Grapefruit
- Subject: Grapefruit
- From: R* S*
- Date: Sat, 06 Oct 2001 04:37:48 -0700
A request fro New Zealand members:
While visiting on the North Island in October two years ago, I stayed on
a farm in Coromandel where the owner had some grapefruit trees that had
very sweet fruit. I was wondering what variety of grapefruit that was
likely to be. It would be nice to be able to grow it here in rather
coolish-summered Bay Area Califorania. Most grapefruit require lots of
heat to produce sweet fruit. I understand that northern New Zealand
only gets about 700 heat units per year (as opposed to around 1700 in
southern California, or 3700 in Florida). HEre in northern California
is grown a grapefruit variety, Oro Blanco (which is supposed to be a
cross between a grapefruit and Pumello) which is sweet, but very thick
skinned. Perhaps it was my faulty memory, but the New Zealand
grapefruit I tasted was very sweet, but also having a very "grapefruity"
taste (enough acid?). A U.C. Davis webpage referred to "the New
Zealand grapefruit ( a pummelo mandarin hybrid)", as if there were only
one variety. When a Kiwi says "grapefruit", is he refering to this
tangello, or to what we americans call grapefruit? On a New Zealand
homestore website I saw reference to Wheeny and Golden Special
varieties, the latter being better for "cooler" climates. I don't know
in New Zealand terms, which areas would be "cooler climates." Is the
Coromandel climate quite warm, perhaps?
