Trouble finding Florida oranges in Florida

[Kestas]

Our family has property in So. Florida, and I've been vacationing there twice a year for the past 30 years.

It seems every time I go to the Publix, or some other store, they never have oranges from Florida. Wanting to stock up on oranges for myself and friends for the drive back back home, this time I asked my neighbors to point out a good place to buy fruit. They showed me a good local market that had honeybell oranges for a good price. I'm familiar with honeybells from previous mailorders, and was thinking "yum!" After stocking up and bringing them home, I saw the labels had some information that included "CA". A google search indicated these oranges are from California! I was rather disappointed. Why don't the grocers in Florida sell Florida oranges?

 

[440Magnum]

Haven't the Florida citrus groves been decimated by disease (and development) over the past 30-40 years? I know that the area cultivated is way, way down from the 60s and 70s, and there are diseases at work, too. IIRC Florida dropped from being the #1 citrus producer a long time ago, and may now have been passed by both California and Texas.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/business/green-disease-squeezes-floridas-citrus-industry/nTyfC/

 

[HyundaiGuy]

Try one of the roadside stands or citrus stores.

 

[HTSS_TR]

I'm from CA, I think Florida and Texas oranges are better/sweater. I never hear of "Honeybell Orange".

 

[heyu]

It's probably because hscitrus.com brings them all up north ,I have no prob getting Florida oranges here in Ohio Dec-Mar,They bring endless amounts up to Ky,Ind,Oh every year,Peaches are coming up soon and they are the best

 

[ctrcbob]

Season for honeybells (real name is Mineola tangelo) is February. Great for eating but they are not good keepers. Buy a bushel and half of them will go bad by the time you get back home up north.

True. I bring Florida Navel oranges to my friends in New Mexico and they always tell me that they taste better than the navels they get from California.

A few years ago while in France in September, I saw "Mineola oranges for sale. Said to myself "these are Honeybells but September is not the season". The crates said "RSA". Yep, from the Republic of South Africa.

When I can't get Honeybells, I buy Navels or Honey Tangerines (real name Mercott).

 

[WishIhadatruck]

My parents were in Texas a few years back and discovered that they could only get CA fruit (grapefruit I believe) because the trucking unions had made a deal that all the TX fruit had to go out of state, same in CA. So to buy TX fruit they would have had to go to CA. Crazy.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: WishIhadatruck
My parents were in Texas a few years back and discovered that they could only get CA fruit (grapefruit I believe) because the trucking unions had made a deal that all the TX fruit had to go out of state, same in CA. So to buy TX fruit they would have had to go to CA. Crazy.

I bought many CA grow fruits, strawberry + grapefruit + orange ..., at local groceries and they actually advertise "CA grown".

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: WishIhadatruck
My parents were in Texas a few years back and discovered that they could only get CA fruit (grapefruit I believe) because the trucking unions had made a deal that all the TX fruit had to go out of state, same in CA. So to buy TX fruit they would have had to go to CA. Crazy.


I live in Texas, and I think there must have been some other reason. My wife buys Texas Ruby Red grapefruit at HEB and (HEB-owned) Central Market all the time- except when completely out of season. Same for certain oranges. There's a lot of union screwiness in the world, don't get me wrong. I just don't believe THAT story based on personal experience.

 

[tom slick]

Once in awhile I see TX grapefruit but usually all citrus is CA grown unless it's out of season, then it's from Chile. If I'm looking for Oro Blanco or Mello Gold it's always CA.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Just recently was at the Publix at 5TH and Alton in Miami Beach and another one in North Broward off I-95..Both did not have Florida Oranges.

 

[zzyzzx]

Probably out of season in FL when you are there. Most things are only in season for a relatively short period of time.