Grapefruit • Acme vs. Trader Joe’s
Wow! Did you see the headline? American grapefruit sinks to record lows! Seems Americans want a fast east snack they can eat with one hand. Because we are so busy doing important things.
What a load of crock! The communications and media industry is shaping this image. If you can manage to think for yourself, try a delicious snack that requires a couple of minutes to prepare.
Usually I’ll cut a grapefruit into eights and eat it like it’s smaller citrus cousin, the orange. Or I’ll slice the fruit right off the eights into a bowl. Very civilized snack. A grapefruit spoon? I receive no joy digging small pieces of meat out of the fruit. Mouthfuls are so much more pleasant.
Since we are not in Arizona in December, eating half a dozen free grapefruit a day right off a backyard tree, the grocers are getting our business. Acme and Trader Joe’s. Both offer a decent fruit.
Acme still has South African, of even symmetrical appearance. A nice dark yellow/red rind, with tart pink dense innards. $7 for a 5 pound bag of six. Trader Joe’s has an American grapefruit for a buck each. I choose the heavier ones, but there are plenty of lighter ones. Yellow meat, looser, and sweeter.
Both grapefruit are nice. For comparison, I weighed fruit before and after cleaning. AmericanLunchbox has developed the M/F ratio for this purpose. The weight of the fruit under the weight of the cleaned fruit, expressed as a decimal. Two of each fruit were analyzed.
Conclusion: The Acme fruit was better quality right now if you like a tart grapefruit. Trader’s? Better value. I’d bet a shiny nickel Trader Joe’s quality is closer to the imported within a couple of months, or at least equal is quality, but available at a better price.
Acme South African 12 ⅞ oz –> 6 ¼ oz – M/F = .48
Acme South African 13 1/2 oz –> 7 ⅛ oz – M/F = .52
Trader Joe’s American 19 – oz –> 8 ⅜ oz – M/F = .44
Trader Joe’s American 16 1/2 – oz –> 8 oz – M/F = .48
American Lunchbox 