Texas Red Grapefruit
The official fruit of Texas has been grown in the Rio Grande Valley for nearly 100 years
The first ever patent awarded to a grapefruit — U.S. Plant Patent 3,222 — was filed in November 1970 and read as follows: “This patent discovery pertains to a new and distinct variety of grapefruit tree that had its origin as a mutation of an entire seedling tree grown from a seed of a little known variety that had been irradiated with thermal neutrons in an atomic reactor.”
The treated seed was planted in the spring of 1959 at A & I University Citrus Center in Weslaco, in Hidalgo, Texas. By the summer of 1960, a bud was taken from those seedlings and planted; then, in the winter of 1961, a budded tree was planted in a field. Five years later came the first observation of fruit, and by the third season, that tree produced a season high of 240 grapefruit. The peel featured a red blush, and the flesh was three times redder than the Ruby Red. And with an average of four seeds per grapefruit — and more than three-quarters of a cup of juice — it seemed the perfect citrus specimen.
In a few short years the Texas Red Grapefruit had birthed an industry. The Rio Grande Valley area became known as the citrus capital of the nation for some time, and, at present, Texas is the third-largest producer of citrus.
First documented in the 1750s, the grape- fruit was known as the “forbidden fruit,” then as “shaddock” or “Shattuck” for Captain Philip Shaddock of the East India company — who is rumored to have left seeds for the plant in Barbados — until a Jamaican farmer in the 19th century gave the fruit
its accepted name. But why “grapefruit”? Because they grow in a cluster, like grapes.
It was also a crop that would grow easily in the subtropi- cal climate of the Rio Grande Valley. But Texas growers, as in Florida, found a less than enthusiastic market — grapefruit was just too sour. After the 1906 discovery of the pink grapefruit and with the advent of an ear- lier version of Texas
Red Grapefruit hybrid in 1929 ,that was about to change. The Texas Red was known for the sweetness of its beautiful, rich red flesh, its distinctive blush on the peel and a flattened to round shape. It singly served to expand the agricultural picture of South Texas, which, at the time, consisted primarily of cotton and sugar cane.
FRUITFUL EXCURSION A group poses in front of a grapefruit tree in Edinburg — in Hidalgo County — in 1959.
Trains arriving in the western portion of the Rio Grande Valley during the 1920s brought visitors from the Midwestern states. Promoted tours, “excursions” as they were called, were timed to feature the mild winters of South Texas. Visitors would step off the train and be given a South Texas grapefruit. Road-weary travelers still wearing their fur coats posed for photos with their Texas-sized grapefruits.
Citrus served to lure developers and investors to South Texas. Imagine, instead of a winter of harsh weather conditions, one could awaken to mild winter mornings and a citrus grove that could serve as a return on one’s investment.
And growers would ship nationally and internationally. Texas Red Grapefruit found its way all over the United States and the world, bringing with it an exotic citrus experience representative of the semitropical weather of south Texas and what science could produce.Then in 1993, the 73rd Texas State Legislature designated the Texas Red Grapefruit as the official state fruit of the Lone Star State.
As for applications, in its simplest form it’s a beautiful breakfast centerpiece. Cut in half, the sections can be easily removed from the membrane. But beyond breakfast, recipes expand to include grapefruit cake, grapefruit pie, grapefruit cheesecake, grapefruit chicken salad, broiled grapefruit, grapefruit marmalade, grapefruit in cocktails, grapefruit mimosas, grapefruit salsa, grapefruit and avocado salad, to name just a few. There are also other practical uses for this citrus, ranging from grapefruit scrubs to a disinfecting cleanser or a household cleaner. Grapefruit is also rich in antioxidant properties, and grapefruit essential oil can be used as an antidepressant as the sharp scent reinvigorates and stimulates.
Perhaps one of the things the grapefruit is most known for is the Grapefruit (or Hollywood) Diet. Debuting in 1930, this phenomenon added to the mystique of this tropical produce. Though enzymes purported to promote weight loss have never been proven, the consumption of a grapefruit before a meal can act as an appetite suppressant, making the grapefruit a diet staple for over 80 years.
From the seedling planted in Weslaco in 1959 to the plant patent in 1970, the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas has produced a unique culinary experience with the Texas Red Grapefruit. And ideal weather conditions ensure year-round availability. As the 73rd Legislature’s designation reads, “WHEREAS, as distinctive as the proud state from which it originates, the Texas Red Grapefruit will serve as a fitting emblem for the bounties of nature which our state is blessed.”
