Day 157

Minneola: Today's post is a surprise find from a Trader Joe's shopping trip yesterday. I was in the Midtown Promenade location picking up a few essentials when I noticed this fruit in the produce section. I'd never heard of it, but it looked like an orange with a strange lump growing out of one end. I always love discovering new fruits, so I threw one in my basket to take home. As much as I love TJ's, it's rare that I find something new at a conventional grocery store anymore.

I decided to give it a try this afternoon, and I was curious to see what this thing was all about. After cutting it in half, I noticed that it looked identical to an orange on the inside. I didn't dissect the strange lump, but I took the other half and peeled it just like an orange. The sections actually came loose much easier than an orange's, which made it much easier to eat. The texture was identical to an orange, just as juicy, but the taste was a bit more bitter and not quite as sweet. I really enjoyed it, and would have eaten the whole thing if dinner wasn't so close.

After eating, I did a bit of research, and I discovered that a minneola is actually a cross between a Duncan grapefruit and a Dancy tangerine. It's named after Minneola, FL and is also called the "Honeybell" in the gift trade. It's also considered a variety of the well-known tangelo. Wow, I learned a lot with this entry!