Honey Bell Orange Delivery

Lucky me!!  
Look what I got in the mail today….
 A huge box of “Honey Bell Oranges”.
 My Mom lives in sunny Florida and has a Honey Bell tree right outside her back door.  
Last season when we were visiting it was perfect timing for picking. 
 And picking we did, I think we picked the tree clean and ate every orange she had.
 She knew how much we loved them so she found a supplier and sent us a box.
They come boxed with bibs, which you definitely need.  They are the sweetest and juiciest oranges I have ever had.
Here is the story behind these oranges:
It’s 1945.  The war is over.  Ed Cushman opens a small store and gift fruit packing plant in West Palm Beach Florida.  He picks and ships oranges and grapefruit to tourists and visitors who come by the store.
One particular night was never to be forgotten. The Cushman family was waiting for a truckload of grapefruit.  When it finally arrived, there on the back of the truck – in addition to grapefruit – were about 20 bushels of the strangest looking, fiery-orange, bell-shaped oranges anyone had ever seen.
Ed took one look and said, “What the devil is this?” When everyone had peeled and tried one, the consensus was that these were the sweetest oranges in the world.  “Sweet as Honey”, someone said.  And Cushman Honey Bells Citrus were born.
Actually, Honey Bells are not oranges at all.  They’re an extraordinary hybrid of a Dancy Tangerine and a Duncan Grapefruit, both seeded fruit.   But mysteriously, Honey Bells usually are seedless.  The plot thickens.
Despite the fact that Honey Bells are grafted to a sour orange root stock, Honey Bells are naturally sweeter than any orange grown.  To add to the intrigue, Honey Bells have a rare bell shape, incredibly juicy, and unbelievably sweet.
Here’s the clincher.  Honey Bells are available once – and only once – each year, for a few short weeks in January. 
If you want to try this delicious fruit you need to order right away.
or
1800-776-7575  

Thanks Mom! 
We are enjoying them every day.

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9 Comments

  1. I wish I had known this Monday. I was coming home from the Villages and stopped at a fruit stand to buy grapefruit for my granddaughter. I also bought some tangerines for us. I saw the sign for honey bells, but I didn’t have any idea what they were! Lucky you.

  2. What an interesting story!!! So lucky to have a mom with a tree and a mom who knows a supplier!!! These little oranges ( tangerines, or grapefruits) look so pretty! Your photography is magazine worthy!

  3. They really look good! Interesting little story about them. (My hubby would eat them all before I could get any.)
    Farmhouse hugs,
    Cindy

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