Grab Your Special Spoon: This Popular Fruit is Native to Texas

There's just something great about a juicy piece of fruit picked straight from the tree.  The great thing about our state, Texas is home to some amazing fruit.

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There is one fruit in particular that is native to Texas and rose from the soil in Texas.  This fruit is very polarizing.  This fruit is a part of the citrus family.  It's big and juicy, and people either love it or hate it, and there doesn't seem to be an in-between.

It's the Ruby Red Grapefruit

There are several varieties of grapefruit but the original grapefruits were of the pink and white flesh variety.  They were first planted in the US in Florida, and brought in by Spanish and French settlers.  In 1893, the first grapefruit crop was planted in South Texas, and the seeds were brought into the Lone Star State by Spanish missionaries.  The seeds were from the white variety and eventually, the pink variety was also planted in Texas.

How did the Ruby Red Grapefruit come to pass?

In 1929, a darker redder grapefruit was found growing from a pink variety of trees in a smaller orchard.  This variety was named Ruby Red because the flesh was red and the fruit was sweeter than the pink and white variety.

The Official State Fruit of Texas

On May 17, 1993, the Texas State Legislature named the Texas Red Grapefruit the state fruit of Texas.

Everything is bigger in Texas so of course the big flavor of the Ruby Red had to have sprouted from this state's soil.   So in honor of the grapefruit, it's time to peel, or half a Ruby Red and enjoy this sweet, juicy fruit of Texas, or you could just grab some Ruby Red grapefruit juice.