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Florida Oranges
by oranges.com
?Oranges have been grown in Florida since the middle of the 16th century and over 90% of the orange juice Americans currently drink is produced in the Sunshine State. The first oranges were planted and grown in Florida by Spanish conquistadors in those early days. Although oranges, lemons and grapefruit were all planted by early Florida farmers, it was the orange that became the most popular and by the early 19th century, orange groves were a common sight across the state.
In those early days of the American orange industry the farmers had to ship their produce by painfully slow horse-drawn wagons, barges or steamboats. This meant the closer to the groves a market was, the fresher the oranges would be, and in cases of extreme distance, it could be quite difficult to obtain fresh oranges at all. Despite the early obstacles, the Florida orange crop continued to grow and the nation’s first commercial citrus industry was established by the late 1840s. Later in the 1870s when the railroad reached Florida, shipping obviously became a lot easier. This allowed freight trains loaded with orange crates to reach Boston and other cities on the upper east coast in a matter of days.
By the early 1900s, the orange was the most popular fruit in America and Florida was the top producing state with California, Arizona and Texas trailing far behind. The Florida oranges were the best available, and they were both heavier and juicer than oranges from the west coast, making them ideal for orange juice production. However, orange juice did not become a commercially viable product until after the introduction of the refrigerator in 1911 and the rise of the pasteurization process, which made orange juice safe to ship and to store over longer periods of time.
Today the orange industry in Florida generates over 10 billion dollars annually and creates jobs for more than 75,000 people. Florida oranges are shipped all over the world and the Florida crop now accounts for over 70% of all the citrus fruits sold in the U.S. every year. Currently, Brazil is the only nation that produces more orange juice than the United States. Today, Florida has more than 20 plants dedicated to processing 95% of the state’s annual orange crop into juice.
Even though most Americans have heard that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, if a person could only have one fruit per day, it might be healthier to have an orange instead. A Florida orange, that is.
In those early days of the American orange industry the farmers had to ship their produce by painfully slow horse-drawn wagons, barges or steamboats. This meant the closer to the groves a market was, the fresher the oranges would be, and in cases of extreme distance, it could be quite difficult to obtain fresh oranges at all. Despite the early obstacles, the Florida orange crop continued to grow and the nation’s first commercial citrus industry was established by the late 1840s. Later in the 1870s when the railroad reached Florida, shipping obviously became a lot easier. This allowed freight trains loaded with orange crates to reach Boston and other cities on the upper east coast in a matter of days.
By the early 1900s, the orange was the most popular fruit in America and Florida was the top producing state with California, Arizona and Texas trailing far behind. The Florida oranges were the best available, and they were both heavier and juicer than oranges from the west coast, making them ideal for orange juice production. However, orange juice did not become a commercially viable product until after the introduction of the refrigerator in 1911 and the rise of the pasteurization process, which made orange juice safe to ship and to store over longer periods of time.
Today the orange industry in Florida generates over 10 billion dollars annually and creates jobs for more than 75,000 people. Florida oranges are shipped all over the world and the Florida crop now accounts for over 70% of all the citrus fruits sold in the U.S. every year. Currently, Brazil is the only nation that produces more orange juice than the United States. Today, Florida has more than 20 plants dedicated to processing 95% of the state’s annual orange crop into juice.
Even though most Americans have heard that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, if a person could only have one fruit per day, it might be healthier to have an orange instead. A Florida orange, that is.
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