Texas Locavore

It’s not just another attack of over-zealous state pride: Texas grapefruit really does taste better. The cultivars grown here, Red Star and Ruby Red, don’t thrive in Florida or California and are the reddest, sweetest varieties around. They’re also nutritional superstars: Just one contains more than a day’s recommended allotment of Vitamin C, widely considered a key soldier in the fight against colds. And although its signature diet went out with disco music, grapefruit’s still a good breakfast staple if you’ve got a couple of holiday pounds to lose. A 2006 study found that eating half a grapefruit before a meal improved obese patients’ weight loss significantly, though the researchers couldn’t say why. Lone Star grapefruits are everywhere right now, from the farmers’ markets to the grocery stores, where savvy consumers can look for the Texas sticker. They get sweeter as the season wears on, but they’ll be gone in February or March, after seeds inside the fruits have begun to germinate, ending the yearly harvest.