10 Reasons to Love Tangelos and Minneolas

Ola my friend! If you ever get the chance to eat a tangelo then you will find out it is a fruit to be remembered. I had access to a tangelo tree one time and could not stop eating tangelos. I went to bed eating them, woke up eating them, snacked on them throughout the day and didn’t get tired of them. I was literally given a bowl of about four tangelos one night with two large kitchen towels because of how juicy they are. Ah, good and sweet sweet memories.

Here are 10 reasons why you will love tangelos. But first, what are tangelos? What’s the difference between tangelos and minneolas? Read more to find out!

Table of Contents

What are Tangelos?

Tangelos are citrus fruit crossbred from tangerines and grapefruits or pomelos. The name tangelo comes from the first part of tangerine and the last part of pomelo. They look like oranges and in my mind they are oranges. Their shape remind me of Christmas ornaments. They are large and round with a top knot. You can read more details here.

What’s the difference between Tangelos and Minneolas?

From my research, Minneola is a variety of Tangelos. Tangelos have several varieties. The most popular varieties include: Minneola aka “Honeybell”, Orlando, and Jamaican (“Ugli”) tangelo.

I believe the tangelos I had were the Minneola variety. Different sources about Minneola tangelos say different things. However, here’s my description of the tangelos I had: more sweet than tart, strong crisp citrus flavor and smell (of course), thick skin (I was given a knife to start the peeling process lol), large and round with a knob like feature at the top, deep orange on the outside and inside, not too many seeds but there are quite a few, and extremely juicy.

Now let’s get into the 10 reasons why you will love (Minneola) tangelos.

1. Great for Juicing

Minneola tangelos are the best oranges for juicing and making fresh orange juice. Store-brought orange juice have nothing on tangelos straight from the tree to your cup. One orange can easily fill a 8 oz cup to the brim.

It’s funny because tangelos will quench your thirst for some juice. Please if you are thirsty then drink water. I have had oranges where the entire orange gave me a good swallow or two of juice…that’s dry lol.

2. Easy to Grow and Yield an Abundance

The tangelo tree loves the sun and heat. The tangelo tree I had access to one time is in Arizona and it gets up to 120+ degrees there. There had to be hundreds of fruit in that tree. There were so many!

This tree adds such a pretty color to your yard (garden, grounds, etc.) with the green leaves and bright deep orange fruit.

The moon valley nurseries says that tangelo trees are to be allowed to grow free form because too much pruning effect bloom cycles.

Plants express have a great breakdown planting and caring for tangelo trees. They say you can water the tree about once a week and if the tree is in a sunny and warm spot then it will need minimal attention.

3. Have Seeds but Not Many

I had about 1-2 seeds every other slice of orange for each tangelo I ate. That’s not a lot to me. However, it may be a lot to some especially those who prefer or a used to seedless oranges.

4. Tangelos stems are Great Cuticle Pushers & Moisturizers

A hack from a tangelo tree owner: Just gently rub and/or push your cuticles with the end of the tangelo stems (the white part). I tried this and I approve. My cuticles smelled great! Lol. But listening to my body, I could tell my fingers loved the experience. 🙂

5. They Can Grow Large so More Fruit to Enjoy

Tangelos can get as large as a grapefruit in my opinion. I love grapefruit btw. Hey more fruit and juice to enjoy. No complaints here.

6. Rich Health Benefits

Here are my favorites:

• superabundant in vitamin C which fortifies your immune system
• high in potassium which improves heart health
• rich in fiber which supports healthy digestion
• helps you lose weight thanks to being low in calories and high in fiber
• a healthy source of Vitamin B6 which helps regulate your circulation

Read more details here.

Fun hack: if you need help burping then eat an orange. They help you burb.

7. You Can Eat the Peel and It’s Delicious

Yes, I ate the peel of a tangelo once and it was good. I prefer to eat the orange and skip the peel though. But for peel lovers then tangelos will be perfect for you. My tia loves eating the tangelo peels. She eats it like an apple lol. It’s amazing to watch.

8. The Pulp is Creamy and Good

The pulp reminds you of a sorbet of sorts. I would love to collect the pulp after juicing and making it into a frozen treat.

9. The Perfect Amount of Sweetness

Tangelos are sweet and a little tart or sharp. I would say the sweet to tart ratio is 80/20. The 20% tart makes the tangelos not too sweet but just the right amount of sweetness.

10. They Make Great Gifts

Tangelos are super easy gifts. Especially if you have a whole tangelo tree. They grow in abundance. It’s impossible to eat them all by yourself (even if you are a tangelo lover). When I was in Arizona, we gifted tangelos to almost everyone we visited lol.

Tangelos are pleasing to the 5 senses: sight, taste, smell, hearing, and touch. Everyone may not like to eat them but many do. With regular oranges sometimes being so expensive, tangelos as a gift are a blessing.

Until Next Time

Well, what do you think? Have you ever tried tangelos before? If so, what’s your favorite reason why you love tangelos? Please drop a comment below or email me. I would love to hear your feedback and/or stories. If you’re interested a list of food guiding principles to help you eat healthier then check out AdaezeEats Manifesto here.

Well, I will take my leave for now. I look forward to our time together again soon. Be inspired to have an appetite to Live and Live well.

Adaeze

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