A beginner’s guide to grapefruit! How to choose, cut, and eat grapefruit. grapefruit nutrition and benefits plus recipe ideas!
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Hey, Rhubarbarians. It's grapefruit season!
We LOOOOOVE grapefruit. So fresh and vibrant and the perfect food for lifting you out of those winter doldrums. YES.
Today, we are putting a magnifying glass on this glorious citrus fruit.
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What is grapefruit?
Grapefruit is well... a fruit! It's a globe shaped citrus fruit with a thick rind. It is a hybrid of a sweet orange and pomelo, and has a somewhat bitter flavor. The name stems from the way it grows in clusters on a tree, similar to grapes!
Grapefruit varieties
The main grapefruit varieties are:
- White grapefruit: white grapefruit has a pale, almost yellow flesh and is the most bitter of the grapefruit varieties.
- Pink grapefruit: pink grapefruit is a hybrid of a white and a red grapefruit! It has a pink (hence the name) flesh and is somewhat bitter.
- Red grapefruit: red grapefruit has a ruby red flesh and is the sweetest of the grapefruit varieties
Grapefruit season
Grapefruit is a cold weather plant, peaking in the winter. Growing seasons will vary from state to state, but grapefruits will continue to grow until the temperatures start to rise.
You can read all about grapefruit season here!
Choosing the perfect grapefruit
Grapefruits should be a globe like shape, but should have a slightly flat bottom and top or oblong sides to them. If they are perfectly round, they may be unripe.
They resemble very large oranges and may have a reddish hue to the skin. The skin should be firm, with no soft softs or blemishes and shouldn't be too easy to squeeze.
Feel the grapefruit and make sure that it feels heavy for it's size. There should be a lot of juice in there!
Storing and freezing
Grapefruits can be stored (uncut) on the counter for about a week. This is recommended if you're going to eat the fruit within this time, as room temperature citrus is always the juiciest.
They will keep in your refrigerator (in the crisper) for up to 3 weeks if you need a longer time frame.
Freezing grapefruit is a great option! You will want to seed and segment the grapefruit, then space the segments out on a baking sheet. Freeze them this way and then transfer the frozen segments to a container of your choice. Grapefruit will keep in the freezer for up to 12 months.
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Benefits and nutrition
Grapefruit is a citrus powerhouse and is loaded with vitamins and nutrients! It's low in calories and a great source of vitamin A and vitamin C. It also contains significant amounts of magnesium, potassium, and calcium.
Grapefruit nutrition information
Ingredients
- 1 medium grapefruit
Nutrition
How to cut grapefruit
- In half: This is probably the most common way to cut a grapefruit. Just cut it in half, with the ends (small circles) on both sides (not up and down). Use a small spoon to scoop out the segments while you eat it.
- Segment it: Segmenting is when you take a knife and cut away the skin and pith. Then remove the segments from their skin carefully. This takes some work, but is great if you are adding grapefruit to salads or drinks.
- Slices: Cut the grapefruit into ½" slices! Again, make sure that the ends are on the sides and not the top and bottom. Slice into circular slices. You can then slice those into smaller triangles for a great snack or garnish.
How to eat grapefruit
- Peel it and eat the segments: Just like an orange! Just peel away the rind, peel the fruit into two, and then peel away individual segments and eat them.
- Cut it in half: See above for how-to. Sprinkle a bit of sugar or honey onto the grapefruit flesh and scoop the segments out with a spoon.
- Segment it: See above for how-to. Add the segments to salads, salsas, cocktails, or other dishes!
- Broil it: Cut it in half with the ends on each side. Rub a bit of brown sugar into the flesh of the fruit and broil! See how on Simply Recipes.
Grapefruit juice
One of the most amazing things about grapefruit is the juice! Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice has an amazing citrus flavor and is an immunity boosting powerhouse.
Ways with fresh grapefruit juice:
- Drink it on it's own.
- Squeeze some into your water.
- Make a cocktail.
- Make a salad dressing.
- Make grapefruit-ade (like lemonade).
- Make a smoothie or slushie.
Grapefruit recipes
If you love grapefruit as much as we do, please let us know on social media or in the comments below! Leave a star rating in your comment or tag us on Instagram with #Rhubarbarians
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