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Citrus Delivery or Pickup
The Instacart guide to citrus products
About citrus
Citrus plants are native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Southeast Asia, and it's believed they began on land bordered by India and Myanmar. It's said that Christopher Columbus brought citrus during his second voyage to North America. Today, citrus fruits are grown in subtropical and tropical climates and consumed all across the globe.
Citrus fruits are characterized by their distinctive fruit called the hesperidium, an internal berry with fleshy parts you can divide into segments. These segments range between 10 to 16 and are surrounded by separable skin. Picture slicing an orange or grapefruit right down the middle and seeing the segments. The fruit comes from flowers on a citrus plant, and although a plant could have as many as 60,000 flowers, it might only have 1% of those flowers turn into fruit.
How to tell if citrus is ripe
When shopping for citrus, these fruits are harvested during the winter when much of the fresh produce market is dormant. Although several different types of fruit make up citrus, they share the same way to determine ripeness. Select fruit that has a smooth texture and feels heavy. Aroma is also vital, as fresh citrus should emit a pleasant odor.
Types of citrus
Citrus fruits are delicious and refreshing, and when you're looking to add more citrus to your diet, consider one of the following types of and the benefits associated with them:
- Grapefruit: This large citrus fruit is commonly consumed at breakfast. It's the only citrus fruit native to the United States and boasts more than 20 different varieties. Just like other citrus, it's packed full of vitamin C, which boosts your immune system and can reduce the risk of kidney stones.Â
- Lemon:Â This round, vibrant fruit has a distinctly sour taste due to its abundance of citric acid. Its pulp, rind, and juice are full of vitamins to stimulate immunity and reduce the risk of disease. Its dietary fiber also helps with digestion.
- Limes:Â A small green citrus fruit, limes can add a tart kick to your food and beverages. It can guard against stroke, protect against infections, and improves your immune health.
- Orange: With several different varieties available (naval, mandarin, blood, Valencia, Jaffa, Seville, and Cara Cara), oranges have more than 100% of your recommended daily amount of vitamin C. That's more than any other type of citrus. Oranges also boost your immune system, help your body absorb iron better, and assist in making the protein collagen to help heal wounds.
The next time you're looking to add some citrus fruit to your menu, open your Instacart app and add the fruit to your cart. While you're waiting for your order to arrive, an Instacart shopper will start putting your order together. You should have your citrus fruit at your home in as little as 2 hours, so you can get started on that next delicious food or beverage!
Citrus Near Me
Buy your favorite Citrus online with Instacart. Order Grapefruits, Kumquats, Lemons, and more from local and national retailers near you and enjoy on-demand, contactless delivery or pickup within 2 hours.
FAQs about citrus
All types of citrus have seeds, although certain varieties are deemed seedless. Officially, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a fruit can have up to six seeds and still be considered a seedless variety. That means most citrus fruit listed as seedless actually might contain a small number of seeds. However, this small amount is far fewer than the number of seeds found in a seeded variety. Just about every type of citrus fruit has seedless varieties.
You've probably seen stunning colorful displays of citrus in bowls on counters or kitchen tables. Keeping a beautiful bowl of citrus fruit at room temperature is perfectly fine as long as the fruit is whole. However, keeping the fruit at room temperature will speed up the ripening process. Fruit left out will last about one week.
You can always keep the fruit in the refrigerator if you're worried about the fruit ripening too quickly. Store the fruit in the crisper drawer in your refrigerator and not in any plastic bags since the bags can promote mold growth. Avoid placing them on open refrigerator shelves as they will be constantly exposed to air. The fruit will last a few weeks in the refrigerator.
Once you cut fruit, make sure you refrigerate any leftovers because the fruit becomes extremely perishable. Cut fruit will last one week in the refrigerator.
You cannot freeze whole fruit. The extreme cold doesn't work well when it comes to citrus. You can, however, freeze individual components, including the zest and juice. You can add the zest or juice to ice cube trays to freeze for individual servings. Once it's frozen, transfer it to an airtight container and place it in the freezer. It's best to use the frozen fruit zest or juice within one year.