This is a cross-section (at its equator) of a grapefruit I purchased this past week. It tasted o.k., but I've never encountered one with such a thick rind. A brief Google suggests that this may arise from improper fertilization. Anyone have experience/knowledge - and any way to detect this condition in a store before getting it home?
Citrus should be heavy for its size. Rind is much lighter than juicy pulp.
ReplyDeleteI agree. The citrus that is heavier is jucieg, i.e. less rind.
Deletethirded. Citrus that is heavy for it's size will have more and juicier pulp.
DeleteThat resembles a pomelo more than a grapefruit. Similar flesh, but a noticeably thicker rind than grapefruit. http://thymeflies.blogspot.com/2009/02/they-call-me-pomelo-yellow.html
ReplyDeleteMy wife raised that possibility as well. It was orange in color on the outside and in the grapefruit bin (but could have been misfiled by a grocery store stocker). I wonder if they can be orange.
DeleteYou'd know by the taste if it was a pomelo, they're very different from a grapefruit. Pomelos do offer a potential way to hunt out any thick rinded fruits in future. It may just be my imagination but when you handle a pomelo you can feel the way it's very soft and lacks give, I think because a thin rind will stretch when you deform the fruit and a thick rind simple absorbs the force.
DeleteGood tip. Tx, anon.
DeleteSorta the ultimate "when life gives you lemons": Mom, being a good New Englander, would candy such thick rinds of oranges and grapefruit. Watermelon pickle needs thicker rinds, too.
ReplyDeleteI as just going to say the same thing! Now I want candy rinds.
DeleteWe grow citrus (lemons, orange, mandarins, kumquats) in our yard. I'm thinking it might be too much fertilizer.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it can be felt a piece of citrus- a bit more give to the rind when pressed may indicate more fruit and less rind.
I've always heard that too little water will make the rind thick. Was the pulp as juicy as you might expect? If not, there's a possibility. Nothing you can do about it, of course. :)
ReplyDeleteNow if someone can share the best method of making sure you get a good watermelon, I'd be interested! That's very frustrating for me. I know, first world problems...
It's either a sign of an improper fertilization or improper lighting spectrum while growing. While flowering if the plant didn't get enough red spectrum light and instead was heavy in the green spectrum then the plant continues focusing on absorbing nitrate while ignoring other necessary nutrients, this causes it to continue building plant mass instead of bearing fruit.
ReplyDeleteSince it's a lack of potassium and other necessary nitrates it could just also be underfed.
Now that citrus is in short supply I have the produce clerk cut a slice before I will buy. Recently he sampled 3 oranges and he had to admit they were not good enough. So many orchards were devastated by recent weather events that I doubt we will see the quality fruit again anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the grapefruit from my tree - a tree which, for the record, I neither water nor fertilize. The fruit tastes fine, but not sure I'd want to pay for it.
ReplyDeleteAnother tip (from the tree owner): fruits weigh less than their size would suggest, just as an ounce of rind fills more space than an ounce of juice.
ReplyDeleteThank you to all. Next time in the store I'll seek out the heaviest-for-size one (and perhaps the lightest-for-size one for comparison.)
ReplyDeleteCan't remember if it's like picking oranges, but look for a thick knobby rind (though as you found, it can be too thick)and smell the stem end. You can't really go by color as they artificially ripen them for shipping. Thinner rinds can be less sweet no matter the variety of citrus fruit. Watermelon can be thumped, listen for a hollow sound, have a deep yellow spot where it rested on the ground, and SMELL THE STEM! Cantaloupes should have a deep color with heavy ridges. The stem should smell like the fruit, again, and if it's really ripe, you can shake it and the seeds will rattle in a gooshy manner. You can let cantaloupe ripen a little on top of the refrigerator, if necessary, and watch out for soft spots, that's a bad fruit. My husband worked as a fruit inspector for the state of California one summer at weigh stations and they have a strict policy on what will pass so we know what to look for now!
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