14rrTHE CAROUNA TIMF8 SAT. JANUARY 31. 1976
INFOGRAuS
BY MARY WHITMORE
HOME ECONOMIST
OFJFJCE
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
GRAPEFRUIT
Fresh grapefruit - white, red, pink, seedless, and
seeded -are now in the market - and coming in greater
numbers according to marketing specialists at the U. S.
Department of Agriculture. The forecast, by USDA's
Agricultural Marketing Service is for a 1975-76
grapefruit crop of 69.8 million boxes, 14 percent above
last season. This will also mean an even larger supply of
frozen concentrated grapefruit juice and grapefruit
sections.
According to legend, the grapefruit was first called
the "Forbidden Fruit," and it is presumed to have
originated in the West Indies. Tracing back, the word
' grapefruit" apparently was first used about 1814 in a
book on the horticulture of Jamaica. It; was then
described as "a fruit not larger than a good orange
which is borne in bunches like grapes". ; -
Florida claims to have grown its first grapefruit about
1825 - also claims the start of the commercial
grapefruit industry was in Florida. Sales were first made
entirely to tourists and shipments were sent North. But,
the earlier grapefruits were very seedy.
Grapefruit is picked tree ripe and is ready to eat on
purchase. Look for firm, well-shaped fruits. The
thin-skinned fruits have more juice than the
coarse-skinned ones. If a grapefruit is pointed at stem
end, it is likely to be thick-skinned. Rough, ridged or
wrinkled skin can be an identification of thick skin,
pulpiness, and lack of juice.
"' Skin defects on grapefruit - scales, scars, thorn
scratches, or discoloration - seldom effects eating
quality. But - avoid grapefruit with such signs of decay
as soft and discolored areas on the peel at stem end,
water soaked areas, loss of bright color, and soft and
tender peel that breaks with finger pressure. Fresh
grapefruit is marketed in all seasons, but the peek
months are in the first quarter of the year. Florida's
grapefruit crop is forecast at an all-time high and
Texas expects production to be 51 larger than last
year's crop. The trend in growing grapefruits is toward
production of the seedless grapefruit. Most grapefruit is
grown at comparatively low altitudes. .In the United
States, commercial grapefruit production is confined to
Florida, California, Texas and Arizona.
Per capita consumption of freash grapefruit in 1974
was 8.3 pounds and in 1975 the preliminary figures
are about 8Vi pounds. Grapefruit is among the top 10
produce items in dollar sales and tonnage according to
commercial figures.
Interested in freezing grapefruit? That's easy -sections
or slices of grapefruit may be washed and
peeled and divided into sections, removing all
membranes and seeds. Pack fruit into containers. Cover
with cold 40 sirup made with excess fruit juice' and
water, it needed. Add Vi teaspoon crystalline ascorbic
acid to a! quart of sirup. Leave head space 1 finches,
seal and freeze.
For grapefruit juice select good fruit, squeeze and
sweeten with 2 tablespoons sugar for each quart of
juice, or pack without sugar. For better quality, add
crystaline ascorbic acid for each gallon of juice. Pour
juice into containers immediately. Pack in glass jars or
citrus-enamel tin cans, if available to avoid development
of off-flavors. Leave head space and freeze.
"A Versatile Pound Cake In
Early American Tradition"
TORY POUND CAKE
I
I if i ii in j
" Yw'vr Rot what a ywir hands?" 5T6 ''
In Early American
style, "Tory Pound Cake'
is the recreation of a
dessert that sat before
Colonists, the kind of
. uncomplicated, nutritious
cake that made a country
meal then.. .and now.
The variations on
toppings and extra
flavorings that can be
added to this basic recipe
also lend Tory Pound Cake
to the Yankee ingenuity
that made our country
great...and will win your
compliments in the
kitchen.
Tory Pound Cake is a
classic cake recipe which
features the wholesome
goodness of fresh eggs
with a delicious blend of
butter, sugar, flour and
flavorings. Baked up tall
and light, piping hot right
out of the oven, Tory
Poind Cake serves up an
after-meal treat that's hard
to beat.. .made great by
nature's own perfect
gift...EGGS.
Return greatness to
today's meals with EGGS
- FOR THE GOOD OF
OUR COUNTRY.
TORY POUND CAKE
6 eggs 1 cups butter
3 cups sugar
: IHtsp. vanilla
; : - W tp. lemon extract
4J4. : cups , all-purpose
flour
. v. Utsp.sait, , .
A i 'K i
tsp. baking soda
tsp. baking powder
Vi cups buttermilk
Cream butter; gradually
add sugar beating until
light and fluffy. Add eggs
all at once, beating well,
about 2-3 minutes. Blend
in flavorings. Combine dry
ingredients ; add
alternately with
buttermilk beating until
thoroughly combined.
Spread evenly in 2 greased
9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans or
1 greased 10 x 4-inch tube
pan. Bake in preheated
350 degrees oven 1 hour
10 minutes for loaf pans, 1
hour 20 minutes for tube
pan or until cake tester
inserted near center comes
out clean. Cool in pan(s)
on wire rack (s) 10
minutes. Remove from
pan(s); cool completely.
Makes 16 servings.
Fish At The
Market
Quite a few of us pass
up the fresh fish counter
because we aren't sure we
know how to pick out a
fresh one.
To help you out of this
fishy situation, the Office
of Consumer Affairs has
compiled a list of shopping
tips from the National
Marine Fisheries Service.
For a free copy of Fish at
the Market, write to
Consumer Information
Center, Dept. 86, Pueblo,
Colorado 81009.
Here are some of the
tips to help you choose
fresh fish for you family:
. With whole fresh fish,
look at the eyes. They
should be bright and clear
and bulge slightly. The
gills should be bright red
or pink. If they are dark,
quality has slipped.
. Any fresh cut fish
should have firm flesh that
will spring back when
gently pressed. The skin
should be shiny and have a
mild clean odor.
. Fresh shrimp should
have a fresh clean odor.
Shucked oysters should be
plump, creamy colored,
and in a clear liquid.
Oysters and clams in the
shell should have their
shells tightly shut. If the
shell is slightly open, lap it
and it should close.
And since they should
be alive and well when you
buy them, when you wave
at crabs and lobsters, make
sure they wave back at
you.
"Fish at the Market"
(free) is one of over 250
selected Federal consumer
publications listed in the
Winter edition of the
"Consumer Information
Index." Published
quarterly by the Consumer
Information Center of the
General Services
Administration, a free
copy of the "Index" is
available by writing
Consumer Information
Center, Pueblo, Colorado
81009, or at Federal
Information Centers
throughout the country. m
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