DID YOU KNOW...The Ruby Red Grapefruit Originated in the RGV?

By Dr. Kimberly Selber
Photos Courtesy of Margaret H. McAllen Memorial Archives at the Museum of South Texas History

Grapefruits, with their zesty tang and succulent flesh, have become a breakfast staple across many homes. But did you know that their journey, from the obscure realms of the West Indies to the heart of Texas—the Rio Grande Valley—is as tantalizing as their flavor?

Known initially as “the forbidden fruit,” it was a keen-eyed Jamaican farmer who noticed its grape-like clusters and christened it the “grapefruit.” By 1823, the fruit found its way to American shores, thanks to either Spanish or French settlers in Florida. Its journey continued to South Texas, possibly escorted by Spanish missionaries.

TEXAS’ CITRUS VISIONARY

In Texas, the grapefruit narrative really began in 1893 with the planting of the fruit’s white variety, later joined by its pink sibling. The game-changer, however, was John H. Shary. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Shary, often hailed as the “Father of the Citrus Industry,” recognized the vast potential of the fruit.

Envisioning a prosperous citrus industry for Texas, he married his passion for the fruit with pioneering irrigation techniques. In a bold move in 1914, Shary acquired a sprawling 16,000 acres, transforming the brushland into thriving orchards bearing seeded white grapefruit.

A SERENDIPITOUS RED

Back in the 1920s, the Rio Grande Valley was known as onion country. Not surprisingly, the first commercial citrus shipments making their way from the Lower Rio Grande Valley were packed in onion crates. A fateful day post the stock market crash in 1929 revealed a surprise: a naturally mutated red grapefruit sprouting on a pink grapefruit tree! This discovery, and subsequent ones in the 1930s, heralded the dawn of the Texas Red Grapefruit Industry.

A flurry of red grapefruit mutations led to a naming conundrum, resolved by christening them all under the “Ruby” umbrella. This “Ruby” Red Grapefruit marked a milestone by being the first grapefruit to earn a U.S. patent.

FROM TEXAN GROVES TO GLOBAL TABLES

South Texas, blessed with a sub-tropical climate, fertile land, and abundant sunshine, creates a haven for grapefruit cultivation. Texan growers, armed with advanced irrigation methods and research, ensure these fruits are of top-notch quality. Handpicked and carefully inspected, these grapefruits travel from Texan groves to grace supermarkets across the U.S. and Canada.

CITRUS FESTIVAL

In 1932, Paul Ord and the Young Men’s Business League created the Texas Citrus Fiesta to celebrate the world’s sweetest citrus from the Rio Grande Valley. Today this annual celebration honors the winter harvest of grapefruits and oranges from the RGV with parades and pagents.