Dirt Roads ~ High Heels: Oranges Aren't Always Orange

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Oranges Aren't Always Orange

The Showcase of Citrus, located just outside of Clermont, Florida, is the perfect to spot to spend an afternoon. This 2500 acre estate produces over 50 different kinds of citrus with you-pick options during season, a country store, gem mining, and feeding the farm animals. Not to mention the Monster truck adventure that allows you to view the citrus and ranch estate from twelve feet up. These massive trucks with tires weighing in at 2000 lbs. each will guide you on a 45 minute adventure through swampland, native woodland, pastureland, and groveland. It's a great way to experience the site. I highly recommend grabbing a wine slushie from the bar area before making the tour! They sell a lot of local Florida goods too so it's the perfect place to stock up on local wine and alligator jerky!

Did you know that juice oranges usually never turn orange? We saw thousands of oranges that were green. The color of the orange depends on where it grows, that's because oranges are not tropical, but rather subtropical. The fruit will stay green in hotter climates because the orange is pumped full of chlorophyll. When the weather cools, the orange starts turning, well orange. So, if you see a green orange, it's OK to eat it! When they start turning the color orange, they are actually on the downhill slide to being unripe! By the way, Chlorophyll is a green pigment and is responsible for the absorption of light. A little scientific fact for you and something I was unaware of until I took the Citrus tour!

Be sure to check out the Showcase of Citrus if you are in the area! Not to mention there's a really cool shark and alligator in the nearby pond! Don't worry, no harm was done to any of the animals :)