We hope
everyone will take advantage of Thursday’s predicted warm temperatures to come
out for our weekly fresh fruit and vegetable market, Pathfinder Produce, at the
Village Commons from 2 to 5 p.m. We offer great produce at very competitive
prices ... as the old commercial used to say, “Try it, you’ll like it!”
Pathfinder
Produce offers fruits and veggies seasonally, and it's nice to see the citrus
fruits coming to us again. The sweet oranges and tangy grapefruits are
personal favorites, and the Vitamin C they provide offers a boost to the immune
system during the cold and flu season.
Grapefruits
are the result of an accidental cross between the Jamaican sweet orange, and the
Indonesian pomelo, and were first cultivated in Barbados in the 1700s. A
Captain Shaddock of the East India Company is thought to have brought the
pomelo seeds to the Caribbean in 1698 – another example of cultural exchange
during the Age of Exploration. The fruit was first described in the Rev.
Griffith Hughes’ “Natural History of Barbados,” (1750) and was then called the
“forbidden fruit.” According to worldwidewords.org
the grapefruit was called “forbidden” as Hughes and other gentlemen scholars of
the day were searching for the identity of the Tree of Good and Evil mentioned
in the Book of Genesis. During the 1800s, the fruit was sometimes
referred to as the shaddock.
In 1823,
Count Odette Phillipe brought the seeds from the Bahamas to
Florida. The modern name came about as grapefruits grow in clusters,
resembling bunches of grapes. It wasn't until the late 19th century that
grapefruit became a large scale commercial crop, and I suspect that the advent
of practical refrigerated railway cars in the 1870-80s helped it gain a
foothold in northern states.
Pink
grapefruit was first grown in 1906, a hybrid developed by the Atwood Grapefruit
Company, which at the time was the world's largest producer. From there,
other hybrids were grown which led to the development of the Ruby Red variety
in 1929. Today, the U.S. is the top producer of grapefruit, with Texas
and Florida being the main areas where it is grown; other top producers include
China and South Africa. More historical facts are at this site: http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch63.html
.
For some of
us, grapefruit actually is forbidden: Many new pharmaceuticals are
adversely affected by grapefruit consumption, especially statin drugs used to
lower cholesterol (atorvastatin, lovastatin, or simvastatin). Grapefruit
contains a chemical called bergamottin, which blocks the enzymes that breakdown
the statins for transport throughout the body. If grapefruit is taken at the
same time as the drug, it can actually cause toxic levels of the statins to
accumulate, which can cause damage to muscles, liver and kidneys.
Grapefruit is so potent, this toxic build up can happen through even a single
dose.
Grapefruit
also interacts with other oral medications that rely on enzyme action to be
introduced into the bloodstream; you should consult with your doctor or
pharmacist before eating grapefruit to make sure it’s safe. This link, bigthink.com/neurobonkers,
has a list of other drugs that shouldn't be taken with grapefruit products.
However, if
you aren't taking these medicines, eating grapefruit can actually help lower
LDL (bad) cholesterol, according to The
World's Healthiest Foods website. Grapefruit contains pectin, a soluble
fiber that slows down the progression of atherosclerosis. Researchers from
Hebrew University studied groups of participants who added either red
grapefruit, white grapefruit or no grapefruit to their daily diets. The results
showed that both red and white grapefruit lower LDL cholesterol in 30 days: total
cholesterol by 15.5% in those eating red grapefruit and 7.6% in those eating
white grapefruit; LDL cholesterol by 20.3% and 10.7% respectively; and
triglycerides by 17.2% and 5.6% respectively. No changes were seen in the
control group (those that didn't eat any grapefruit).
The
World's Healthiest Foods also recommends grapefruit for its high Vitamin C
content, other antioxidants, and lycopene, found in red and pink varieties,
which may help prevent prostate cancer in men. Grapefruit is also rich in
phytonutrients called limonoids, which are believed to slow tumor formation by
increasing the efficacy of the liver's functions to flush toxic compounds from
the body.
Until next
time, be well, and we hope to see you at this Thursday’s Pathfinder Produce!
Lori
