yeah they found that their ratings didnt support just pure history. it didnt help that they mainly just did WW2 history over and over again. While i love ww2 history, even I have my limits.
We have a Ruby Red grapefruit tree in our yard that produces some of the best tasting and sweetest grapefruit ever. It has done so for many years, and still is, and it is the most long-lived citrus tree we have ever had. We love grapefruit!
The History Guy always manages to make seemingly uninteresting history into something we should be taught in primary school. Thank you for all that you do!
Grapefruit orchards around Indian River in Florida grew some of the world's best. Railway transport was readily available. End of harvest season pricing in northern supermarkets was super cheap. Subdivisions replaced trees.
I'm 76 years old and I had loved to eat Grapefruit for many years. It was my favorite citrus. While having borderline high blood pressure for many of my adult years, in 2002 I came down with Congestive Heart Failure, then in 2010 I was told I had Type 2 Diabetes. Somewhere between those 2 diseases (I don't remember which) I was told Grapefruit was to be forbidden in my diet as it interacted with some of my meds. Which meds or the results of the interactions, I was not told. In fact, I learned more in this video than I did from my Doctors. I still miss grapefruit. Thanks History Guy.
Same with me, Altenolol is one of those drugs I am stuck with that loves grapefruit, too much, as well. Yes, indeed, I hope I live long enough when I can drink Grapefruit juice again.
Talk to your pharmacist the next time you get a refill, or just use this fancy new internet thingy to look up each of your meds and any interactions they have. That information is very easy to find.
As a child of the 70's grapefruit was a common breakfast item. Always served with some sugar on top, to be eaten with grapefruit spoons, serrated edges. When we were little, Mom would work it loose from the sections, later we had to. Still today I will occasionally buy a jar of fresh grapefruit sections as it's one of the few prepared fruits, jarred or canned that does not come in some form of syrup. I too take at least one med that warns against grapefruit, but figure in the small quantity consumed, no harm. Hey, I'm still typing this. But I'd argue the main reason for decline is as alluded: who eats breakfast - especially one where you sit down at a table and have an actual meal before school or work. We have compressed our lives to the extent that there isn't time to bother. Long commutes, multi-activity households, two working parents - breakfast - what's that? For me it's instant oatmeal at my desk, computer already fired up. Tap, tap, tap, shovel, tap, tap, tap.
So much this - having grapefruit for breakfast is a "sit down and take some time" activity, not something you'd expect most people to take time to do nowadays. And while grapefruit spoons were ubiquitous growing up in FL, how many younger generations know what a grapefruit spoon even is? With our "pharma enriched" society, I can't help but wonder if being medicated is more the rule than the exception. Better than sugar is a touch of honey.
There's also the thing with genetics as a reason for why grapefruit declined. Similar to cilantro, grapefruit has a genetic taste issue with a portion of the population where it doesn't taste good at all to those with that. My uncle has that issue while the rest of my family doesn't. I know it's not the same kind of soap taste as cilantro negative does, but it is a horrible thing
@@AzraelThanatos yeah, I was a 1970s kid and my mom loved them, she had a set of bamboo-handle serrated spoons, but I couldn’t stand grapefruit, too bitter and sour.
I had plated a dwarf grapefruit tree at my house back in the late 80's. We had an unusually cold frost one year and that tree froze along with most of the other citrus I planted. But the local newspaper said to not touch "dead" citrus trees for some time and sure enough, that grapefruit started to put out new shoots later that year. It grew up into a decent size tree and produces some enormous fruit. They can be up to soccer ball size but have very thick skins to the point the fruit inside is closer in size to a lemon. It took years of research to find out what that tree was, but it seems to be a Cuban Shaddock. Apparently, that's a common root stock for producing dwarf grapefruit trees. So I guess it was the root stock that regrew after the original grafted portion died back from the freeze. I can see the point of the Shaddock being used as an ornamental tree, it is very interesting to look at and nothing seems to bother it.
@@chriskucia8348 Never thought of that, but it might work. I should have tried that with my old lemon tree. That tree also seemed die back in the big freeze, but came back to life for several more decades until a year or two ago.
Actually that is an old North American tradition rooted in Japanese culture! Oranges were already a popular stocking stuffer for the wealthy but when NW Canadians saw Japanese people receiving whole boxes of oranges, they were curious. It’s just a coincidence but the boxes of satsumas came in December & January, in preparation for Lunar New Year and because they were in season, and once white people tried them, whole boxes of import oranges became a Christmas trend in British Columbia & traveled to Japanese areas of California and on and on… We now have tracked down community holiday traditions that track back to every founding ethnic group in my town! And it’s so fun when recently immigrated Asian-American families realize they were represented in the old west!
Our school in Ontario, Canada sold boxes of oranges and/or grapefruit as a fundraising program around Christmas. I had forgotten all about it until I watched this video and read the comments. It certainly went on for a few years, but I can't remember how many. This would have been in the late 70's.
Yep! A lot of blood pressure control drugs, Avoid Grapefruit! 😁 Amlodipine particullaly. In an effort to replace Amlodipine a mlot of research took place. There was an unexpeted side effect of the research. Now known as Viagra!
It is such a weird thing with the grapefruits! I hope they breed that out of it. I love grapefruit and all citrus. But it's good to know what's going on with it!
Our family always enjoyed Grapefruit by cutting them in half and the separating the quarters with a Grapefruit Knife and putting some honey on them. Enjoyed the unraveling of the rather complicated history of this fruit by the most capable History Guy.
My grandparents had a big pink grapefruit tree (and a supply of the infamous grapefruit spoons). They also had a lemon, a lime, a mandarin orange, and a pecan tree. All of this in a regular neighborhood backyard in Arizona. Across the street was a pomegranate tree. Us kids were always able to get a quick snack while playing.
When I was a kid in the 1950's an orange or grapefruit was a Christmas treat. Citrus was very expensive in Missouri and the season was short for being able to find them.
A good friend bought (in 1939) 200 plus acres of Grapefruit Grove near Winter Garden, Fl. He ran that grove until his death a few years ago. He told me that they were called grapefruit because they grew in clusters, like grapes and having spent much time in those groves, It is plain to see the bunches. I've seen 8 on a stem. He was a walking Grapefruit Encyclopedia. I believe that Coca Cola bought his entire crop for years to be used in making Fresca. One could sit in the grove and watch Disney Fireworks nightly all summer.
I could tell Fresca had the potential to taste good but it was only offered with artificial sweetener, which ruined the taste. I wondered if there was a grapefuit flavored soda that was made with real sugar.
@@johnp2540 There used to be a grapefruit flavored Slice, but I haven't seen that brand in decades. Currently available are Ting (a Jamaican brand if I remember correctly), Jarritos (a Mexican brand, I've seen them labeled in English as "grapefruit" and also in Spanish as "pumpelmo") and San Pellegrino also makes a "pompelmo."
Citrus greening has devastated florida Citrus industry. Gone are the seemingly endless oceans of groves. It would be great if the history guy could do an episode on the florida citrus business.
When I was a boy, one of the suppliers to my father's business sent gifts of Florida oranges and Texas grapefruit at Yuletide. The arrival of these fruits was as much a harbinger of Christmas as strings of lights and candy-striped parking meters.
Growing up, we had grapefruit with breakfast, cut in half with of course sugar on top. We even had the special serrated spoons to get the sections out.
Thanks for catching me up on the evolution of the grapefruit. I grew up in the southern San Joaquin Valley in California - one of those "desert valleys you made reference to. Along with many fruit and citrus trees in our backyard, we had a prolific yellow grapefuit tree. So I was raised on tree ripened fruit, and my palate is forever ruined for the green-picked, gassed, or radiated stuff passed off as fresh ripe fruit found in stores these days. So yeah, now that I live in Alaska, you don't find me buying grapefruit up here. I do enjoy what tree-ripened citrus that my friends and family send me for Christmas. Oh yes, I laughed at the diet part of grapefruit history. As a teen in the mid-seventies, I diligently followed The Grapefruit Juice Diet. Funny part is that I spent good money to buy cans of grapefruit juice instead of using all those lovely free grapefruits in my own backyard. What a silly kid! 😂
I went to school in Sarasota back in the late 1970’s . There was a grove stand that I could get fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. It was delicious. I’ve also used grapefruit juice simmered down with sugar and fresh ginger to make a syrup. Once made you can keep it in the refrigerator until you use several tablespoons with chilled ginger ale. It makes a very refreshing drink that could even be tasty in a cocktail. Sometimes, I make candied citrus peel which can be used to flavor dishes or just nibbled.
As a growing boy, I worked for my families citrus Grove. Grapefruit wasn't our most profitable variety, but it got me a lot of cool toys and helped me get through college. God bless Grapefruit!❤
Born in '69, my first memory is breakfast at my Grandmother's house, always, a medium boiled egg served with a smiley face in an egg cup with toast and orange juice or milk, always 1/2 grapefruit. I moved to FT. Lauderdale, shared a home with a grapefruit tree in the back yard. I'm from Boston, one year my family all asked me to bring home the pink grapefruit. This was prior to 9/11 I filled my bags with grapefruit and borrowed clothes from my sisters.
My Folks had lived at Mission Texas. Through our years in Iowa, the X-mas boxes of Texas Red Grapefruit from the Future Farmers of America (FFA) was a tradition.
A great history! I love grapefruit and did not know it had fallen in popularity so much. I remember growing up with all of the special tools to eat them. Spoons that were serrated on their ends and knives that were narrow and serrated and bent on the ends. Probably many other special grapefruit tools were made that I’ve not seen.
I've always wondered why Grapefruit was forbidden when taking certain medications. I only knew it had something to do with an enzyme which messes with the dosing. Grapefruits are one of my favourite foods. However, I couldn't eat one for years because of my medication. I'm so glad I don't take that anymore and the first thing I did was buy some grapefruits after ceasing use. I just peel them like an orange. It's a grab and go super snack. And they taste so delicious. Thank you Barbados for this delicious creation.
I loved the soda pop called SQUIRT. YOU COULD SEE PIECES OF GRAPEFRUIT FLOATING IN THE BOTTLE WHEN YOU SHOOK IT UP. IT ONLY HAD 10 OUNCES, SO I USUALLY HAD THE 12 OUNCES OF RC, ROYAL CROWN COLA AND A MOON PIE. Later in life blood pressure medicine and SQUIRT caused a rise in body temperature.
When a doctor told my Dad not to drink grapefruit juice, because it would increase the potency of his medication, Dad asked: "Why don't I just take a smaller dose?"
I agree to a limit. What you posted is true of some doctors/medical field. But I worked years with those doctors who ordered what was best for their patients & had magna trouble with insurances & pharmaceuticals. Both BIG lobbyists in politics. 😟😠
Well because you have no way of knowing how much to reduce the dose, or in other words, standardizing the grapefruit to drug ratio, especially because maybe the grapefruit you're eating is more or less potent than some other grapefruit.
Super interesting episode, thank you so much for sharing! I’d also thoroughly enjoy hearing a backstory of where you even came up with the idea to make an episode on grapefruit. I think that in and of itself would be a good story!
The hotter and longer the hot season, the more sugar the grapefruits produce. The absolute BEST grapefruit we ever tried, we found at a roadside stand in far south Texas. These ruby red grapefruit were huge, sweet, juicy, and flavorful. I've never had their like anywhere else.
Thanks, history guy! Two takeaways for me: 1) I learned grapefruit enhances the metabolization of medication. 2) I’m craving the taste of grapefruit. My dad used to love it; ate it almost every day at breakfast.
In Japan (Kochi Prefecture) they have a citrus fruit that looks just about identical to grapefruit... maybe it is grapefruit? But they peel the outer skin off, separate the sections, and then PEEL EACH SECTION. That inner skin or membrane is extremely bitter, but once it is peeled off the remaining "cells" part is quite sweet and needs no additional sugar. They call this fruit "buntan," as I recall.
As a 62 year old person that grew up in Pennsylvania, I visited Florida as an older adult many times. I knew a place where wild grapefruits were ripe, in March, when I was there. You can't even imagine how much better a wild grapefruit tastes than a store bought one. Totally different "animal"!
I grew up surrounded by grapefruit groves in central Florida. It actually snowed when I was four years old. The citrus only gets sweeter from a freeze. Unfortunately those miles of trees have since been replaced by suburbs.
And killed by HuaLongBing (Greening). Monoculture works for the logistics of industrial agriculture (especially juice factories), but is ecologically a terrible idea. Pests come in and wipe everything out.
My grandma introduced me to grapefruit in the 1970s. She had a set of grapefruit spoons which were spoons with small teeth on the tip. I think we still have them. She would put sugar on them and eat them for breakfast.
Let us not forget the slightly serrated tipped spoon for eating this fruit,,, the grapefruit spoon! Love the show. I’ve been eating grapefruit for over 50 years and still love them!
In Texas you can find small outdoor markets that sell sweet red grapefruit and other treats from the Rio Grande valley. They're usually much cheaper and better than what you would find in super markets. Every growing season I buy cartons of red grapefruit, juice them, and add about 50% +/- Topo Chico sparkling water. It's nothing like the stuff you get in containers, and makes a good mix with black rum.
I'm 68 and have always loved and eaten Grapefruit (especially the Texas Ruby Red). As a child, we were gixen a Grapefruit in our Christmas Stocking and I would eat Grapefruit whenever I had a chance. But due to the Medications my Doctors have me on now, I'm not "allowed" to have ANY Grapefruit now.
The mechanism of how Grapefruit effects certain medications is fascinating as Grapefruit causes you're metabolism of the drugs to halt thus making them even more potent cauing overdose so you'd technically need less medicine as long it's accompanied with Grapefruit! There's a Bigpharma agenda against Grapefruit!
my momma used to feed me a grapefruit for breakfast every saturday in the 1990s. it was a treat because she poured a spoonful of brown sugar onto the cut in half fruit and loosened it from the rind with a knife so i could scoop it out with my spoon. it was like breakfast dessert candy!😅 i eat grapefruit without extra sugar now but occasionally i will still pour a spoon of brown sugar onto it. Awwww the memories.
Makes me miss visiting my Grandparents house in Florida in the 70's. They had so many different citrus trees you couldn't get out of having some sort of fruit with every meal.
Boy, I can still see the 5 cases of 6, 1 Gallon Glass Jars in my Grandma's Kitchen. All Pink Grapefruit ready to eat, w/NO preservatives. She kept Grandpop, and herself heathy well into the 1970s. You didn't eat there, without getting a large bowl of cold grapefruit as some part of the meal. 65 cents for a 1 gallon jar, all the way from Ruby River, Florida. Amazing!
The homes in Fort Lauderdale built in the 50's and 60's commonly had grapefruit, orange, mango and banana trees adoring their lawns. The pink grapefruit was my favorite.
Growing up in Nova Scotia in the 70's, every Christmas stocking had an orange in the toe. The older folks said it was because they never got oranges, or citrus in general, unless someone found a crate of it washed up on shore. Definition of a windfall, or a blessing. No sense fretting about what happened to the ship. Practical folk live on the shores of our planet.
I am in Pinellas FL right now, near Safety Harbor….we used to have grape fruit and orange tress everywhere….disease, building development, and lack of desire for grapefruit has all but wiped out our trees.
Yea that and insane cloning and monoculture. If you grew from seed you’d not be trying to grow a tree that sprouted over 50 years ago. The bugs have been adapting while you stay stuck in the past. You have to grow from seeds or watch your clones all die eventually.
A popular naturopathic preparation made with glycerin and grapefruit seed oil is used by many people to help bolster the immune system during an infection.
This needs to be followed by a history of breadfruit; and while I may be well known for making jokes here, this is not one of them. Breadfruit was once very serious business.
I eat grapefruit one or two grapefruit daily mostly because it’s a low calorie fruit which adds some variety from savoury foods as well as a bit of fibre to my diet. Thanks for this video, it’s interesting to know the fruit’s history - only 300 years old!
I should have learned by now that whenever The History Guy posts a video, and at first the topic that may leave you lukewarm about watching, it's an absolute must to click on it, because they never disappoint! And it was certainly was case with me regarding grapefruit, I finally watched the video and a lot of "oh wow" moments were experienced.
In addition to the reasons mentioned I think the American palette in particular has switched heavily to preferring sweeter foods and grapefruits kind of bitter taste isnt agreeable for many people now
The tangelo, a cross between grapefruit and tangerine requires a frost to begin it's change from green to orange. My grapefruit trees in varying places within the North Island of NZ all survive frost and are prolific fruiters.
In the 1960's we often had half a grapefruit for breakfast. My mother so believed in grapefruit that we has special spoons to use to scoop out the fruit between the sections. The spoons had serrated edge on the tip to make it easier to push into the fruit.
I remember when l was a kid my grandma had special, antique grapefruit spoons. They were smaller and flatter than normal spoons and little serrations on one edge. I haven't seen one in years.
Yep. My mom did also. Late 60's early 70's. About once a month she would serve us Grapefruit for breakfast. As soon as she died, that practice (and the half-serrated spoons) went goodbye.
@@gusloader123 👍 That's around the same time as me. 1968ish... But even then she called em antiques. Neat to think about. Haven't thought about Grandma's grapefruit spoons in 50yrs! That's what I like about this channel...
I love the stuff but was warned about the pharmaceutical thing. When we first introduced our toddler, now age 32, he loved it and called it "grapefood."
@@Call-me-AlIf you are talking statins, if 3000 men between 50 and 60 take statins, instead of 3 having an insident, 2 will. So one in 3000 saved from an incident, not death. Now look up the many side effects of statins like diabetes and dementia. Not to mention deaths.
I always have grapefruit juice in the fridge and the price has doubled over the last few years. Luckily I'm the only one who likes it, so I don't go through that much like I would if the kids liked it too.
I tend to think that the reason why grapefruits are not as popular today as they were in the early 1970's, the 60's, and the 50's, is that the flavor of today's grapefruits is not as good today. I remember eating delicious "white-fleshed" grapefruit (Marsh White variety - actually light yellow in color). These were sold in supermarkets side by side with pink grapefruits. The white ones were much tastier. Also over the years grapefruits began having less and less seeds. In the 1950's they had maybe 20 seeds each. Most seeds were clustered around the center of the halved fruit and were easily removed with one's spoon. Not sure why growers began growing cultivars with less seeds. The seeds were never any sort of problem. In fact I think the varieties with more seeds tasted better than the less-seeded varieties. I'm pretty sure the reason for pink and red varities becomeing popular is that people prefer the way they look. They never taste as good.
I often try to find the sweet red variety, but the stores around here usually just have the types usually eaten with sugar on top, a deal breaker for me.
My Grandparents ate a grapefruit for breakfast but it had to be the South Texas Ruby Red which they claim was sweeter than the other varieties grown else where
I only eat Ruby Reds from the Rio Grande Valley, best around Christmas when they are at their peak sweetness. But instead of sugar, I like a sprinkling of salt on them. It brings out their flavor.
Hearing you refer to sweet oranges as “china oranges” was enlightening to me. In the Dominican Republic they refer to bitter oranges as naranjas, however, sweet oranges are called “chinas”. Now I know why. 3:38
Grapefruit cannot be eaten while on Atorvastatin, a heart medication. Wipes out about 2-3 generations of those(including myself) who love grapefruit but cannot have it any more.
Many patients, myself included, stopped eating grapefruit because it interacts badly with some prescription medications I take. As those medications became more widely used, those patients had to stop eating grapefruit.
When I was in Haiti, 35 years ago, we drank a grapefruit drink with Haitian rum. T'was good! Dang! It was called "she-deck" pronunciation wise. Now I know why! After 63 years, finally, my past makes sense. Thanks, history guy!
I pretty much quit buying grapefruit after several doctors told me not to eat them saying they were bad for various reasons but never really gave any of those reasons. Now, years later, I don't see them very often in the stores here. I see various oranges, lemons, limes, and mangos that are brought up from FL or South America, but grapefruit is rare lately. The few stores that do sell them are expensive and are selling them individually not by the bag like they do most oranges and other citrus fruit.
I have been trying to eat more lately, and this was great timing. I live in the Area they grow Rio Grande red, but I do prefer golden grapefruits often. Awesome Video!!
Like many Florida kids, I grew up in the early 70s with a grapefruit tree in the yard, providing not just fresh breakfast fruit, but hours of entertainment watching drunk mockingbirds. IYKYN! I suspect another reason for the decline in popularity is the shift in tastes to a sweeter & sweeter diet; we have become a nation of toddlers.
I have been on certain medications for so long that I can only dream of being able to eat just one. I’ve even made a statement to my doctor that I will be eating a grapefruit and she was shocked that I would be thinking about eating one. She didn’t say anything about only having one but I am thinking about how much I can eat before my medication is effected? Ahh, I want to get a grapefruit, cut it in half and put each half in two bowls, sprinkle with sugar and let it sit overnight. Oh the memories.
I remember as a kid in the 1960's my Mom serving us halves of Grapefruit. She cut around the outside of the sections, sprinkled some sugar on it and we ate quite a bit over the years. We even had "Grapefruit Spoons" serrated specially. Surprisingly enough, that was in Texas and I didn't see a Ruby Red until the late 70's!
@@edmartin875 And I suppose you got blackberries, so that sounds like a win! I have raspberries and blueberries already, can't wait to get some currants.
In the early’60s every Sunday after church my mother would serve us a half grapefruit, no sugar but sectioned along with eggs Benedict. I still drink grapefruit juice today. The type with no sugar added.
Weird. I was just in St Augustine and saw these fruits growing in clusters on a plant I didn't recognize. Now I know they are Seaside Grapes. It was also near the pirate museum. And all good stories involve pirates. Yarp.
This is what The History Channel used to be, and *should* be.
Aliens took over it😮
yeah they found that their ratings didnt support just pure history. it didnt help that they mainly just did WW2 history over and over again. While i love ww2 history, even I have my limits.
@marvthedog1972 I agree, we need a better balance of military and non-military history.
@@jorgecruzseda7551 and ghost hunters. 👻
Iike... MTV...bean counters...corporations...bottom line...& all that.
(How very very...s a d)
We have a Ruby Red grapefruit tree in our yard that produces some of the best tasting and sweetest grapefruit ever. It has done so for many years, and still is, and it is the most long-lived citrus tree we have ever had. We love grapefruit!
You must be in south Texas! Ruby Red forever!
@@tomgarrett9232 NE Florida, and it does great.
Can I come visit?
The Star Ruby was created by exposing Red Ruby seeds with radiation. They are my favorite.
😡lm jealous 😂 ❤
The History Guy always manages to make seemingly uninteresting history into something we should be taught in primary school. Thank you for all that you do!
Grapefruit orchards around Indian River in Florida grew some of the world's best. Railway transport was readily available. End of harvest season pricing in northern supermarkets was super cheap. Subdivisions replaced trees.
Only the History Guy would take up the challenge of going down the grapefruit rabbit hole.
conjures so many odd, queer, peculiar and weird images😅👍
Including the grapefruit technique?
You should type "going down" and "grapefruit" into Google. See what videos you find.
Iguana hole. No rabbits here.😁
I'm 76 years old and I had loved to eat Grapefruit for many years. It was my favorite citrus. While having borderline high blood pressure for many of my adult years, in 2002 I came down with Congestive Heart Failure, then in 2010 I was told I had Type 2 Diabetes. Somewhere between those 2 diseases (I don't remember which) I was told Grapefruit was to be forbidden in my diet as it interacted with some of my meds. Which meds or the results of the interactions, I was not told. In fact, I learned more in this video than I did from my Doctors. I still miss grapefruit.
Thanks History Guy.
I always ask the pharmacist about interactions (four meds at present) because I love grapefruit. Stay well!
Same with me, Altenolol is one of those drugs I am stuck with that loves grapefruit, too much, as well. Yes, indeed, I hope I live long enough when I can drink Grapefruit juice again.
Talk to your pharmacist the next time you get a refill, or just use this fancy new internet thingy to look up each of your meds and any interactions they have. That information is very easy to find.
As a child of the 70's grapefruit was a common breakfast item. Always served with some sugar on top, to be eaten with grapefruit spoons, serrated edges. When we were little, Mom would work it loose from the sections, later we had to. Still today I will occasionally buy a jar of fresh grapefruit sections as it's one of the few prepared fruits, jarred or canned that does not come in some form of syrup. I too take at least one med that warns against grapefruit, but figure in the small quantity consumed, no harm. Hey, I'm still typing this. But I'd argue the main reason for decline is as alluded: who eats breakfast - especially one where you sit down at a table and have an actual meal before school or work. We have compressed our lives to the extent that there isn't time to bother. Long commutes, multi-activity households, two working parents - breakfast - what's that? For me it's instant oatmeal at my desk, computer already fired up. Tap, tap, tap, shovel, tap, tap, tap.
Yes I remember eating grapefruit for breakfast with the sugar sprinkled on top as a child.
So much this - having grapefruit for breakfast is a "sit down and take some time" activity, not something you'd expect most people to take time to do nowadays. And while grapefruit spoons were ubiquitous growing up in FL, how many younger generations know what a grapefruit spoon even is?
With our "pharma enriched" society, I can't help but wonder if being medicated is more the rule than the exception.
Better than sugar is a touch of honey.
"For me it's instant oatmeal at my desk, computer already fired up. Tap, tap, tap, shovel, tap, tap, tap."
You must be kin to me! 😆
There's also the thing with genetics as a reason for why grapefruit declined.
Similar to cilantro, grapefruit has a genetic taste issue with a portion of the population where it doesn't taste good at all to those with that. My uncle has that issue while the rest of my family doesn't. I know it's not the same kind of soap taste as cilantro negative does, but it is a horrible thing
@@AzraelThanatos yeah, I was a 1970s kid and my mom loved them, she had a set of bamboo-handle serrated spoons, but I couldn’t stand grapefruit, too bitter and sour.
I had plated a dwarf grapefruit tree at my house back in the late 80's. We had an unusually cold frost one year and that tree froze along with most of the other citrus I planted. But the local newspaper said to not touch "dead" citrus trees for some time and sure enough, that grapefruit started to put out new shoots later that year. It grew up into a decent size tree and produces some enormous fruit. They can be up to soccer ball size but have very thick skins to the point the fruit inside is closer in size to a lemon. It took years of research to find out what that tree was, but it seems to be a Cuban Shaddock. Apparently, that's a common root stock for producing dwarf grapefruit trees. So I guess it was the root stock that regrew after the original grafted portion died back from the freeze. I can see the point of the Shaddock being used as an ornamental tree, it is very interesting to look at and nothing seems to bother it.
I wonder if you could graft on some other citrus branches. Sounds like a hardy tree that would be a great host.
How far do the fruits travel when you kick them?
@@chriskucia8348 Never thought of that, but it might work. I should have tried that with my old lemon tree. That tree also seemed die back in the big freeze, but came back to life for several more decades until a year or two ago.
@@westrim Not very far. When one falls out of the tree, it hits with a loud thud, no bounce at all.
Very interesting|!
Thanks Lance. Anyone who can make grapefruit interesting for 15 mins or more deserves an award. g
😂🇧🇧I am 100% Barbadian and I thank you for this item🎤
Please kind sir...
Can you do one on the Barbados Cherry and Barbados Áloe Vera🤓🇧🇧
I recall in the 70's it was a thing to gift a box of oranges/grapefruit for Christmas.
Actually that is an old North American tradition rooted in Japanese culture! Oranges were already a popular stocking stuffer for the wealthy but when NW Canadians saw Japanese people receiving whole boxes of oranges, they were curious. It’s just a coincidence but the boxes of satsumas came in December & January, in preparation for Lunar New Year and because they were in season, and once white people tried them, whole boxes of import oranges became a Christmas trend in British Columbia & traveled to Japanese areas of California and on and on… We now have tracked down community holiday traditions that track back to every founding ethnic group in my town! And it’s so fun when recently immigrated Asian-American families realize they were represented in the old west!
My grandma's employer in the late '70s and early '80s would buy every employee a case of oranges for Christmas.
I loved those boxes. Another reason why life was magical from Thanksgiving until after new year.
Our school in Ontario, Canada sold boxes of oranges and/or grapefruit as a fundraising program around Christmas. I had forgotten all about it until I watched this video and read the comments. It certainly went on for a few years, but I can't remember how many. This would have been in the late 70's.
Are CYO basketball league ues to sell them as found raser in the 70s always sold out in upstate NY
Lemons are a man-made hybrid. Life never gave us lemons.
Yet we make lemonade...
We gave lemons life :3
We give ourselves lemons.
😂❤
Bbbbrilliant!!
I'm 75 years old and in a nursing home, and am taking many perscription drugs. I wondered why there was a note in my file "No Citrus" now I know.
Yep! A lot of blood pressure control drugs, Avoid Grapefruit! 😁 Amlodipine particullaly. In an effort to replace Amlodipine a mlot of research took place. There was an unexpeted side effect of the research. Now known as Viagra!
Grapefruit spikes my Gout condition.
Not even oranges?
G-d bless you sir, I hope you are doing well.
It is such a weird thing with the grapefruits! I hope they breed that out of it. I love grapefruit and all citrus. But it's good to know what's going on with it!
Our family always enjoyed Grapefruit by cutting them in half and the separating the quarters with a Grapefruit Knife and putting some honey on them. Enjoyed the unraveling of the rather complicated history of this fruit by the most capable History Guy.
Do I want to see a 16 minute video about grapefruits? Yes
My grandparents had a big pink grapefruit tree (and a supply of the infamous grapefruit spoons). They also had a lemon, a lime, a mandarin orange, and a pecan tree. All of this in a regular neighborhood backyard in Arizona. Across the street was a pomegranate tree. Us kids were always able to get a quick snack while playing.
Sounds lovely!
As far as I’m concerned the ONLY reason to leave Western Pennsylvania! Fresh nibbles!
When I was a kid in the 1950's an orange or grapefruit was a Christmas treat. Citrus was very expensive in Missouri and the season was short for being able to find them.
I remember this as well...Christmas stockings had apples, oranges, and a variety of nuts....thanks for the memory!
And it was a thing to gift a box of oranges/grapefruit at Christmas
A good friend bought (in 1939) 200 plus acres of Grapefruit Grove near Winter Garden, Fl. He ran that grove until his death a few years ago. He told me that they were called grapefruit because they grew in clusters, like grapes and having spent much time in those groves, It is plain to see the bunches. I've seen 8 on a stem. He was a walking Grapefruit Encyclopedia. I believe that Coca Cola bought his entire crop for years to be used in making Fresca. One could sit in the grove and watch Disney Fireworks nightly all summer.
I could tell Fresca had the potential to taste good but it was only offered with artificial sweetener, which ruined the taste. I wondered if there was a grapefuit flavored soda that was made with real sugar.
@@johnp2540 There used to be a grapefruit flavored Slice, but I haven't seen that brand in decades. Currently available are Ting (a Jamaican brand if I remember correctly), Jarritos (a Mexican brand, I've seen them labeled in English as "grapefruit" and also in Spanish as "pumpelmo") and San Pellegrino also makes a "pompelmo."
The Orlando area is too cold for citrus farming.
I grew up in ocoee. :)
@@johnp2540You might try Squirt
Citrus greening has devastated florida Citrus industry. Gone are the seemingly endless oceans of groves. It would be great if the history guy could do an episode on the florida citrus business.
When I was a boy, one of the suppliers to my father's business sent gifts of Florida oranges and Texas grapefruit at Yuletide. The arrival of these fruits was as much a harbinger of Christmas as strings of lights and candy-striped parking meters.
Growing up, we had grapefruit with breakfast, cut in half with of course sugar on top. We even had the special serrated spoons to get the sections out.
Ditto!
I remember that. We even had a curved knife to cut between the peel and the flesh.
Yes!! I still have some of those spoons ❤
Thanks for catching me up on the evolution of the grapefruit. I grew up in the southern San Joaquin Valley in California - one of those "desert valleys you made reference to. Along with many fruit and citrus trees in our backyard, we had a prolific yellow grapefuit tree. So I was raised on tree ripened fruit, and my palate is forever ruined for the green-picked, gassed, or radiated stuff passed off as fresh ripe fruit found in stores these days. So yeah, now that I live in Alaska, you don't find me buying grapefruit up here. I do enjoy what tree-ripened citrus that my friends and family send me for Christmas. Oh yes, I laughed at the diet part of grapefruit history. As a teen in the mid-seventies, I diligently followed The Grapefruit Juice Diet. Funny part is that I spent good money to buy cans of grapefruit juice instead of using all those lovely free grapefruits in my own backyard. What a silly kid! 😂
I went to school in Sarasota back in the late 1970’s . There was a grove stand that I could get fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. It was delicious.
I’ve also used grapefruit juice simmered down with sugar and fresh ginger to make a syrup. Once made you can keep it in the refrigerator until you use several tablespoons with chilled ginger ale. It makes a very refreshing drink that could even be tasty in a cocktail.
Sometimes, I make candied citrus peel which can be used to flavor dishes or just nibbled.
As a growing boy, I worked for my families citrus Grove. Grapefruit wasn't our most profitable variety, but it got me a lot of cool toys and helped me get through college. God bless Grapefruit!❤
Born in '69, my first memory is breakfast at my Grandmother's house, always, a medium boiled egg served with a smiley face in an egg cup with toast and orange juice or milk, always 1/2 grapefruit. I moved to FT. Lauderdale, shared a home with a grapefruit tree in the back yard.
I'm from Boston, one year my family all asked me to bring home the pink grapefruit. This was prior to 9/11 I filled my bags with grapefruit and borrowed clothes from my sisters.
I seriously should not be this excited when I see a video titled "the weird history of grapefruit" 😂
Apparently you saw that video where the lady put a hole in one?
Haha-i felt oddly the same way
Right! I clicked so fast 😂
Nothing better than a Texas Red grapefruit with breakfast.
My Folks had lived at Mission Texas. Through our years in Iowa, the X-mas boxes of Texas Red Grapefruit from the Future Farmers of America (FFA) was a tradition.
Wasn't that kind developed in an atomic garden?
I miss Texas white grapefruit
A great history! I love grapefruit and did not know it had fallen in popularity so much. I remember growing up with all of the special tools to eat them. Spoons that were serrated on their ends and knives that were narrow and serrated and bent on the ends. Probably many other special grapefruit tools were made that I’ve not seen.
The reason Americans stopped eating it because our doctors tells us that it interfers with our medication.
That came to mind with me as well
I love grapefruit and grapefruit juice but I can't eat or drink it because I'm on statins.....
Haven’t been able to have it in over twenty years, and have to check anything that contains citrus.
So we could replace our statin drugs with grapefruit….🧐
@@winschmitt4919Yes! Do anything to get off statins.
I've always wondered why Grapefruit was forbidden when taking certain medications. I only knew it had something to do with an enzyme which messes with the dosing. Grapefruits are one of my favourite foods. However, I couldn't eat one for years because of my medication. I'm so glad I don't take that anymore and the first thing I did was buy some grapefruits after ceasing use. I just peel them like an orange. It's a grab and go super snack. And they taste so delicious. Thank you Barbados for this delicious creation.
Well, I just wrote "grapefruit" on my shopping list, thanks to you
Me too though I have one in my fridge right now. A big ruby red
Fascinating! I know that citrus grows well in Safety Harbor, with some of the best lemons and limes ever, but I've never tried planting grapefruit.
I loved the soda pop called SQUIRT. YOU COULD SEE PIECES OF GRAPEFRUIT FLOATING IN THE BOTTLE WHEN YOU SHOOK IT UP. IT ONLY HAD 10 OUNCES, SO I USUALLY HAD THE 12 OUNCES OF RC, ROYAL CROWN COLA AND A MOON PIE. Later in life blood pressure medicine and SQUIRT caused a rise in body temperature.
Love vanquishes time. To lovers, a moment can be eternity, eternity can be the tick of a clock.
High school groups used to sell boxes of citrus from Florida for fundraisers. You could order grapefruit or oranges.
Our local FFA still does, I buy a box every year
When a doctor told my Dad not to drink grapefruit juice, because it would increase the potency of his medication, Dad asked: "Why don't I just take a smaller dose?"
no because that would make sense and doctors need to pad their pockets from the drug companies for giving out their drugs
Be afraid of the citrus!!!! Eat more pharmaceuticals!!!!
@@marvthedog1972nailed it
I agree to a limit. What you posted is true of some doctors/medical field. But I worked years with those doctors who ordered what was best for their patients & had magna trouble with insurances & pharmaceuticals. Both BIG lobbyists in politics. 😟😠
Well because you have no way of knowing how much to reduce the dose, or in other words, standardizing the grapefruit to drug ratio, especially because maybe the grapefruit you're eating is more or less potent than some other grapefruit.
Super interesting episode, thank you so much for sharing! I’d also thoroughly enjoy hearing a backstory of where you even came up with the idea to make an episode on grapefruit. I think that in and of itself would be a good story!
The hotter and longer the hot season, the more sugar the grapefruits produce. The absolute BEST grapefruit we ever tried, we found at a roadside stand in far south Texas. These ruby red grapefruit were huge, sweet, juicy, and flavorful. I've never had their like anywhere else.
"Barbados" was named this way due to the waves breaking on the offshore reefs, which made it look like the island had a white "beard".
Thanks, history guy! Two takeaways for me: 1) I learned grapefruit enhances the metabolization of medication. 2) I’m craving the taste of grapefruit. My dad used to love it; ate it almost every day at breakfast.
In Japan (Kochi Prefecture) they have a citrus fruit that looks just about identical to grapefruit... maybe it is grapefruit? But they peel the outer skin off, separate the sections, and then PEEL EACH SECTION. That inner skin or membrane is extremely bitter, but once it is peeled off the remaining "cells" part is quite sweet and needs no additional sugar. They call this fruit "buntan," as I recall.
Good morning History Guy and everyone watching...
Shut up
As a 62 year old person that grew up in Pennsylvania, I visited Florida as an older adult many times. I knew a place where wild grapefruits were ripe, in March, when I was there. You can't even imagine how much better a wild grapefruit tastes than a store bought one. Totally different "animal"!
I grew up surrounded by grapefruit groves in central Florida. It actually snowed when I was four years old. The citrus only gets sweeter from a freeze. Unfortunately those miles of trees have since been replaced by suburbs.
And killed by HuaLongBing (Greening). Monoculture works for the logistics of industrial agriculture (especially juice factories), but is ecologically a terrible idea. Pests come in and wipe everything out.
I love the fact that there is never hyperbole or bait and switch with this channel. Weird it is! Thanks, Lance. Hope you are at peace.
One thing I find weird is that wine made from the grape Sauvignon Blanc, is that it's bouquet often has hints of grapefruit.
My grandma introduced me to grapefruit in the 1970s. She had a set of grapefruit spoons which were spoons with small teeth on the tip. I think we still have them. She would put sugar on them and eat them for breakfast.
Let us not forget the slightly serrated tipped spoon for eating this fruit,,, the grapefruit spoon! Love the show. I’ve been eating grapefruit for over 50 years and still love them!
I never had any of those fancy spoons. I always used a knife to free the fruit sections and then use a teaspoon to fish them out to feed my face.
In Texas you can find small outdoor markets that sell sweet red grapefruit and other treats from the Rio Grande valley. They're usually much cheaper and better than what you would find in super markets. Every growing season I buy cartons of red grapefruit, juice them, and add about 50% +/- Topo Chico sparkling water. It's nothing like the stuff you get in containers, and makes a good mix with black rum.
I'm 68 and have always loved and eaten Grapefruit (especially the Texas Ruby Red). As a child, we were gixen a Grapefruit in our Christmas Stocking and I would eat Grapefruit whenever I had a chance. But due to the Medications my Doctors have me on now, I'm not "allowed" to have ANY Grapefruit now.
Yeah, I love grapefruit but my doctors must be related to yours.
The mechanism of how Grapefruit effects certain medications is fascinating as Grapefruit causes you're metabolism of the drugs to halt thus making them even more potent cauing overdose so you'd technically need less medicine as long it's accompanied with Grapefruit! There's a Bigpharma agenda against Grapefruit!
my momma used to feed me a grapefruit for breakfast every saturday in the 1990s. it was a treat because she poured a spoonful of brown sugar onto the cut in half fruit and loosened it from the rind with a knife so
i could scoop it out with my spoon. it was like breakfast dessert candy!😅 i eat grapefruit without extra sugar now but occasionally i will still pour a spoon of brown sugar onto it. Awwww the memories.
Grapefruit soda and Jamaican overproof rum are an excellent drink on a hot day. Especially if you add some fresh grapefruit juice
Makes me miss visiting my Grandparents house in Florida in the 70's. They had so many different citrus trees you couldn't get out of having some sort of fruit with every meal.
Every gift from a friend is a wish for your happiness.
Boy, I can still see the 5 cases of 6,
1 Gallon Glass Jars in my Grandma's Kitchen.
All Pink Grapefruit ready to eat, w/NO preservatives.
She kept Grandpop, and herself heathy well into the 1970s.
You didn't eat there, without getting a large bowl of cold grapefruit
as some part of the meal.
65 cents for a 1 gallon jar, all the way from Ruby River, Florida. Amazing!
Please do a show about Quince!! It is another fascinating but almost forgotten fruit! And it’s too bad, because it is quite delicious.
Thanks!
Thank you!
The homes in Fort Lauderdale built in the 50's and 60's commonly had grapefruit, orange, mango and banana trees adoring their lawns. The pink grapefruit was my favorite.
Love your videos, presentation style, topic choices... and the bow tie.
Growing up in Nova Scotia in the 70's, every Christmas stocking had an orange in the toe. The older folks said it was because they never got oranges, or citrus in general, unless someone found a crate of it washed up on shore. Definition of a windfall, or a blessing. No sense fretting about what happened to the ship. Practical folk live on the shores of our planet.
There's a small hit product making good sales in America, the "Finnish long drink", an alcoholic beverage that's a mix of grapefruit fizz and gin.
I am in Pinellas FL right now, near Safety Harbor….we used to have grape fruit and orange tress everywhere….disease, building development, and lack of desire for grapefruit has all but wiped out our trees.
Yea that and insane cloning and monoculture. If you grew from seed you’d not be trying to grow a tree that sprouted over 50 years ago. The bugs have been adapting while you stay stuck in the past. You have to grow from seeds or watch your clones all die eventually.
A popular naturopathic preparation made with glycerin and grapefruit seed oil is used by many people to help bolster the immune system during an infection.
This needs to be followed by a history of breadfruit; and while I may be well known for making jokes here, this is not one of them. Breadfruit was once very serious business.
It still is a staplefood in certain parts of Africa and maybe SE Asia if I recall correctly.
@@johnjingleheimersmith9259, It was widely distributed and imported/exported as food for plantations and slave colonies.
Fun fact: Breadfruit caused the mutiny on the Bounty.
@@gemmeldrakes2758 , I had a vague recollection of that, historically....
I eat grapefruit one or two grapefruit daily mostly because it’s a low calorie fruit which adds some variety from savoury foods as well as a bit of fibre to my diet. Thanks for this video, it’s interesting to know the fruit’s history - only 300 years old!
I have two 'Cocktail' pumello citrus trees and one 'Tahitian' pumello citrus tree. They are amazing.
I should have learned by now that whenever The History Guy posts a video, and at first the topic that may leave you lukewarm about watching, it's an absolute must to click on it, because they never disappoint! And it was certainly was case with me regarding grapefruit, I finally watched the video and a lot of "oh wow" moments were experienced.
In addition to the reasons mentioned I think the American palette in particular has switched heavily to preferring sweeter foods and grapefruits kind of bitter taste isnt agreeable for many people now
This was an excellent segment, HG!
When we went to Sorrento Italy and visited the lemon orchards, I was shocked to find that their lemons are larger than the biggest grapefruit.
I read once in a science magazine that adding salt to grapefruit juice helps to counterbalance the bitterness and sourness.
Good coverage. I think you also produced an episode about the pineapple, which is neither a pine or an apple. If not, that would be a good follow-on.
Whenever something negative happens to you, there is a deep lesson concealed within it.
The tangelo, a cross between grapefruit and tangerine requires a frost to begin it's change from green to orange. My grapefruit trees in varying places within the North Island of NZ all survive frost and are prolific fruiters.
sweetened tangelo juice with ice is just divine :P
In the 1960's we often had half a grapefruit for breakfast. My mother so believed in grapefruit that we has special spoons to use to scoop out the fruit between the sections. The spoons had serrated edge on the tip to make it easier to push into the fruit.
I remember when l was a kid my grandma had special, antique grapefruit spoons. They were smaller and flatter than normal spoons and little serrations on one edge. I haven't seen one in years.
Yep. My mom did also. Late 60's early 70's. About once a month she would serve us Grapefruit for breakfast. As soon as she died, that practice (and the half-serrated spoons) went goodbye.
@@gusloader123 👍
That's around the same time as me. 1968ish...
But even then she called em antiques.
Neat to think about.
Haven't thought about Grandma's grapefruit spoons in 50yrs!
That's what I like about this channel...
They show up in thrift stores.
@@Erewhon2024 Yes they do.
But they get fewer and fewer .
I miss them good ol'days
Grapefruit is something that i might not appreciate as a kid but when i grow up , i appreciate this citrus more
I love the stuff but was warned about the pharmaceutical thing. When we first introduced our toddler, now age 32, he loved it and called it "grapefood."
Fantastic knowledge, truly grateful for your channel and the obvious loving effort behind it .
Cost is my reason for reduced grapefruit consumption.
Maybe less drug consumption and more grapefruit would be healthier?
Easy to say if you don’t have a debilitating disease that the medication relieves or prevents from worsening.
MAHA and MAGA
Drugs as in medication, you silly billy. Medication that keeps people alive.
@@Call-me-AlIf you are talking statins, if 3000 men between 50 and 60 take statins, instead of 3 having an insident, 2 will. So one in 3000 saved from an incident, not death. Now look up the many side effects of statins like diabetes and dementia. Not to mention deaths.
I always have grapefruit juice in the fridge and the price has doubled over the last few years. Luckily I'm the only one who likes it, so I don't go through that much like I would if the kids liked it too.
I tend to think that the reason why grapefruits are not as popular today as they were in the early 1970's, the 60's, and the 50's, is that the flavor of today's grapefruits is not as good today. I remember eating delicious "white-fleshed" grapefruit (Marsh White variety - actually light yellow in color). These were sold in supermarkets side by side with pink grapefruits. The white ones were much tastier. Also over the years grapefruits began having less and less seeds. In the 1950's they had maybe 20 seeds each. Most seeds were clustered around the center of the halved fruit and were easily removed with one's spoon. Not sure why growers began growing cultivars with less seeds. The seeds were never any sort of problem. In fact I think the varieties with more seeds tasted better than the less-seeded varieties. I'm pretty sure the reason for pink and red varities becomeing popular is that people prefer the way they look. They never taste as good.
I was a history channel junkie until they by way of reality shows. So happy this channel is here to feed my addiction. 😂
I often try to find the sweet red variety, but the stores around here usually just have the types usually eaten with sugar on top, a deal breaker for me.
My Grandparents ate a grapefruit for breakfast but it had to be the South Texas Ruby Red which they claim was sweeter than the other varieties grown else where
Totally agree!
Your grandparents were epicureans.
Absolutely true! It was all I ate for years! Yummmm!!
I only eat Ruby Reds from the Rio Grande Valley, best around Christmas when they are at their peak sweetness. But instead of sugar, I like a sprinkling of salt on them. It brings out their flavor.
Hearing you refer to sweet oranges as “china oranges” was enlightening to me. In the Dominican Republic they refer to bitter oranges as naranjas, however, sweet oranges are called “chinas”. Now I know why. 3:38
Grapefruit cannot be eaten while on Atorvastatin, a heart medication. Wipes out about 2-3 generations of those(including myself) who love grapefruit but cannot have it any more.
Atorvastatin is a drug to reduce cholesterol.
I love Grapefruit. So underrated.
Many patients, myself included, stopped eating grapefruit because it interacts badly with some prescription medications I take. As those medications became more widely used, those patients had to stop eating grapefruit.
I absolutely love Grapefruit! You have to peel the thin skins to avoid the bitterness!
When I was in Haiti, 35 years ago, we drank a grapefruit drink with Haitian rum. T'was good! Dang! It was called "she-deck" pronunciation wise. Now I know why! After 63 years, finally, my past makes sense. Thanks, history guy!
I pretty much quit buying grapefruit after several doctors told me not to eat them saying they were bad for various reasons but never really gave any of those reasons. Now, years later, I don't see them very often in the stores here. I see various oranges, lemons, limes, and mangos that are brought up from FL or South America, but grapefruit is rare lately. The few stores that do sell them are expensive and are selling them individually not by the bag like they do most oranges and other citrus fruit.
I have been trying to eat more lately, and this was great timing. I live in the Area they grow Rio Grande red, but I do prefer golden grapefruits often. Awesome Video!!
Like many Florida kids, I grew up in the early 70s with a grapefruit tree in the yard, providing not just fresh breakfast fruit, but hours of entertainment watching drunk mockingbirds. IYKYN!
I suspect another reason for the decline in popularity is the shift in tastes to a sweeter & sweeter diet; we have become a nation of toddlers.
Think I'll pick up some fresh grapefruit tonight 🤔 thanks History Guy!
Your features are so well made; I have never been disappointed. I try to watch every new one I see. The Chicken one is still my favorite.
I have been on certain medications for so long that I can only dream of being able to eat just one.
I’ve even made a statement to my doctor that I will be eating a grapefruit and she was shocked that I would be thinking about eating one.
She didn’t say anything about only having one but I am thinking about how much I can eat before my medication is effected?
Ahh, I want to get a grapefruit, cut it in half and put each half in two bowls, sprinkle with sugar and let it sit overnight. Oh the memories.
You made my mouth water! 💦
I remember as a kid in the 1960's my Mom serving us halves of Grapefruit. She cut around the outside of the sections, sprinkled some sugar on it and we ate quite a bit over the years. We even had "Grapefruit Spoons" serrated specially. Surprisingly enough, that was in Texas and I didn't see a Ruby Red until the late 70's!
I love it when the History Guy does food videos. I bought a black currant plant after he did a history of black currants a while back.
Reminds me of when people were cutting thru my property, making bare paths. I planted blackberry bushes and put a stop to that.
@@edmartin875 And I suppose you got blackberries, so that sounds like a win! I have raspberries and blueberries already, can't wait to get some currants.
In the early’60s every Sunday after church my mother would serve us a half grapefruit, no sugar but sectioned along with eggs Benedict. I still drink grapefruit juice today. The type with no sugar added.
Weird. I was just in St Augustine and saw these fruits growing in clusters on a plant I didn't recognize. Now I know they are Seaside Grapes. It was also near the pirate museum. And all good stories involve pirates. Yarp.
I already loved grapefruit, but it's history is yet another reason to adore the fruit.
My great grandma used to give us each a half grapefruit in a bowl with sugar and a spoon for a breakfast appetizer whenever we visited her.