it out to make sure it wouldn’t leave any coffee odor or taste on my zest. A damp Q-tip helps with this, but here’s a neat trick: take a small piece of white bread, break it apart, and put that into the grinder and whiz it for a minute. It’ll really help clean out the interior.

Pulse the zest for about 30 seconds to a minute, stopping every so often to make sure any large pieces get redistributed. It should quickly break down into a nice, soft powder that looks something like this. I got about 3 ½ tablespoons from just two oranges.

Powdered zest after grinding

You can stop here and store your dried zest in a glass jar, to be used much as you would fresh orange zest.  It’ll work beautifully in all kinds of baked goods, marinades, salad dressings, meat rubs—anywhere you’d use fresh zest. It has a slightly more mellow and less acidic flavor, but you should be able to substitute it about 1 for 1.

With just a few minutes more, you can add citrus salt and citrus sugar to your pantry. To make the salt, you’ll need some coarse-grained sea salt. Mine came in a shaker, but you can also often find this in bulk. Just don’t get the fine sea salt that looks like regular iodized salt.

Citrus salt in the grinder

Whir about 1½ Tbsp of your zest with about ½ cup of the salt in the coffee grinder, just till the salt breaks down a little and mixes nicely with the zest. You’ll probably need to do this in batches. Here’s what mine looked like when I stopped.

This is a great “finishing salt” to be added at the end of cooking to chicken, fish, shrimp, vegetables, and pasta. (Or how about on salted caramels? Wow.) It adds a beautiful, haunting citrus flavor even when you have no citrus on hand. It would also be a really deluxe touch around the rim of a homemade margarita.

Citrus sugar

The citrus sugar is even easier. Just add 1 tbsp of zest to 1 cup of sugar in a jar, and shake vigorously. Taste this if you like (it’s no hardship) and add more zest or sugar to your preference. This lovely, fragrant sugar can be added to tea or iced tea and used to amp up the citrus flavor in any baked good—just substitute citrus sugar for regular sugar. You won’t have trouble finding ways to use it up, believe me.

Your citrus salt and citrus sugar would also be great homemade gifts for foodies, packaged in attractive jars, perhaps with a pretty ribbon. Just remember to label which is which!

And don’t forget—you made all this from (basically) nothing. Not only that, you reduced waste and created something gourmet in the process! Citrus is an incredible fruit for many reasons, but one of my favorite things about it is the way you really can use the whole thing. Look for more posts on great ways to use citrus peels and zest in the future.

Pass the OJ, mate: Why it took more than 400 years to stop scurvy

Avast, ye scurvy dogs! Ahoy, me limeys!

What’s that? You’re not wearing your eyepatch? You’ve misplaced your cutlass and parrot? Well, you’re forgiven. We’ve just got pirates on the brain over here because we’ve been learning about how citrus has been used to treat and prevent the terrible disease of scurvy.

As pirates of old could attest, you really don’t want to get scurvy. It’s a truly wretched condition, which starts with fatigue and only gets worse from there–potentially even life threatening.

Fortunately, scurvy is very easy to avoid. Its cause is quite simple: a lack of vitamin C. Because today’s diets, which include plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, usually contain adequate amounts of this crucial nutrient, scurvy is fortunately now quite rare.

But between 1500 and 1800, scurvy is thought to have killed as many as two million sailors. On some long sea voyages, as many as two-thirds of those on board perished of the disease. These figures may seem almost unbelievable today. Yet there was confusion about scurvy’s exact cause for hundreds of years.

As early as the 1500s, people saw a connection between citrus juice and scurvy prevention. But they didn’t know exactly what was working to prevent the sickness. Some came to the conclusion that it was the acidity of the citrus that was effective.

In 1747 James Lind conducted the
world's first clinical trial to find
a treatment for scurvy.

In 1747, a Scottish doctor named James Lind conducted the world’s first clinical trial on a group of scurvied sailors. The seamen were divided into six experimental groups and received daily doses of six potential “cures.” Group 1 got seawater, group 2 got vinegar, group 3 got a “spicy paste” and barleywater, group 4 got sulfuric acid, group 5 got cider, and the fortunate group 6 got two daily oranges and a lemon.

Well, they ran out of fruit in six days’ time, but it was enough. By then, one fruit-eating sailor had recovered enough for full duty, and the other was almost better.

Oddly enough, this successful experiment didn’t fully convince Lind himself. However, he did recommend that sailors consume citrus juice and watercress (also high in vitamin C) while on voyages. The British Navy also began issuing daily rations of lemon juice to sailors, which worked very well...at first.

History intervened, and the idea that citrus cured scurvy was almost lost. You see, lemons were hard to come by in the British empire, but limes, which grew well in the Caribbean colonies, were not. So the British navy started supplying its sailors with lime juice instead. (Hence, the term “limey” for a sailor.)

The problem? Limes are significantly lower in vitamin C than lemons. (Of the common citrus fruits, oranges and lemons are the highest in C, with grapefruit next, and limes in last place.)  What’s more, at sea, the lime juice was stored in conditions that destroyed what vitamin C it did have. In other words, the limeys’ lime juice wasn’t actually working, and some travelers consuming lime juice still got scurvy.

It had also been noticed that people who ate fresh meat, and only meat, didn’t seem to suffer from the sickness. (This is because fresh meat contains small amounts of vitamin C from the diet of the animals.) Yet those who were living mostly on salted and preserved meat definitely did. This observation did even more damage to the “fresh fruit” theory of scurvy. Never mind the oranges and lemons! the thinking began to go. Scurvy is caused by spoiled meat!

Early polar explorers did not prepare correctly to prevent
scurvy, and suffered severe consequences.

It was this thinking that sent expeditions to the South Pole in the early 1900s without any sources of vitamin C. Oh, they were concerned about scurvy, all right—so they obsessively ensured that all their preserved and canned meat was in great condition. Of course, this didn’t work, and scurvy ensued, much to the men’s despair.

Indeed, scientists didn’t figure it all out until 1932, when vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, was finally discovered and its role in preventing scurvy was confirmed (in fact, ascorbic basically means “no scurvy”). After centuries and literally millions of deaths, at last we truly understood how to prevent and cure this terrible and deadly sickness. The cure really was as simple as eating an orange (or another good source of vitamin C).

If you’re anything like me, you’re now feeling pretty grateful that you don’t have to spend months on end at sea with nothing to eat but salted meat and hardtack. Maybe you’re also craving some delicious, fresh citrus. Although the chances are good that you’re not at risk for scurvy, the high vitamin C content of these fruits is, of course, still extremely good for you in other ways. Studies suggest that Vitamin C may help to protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease, and to reduce the length of the common cold.

In honor of those lost on high seas, then, how about a fresh tangerine, or a glass of  OJ? In keeping with our nautical theme, you could even mix with it with some rum. That’s a drink sometimes known as...you guessed it....the Scurvy Medic.

• Sources:
• http://idlewords.com/2010/03/scott_and_scurvy.htm
• http://nowiknow.com/dont-forget-the-lime/
• http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/#h7
• http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/articles/article/forgotten-knowledge/

Baby, It’s Cold Outside: How We Protect Our Citrus Trees From Freezing

Have you ever left a tender houseplant on the porch or patio during a cold snap? What about that time there was an early frost and you forgot to cover the tomatoes? If you remember how frustrated you felt at finding your plants killed or damaged by the chill, can you imagine what it would be like for a citrus grower to see this?

After effects of a killing freeze.

Yes, that’s thousands of ruined oranges on the ground after a killing freeze (a long time ago, fortunately). In the past, citrus growers often lost their whole livelihood in a single episode of below-freezing weather. It’s happened many times in Florida’s history.

Various ways citrus trees were protected from cold weather.

Over the years, growers have tried all kinds of methods to protect Florida’s citrus crop from cold weather. Sand and hay have been piled around trunks. Wooden and canvas tents have been built—around each individual tree! And some growers have even tried building a roof over their groves

Later, in-grove heaters, which kept the air warm around the trees, and wind machines, which “mixed” ground-level cold air with cooler air higher up, became very popular. But today, Florida growers overwhelmingly use a method called micro-irrigation to protect their groves.

You might have seen a photo of oranges after micro-irrigation. It’s eerily beautiful, but it doesn’t really look like it would be good for the tree, does it?

Surprisingly, though, all that ice is actually keeping the tree warm! When water freezes and changes its state from a liquid to a solid, that process actually gives off some heat.  This is called “heat of fusion”--and as long as irrigation machines continue to apply a fine spray of water, it continues, keeping the plants warm. However, growers do have to watch out for wind. That’ll make the ice evaporate...which will lower the temperature again.  (Here's a Wikipedia article for the science-minded who’d like to read more about “heat of fusion”.)

If this sounds kind of complicated, it is. Growers use some pretty high-tech equipment to monitor conditions and make sure the trees don’t accidentally get damaged, while also conserving water as much as possible. Growers often don’t get much sleep on cold nights. But at least we don’t have to build a little shed around each tree anymore!

If you happen to have your own citrus trees at home, you may now be wondering if you should be covering them with ice when the mercury drops. The answer is no. This method is too fiddly and too risky for the home grower.

A tiny tent protecting a small orange tree from the cold.

So what should you do? It depends in part on what type of trees you have, since some types of citrus are much more tender than others. In general, though, you probably don’t need to be concerned about your trees or their fruit till temperatures drop to 28 degrees or lower for four hours or more.

If this is in your forecast, there are a few things you can try. First, water your trees well. It will help keep them warm, and reduce their stress. If your tree is small enough, drape it with a fabric cover; if it’s too big for this, wrap its trunk with cloth.  You can also try putting strings of Christmas lights or another electric light on the trees to generate a bit of heat. And if the forecast looks really dire and your fruit is ripe, do pick it.

Yes, it’s true; growing citrus in Florida, especially its more northern areas, can get a little complicated sometimes. But we’re sure you’ll agree that the sweet, juicy fruit we harvest makes it all worthwhile.

References

• http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ch182
• http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/extensionservices/adults/horticulture/english/article480.aspx
• http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/giam/potpourri/weather/citrus_protect.html
• http://leon.ifas.ufl.edu/News_Columns/2004/122604.pdf

Image Attribution

• "Frozen Florida Orange Juice?" by Little_Karen.
• "Tented Orange Tree" from Gardens for Goldens licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.

Where did Honeybells come from?

I’ve heard a few folk tales from local growers about the Honeybell.  I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at where the Honeybell really came from.

When the Honeybell was originally released, it was called a Minneola Tangelo.  It was named after Minneola city in Lake County, Florida.

You’ll notice that the Honeybell is a tangelo, not an orange.  A tangelo is a cross between a tangerine and a grapefruit (pomelo).   More specifically, the Minneola Tangelo is a cross between a Duncan Grapefruit and a Dancy tangerine.

Credit for discovering the Minneola Tangelo can largely be given to one man:

Walter T. Swingle
1871 - 1952

Swingle fell in love with agriculture at a young age.  He started attending Kansas State Agricultural college at the age of 16.  By the time he graduated, four years later, he had published 27 papers ranging from topics of plant pathology, plant breeding, and genetics.

Swingle joined the USDA soon after graduating.  Here’s an excerpt from a short biography by Dr. Barbara Whitlock at the Department of Biology, University of Miami:

In 1891, Swingle was offered a position with the newly formed United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), on the recommendation of David Fairchild. He was so young at this point that his parents had to give their permission for him to accept the job. This was an important time in the expansion of American agriculture. Swingle was immediately sent to Florida to develop strategies to fight several new diseases affecting orange groves. This began a lifelong passion with citrus. In those early days in Florida, Swingle made several new hybrids among different citrus lines, he described fungal and other citrus diseases, developed insect control measures, and even discovered a new species of palm. He began at once comprehensive and ambitious programs to breed and graft new disease- and frost-resistant citrus trees. 

Source

Swingle and his team of physiologists continued to produce new hybrids for the next several decades.  It was exactly 40 years later, 1931, when Swingle and his team released the Minneola Tangelo

I was able to find the original report announcing the Minneola Tangelo to the world in 1931.  Below is a truly fascinating image of one of the original honeybells.  You’ll notice that there are a few seeds, whereas the honeybells we know today are usually seedless.  This is evidence that growers continued to perfect the Minneola after it’s initial release.

Here is an excerpt from the report by Swingle and his team:

The difference in season of this tángelo as compared with the Lake and Seminóle, the attractive color, good shipping quality,few-seeded character, and excellent flavor recommend this fruit for consideration and trial.

Honeybell lovers around the world are thankful that Swingle and his team recommended the Minneola for trial in commercial groves!  While you can tell from the report that the researchers are rather pleased with the Minneola, I doubt they had any idea that it would become the citrus superstar, and awesome gift item, that we know as the Honeybell today.

Here’s the full report if you want to read more.  The Honeybell description starts on page 8.

References

• http://organicroots.nal.usda.gov/download/CAT87212635/PDF
• http://swingle.miami.edu/wtswingle.html
• http://merrick.library.miami.edu/cdm/search/collection/wtswingle/order/20/ad/asc/cosuppress/1
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Tennyson_Swingle