Florida is known for having some of the best citrus in the world. Nearly 80% of citrus is grown and shipped from Florida because of our wonderful climate. Even though citrus is a major crop in Florida, it was not a native fruit. Historians believe that the first citrus was brought to Florida in 1513 by Ponce de Leon and his men. In the Sunshine State we have tropical weather where the temperature doesn’t get drastically cold at night — even in the winter.

Picking the best Florida Citrus

There are a few indicators that can help you pick the right fruit based on the looks alone. While we all have a preference as to what citrus we like, it’s a good idea to know which fruit is better based on looks.

Light Colored – some of the better varieties of citrus are the peels that appear to be lighter in color. Our Florida oranges are not picked until they’ve been tree-ripened to perfection.

Green Fruit – green fruit is not always the best indicator as the fruit could still be fully ripened inside. Sometimes as an orange is ripening on the tree it turns green as the chlorophyll rushes to the peel of the fruit. As the fruit fully ripens it is common to see this happen.

Which Florida citrus you shouldn’t buy

Citrus that is contained inside an air-tight container should never be bought. The moisture contained inside the fruit will escape into the container, thus causing mold to develop. At Davidson Brothers we have special containers that allow our fruit to breathe as to not cause this issue.

We hope that with a little guidance you can make the educated decision on what type of citrus you should buy in the future.