The Death & Rebirth Of The Duncan Grapefruit

[Millet]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/dining/florida-duncan-grapefruit.html?_r=2

[Citradia]

Great story, Millet. I remember watching my grandfather eating half a grapefruit for breakfast every morning when I was a child growing up in Bradenton , FL, just south of Tampa. The grapefruit grandpa ate was white and as a child, I thought it was bitter and didn't like it. Grandpa was born there in Palmetto, and I bet the grapefruit he ate was Duncan. There was a lot of old citrus trees around there in all my families' back yards. It's distressing to think of those old tree's dying from greening disease.

[countryboy1981]

The best grapefruit i have ever tasted was growing wild in the canaveral national seashore.  It was white amd seeded and most lilely duncan.  I have been searchimg for duncan trees but all they are selling is the ruby red here in AL.

[Tom]

Great article. Thank you !!

[Millet]

I planted a grapefruit in the ground in 2014.  I could not find a Duncan, so I planted the next best thing (in my opinion) a white Marsh grapefruit.  I remember Dr. Malcolm Manners once wrote that the best grapefruit he ever ate was a Marsh that he picked off a 25 year old tree.  I also at times purchase red grapefruit from the market, and they are OK but don't have the old time grapefruit taste,.   

[brettay]

Great article!  I recently grafted Duncan to sour orange rootstock.  I know grapefruit generally need more heat than I have here in northern CA however I always enjoy experimenting and pushing the limits.  It will be interesting to see how well the Duncan does here on a vigorous rootstock when left to hang on the tree for a very long time.  I have heard grapefruit can hang on the tree for 2+ years.

-Brett

[Millet]

Grapefruit are sweeter when grown in sticky humid locations with high heat, because high humid climates have little change in day/night temperatures.

[Waiting]

Hmmmm.... I guess I'll have to give the 40 year old Duncan tree growing inmy mother's back yard a little more respect. Still won't be gorging on the fruit, though. it's not to my taste.

[Cyan]

Thanks for this article, really nice to hear about the young farmer taking a grapefruit and squeezing it on his grandfather's grave, that's real dedication and respect to his roots.   We used to eat white grapefruit growing up, everyone put sugar on it, and I didn't like the sugar part. Farmers are telling me that people here in So Cal are asking for white grapefruit at Farmers Markets.