Professor Produce

Would you research whether imported organic produce would or would not be irradiated? "Mangos from Brazil, papayas from the Philippines, and all imported fruits and vegetables that might carry fruit flies can now be irradiated for sale in U.S. markets" (from Livingnutrition.com). -Mary, Crystal

The key word in that quote you provided, Mary, is "can." The U.S. government does not require the irradiation of any imported produce, and as far as I can tell, no bills are in the works to make irradiation compulsory. The above statement simply reads as someone's recommendation for irradiation as an answer to food safety concerns, not an assertion that irradiating produce is now mandatory.

To ease fears, let me remind all organic food shoppers that organic produce undergoes a different set of procedures from conventional produce when entering the country. Many types of imported, conventional produce must be fumigated, but organic produce is always separated from those shipments. This has been the practice for years and it remains an integral part of the USDA National Organic Program. By the USDA's own definition of the term, after all, certified organic food may not be irradiated.

I have been very much enjoying the lovely grapefruit available at the Wedge right now! I have noticed, however, that some of them are easy to peel and eat like an orange, while others are not - the skin of the sections is tough and fibrous. Is there a way to tell which grapefruits are which before peeling or cutting them? -Jennette, St. Paul

I have this re-occurring dream: Texas and Florida declare war on one another to determine, once and for all, which state grows the better grapefruit. No, California, you sit down and cool your heels, little one. Your pommelos and oro blancos won't stand up to the Big Dogs in this fight. And in my apocalyptic dream, I see volleys of Rio Stars and Marsh Rubies lobbing over the Gulf of Mexico into the Indian River, answered by return salvos of Duncans and Flames soaring in tangy trajectories from Ft. Lauderdale into the Rio Grande Valley. A war whose fatalities are measured in sugar contents and relative acidity. Mmmm...

But back to your question. No. There's really no good way to tell from the outside if one grapefruit is easier to peel than another. Too many variables play into the equation, so the best thing to do is ask a produce worker to cut a grapefruit so you can see for yourself what's happening in there, since, even within one shipment, one can see a variety of peel sizes and density. This is because grapefruit usually gets picked too early to mature properly. And this is because fruit-freak yankees like you are so irrationally preoccupied with grapefruits.

Though I can't speak confidently about peel density or the ease of denuding one's fruit, I can say that the keys to growing the sweetest grapefruit are high humidity and warm nights (in other words, a tropical, coastal climate), and letting the fruit tree-ripen thoroughly yields a juicier crop. Perhaps sweeter, juicier grapefruit would mean less fibrous grapefruit, too? March and April are the months in which to buy the best fruit according to the grapefruit snobs I knew in Texas. White grapefruits by necessity must stay on the tree longer than red varieties, so they tend to be sweeter and juicier (Marsh Rubies from Texas are the Professor's personal faves). Are whites easier to peel than reds? Are juicy fruits easier to peel than drier, fibrous fruits?

Dang it. Suddenly I'm the one asking questions. Hey, as long as you're paralyzed in a humiliating headlock of grapefruit addiction, Jennette, why not do some research for us here at Professor Produce Laboratories? Let us know at the end of the season if sweetness and peelability are grapefruit corollaries, or if late season is better than early season fruit.

And while you're at it, settle once and for all the burning question: "Texas or Florida?"