Florida Oranges

A vibrant history of Florida’s horticultural heritage and the colorful personalities who made the state synonymous with citrus. In the 16th century, Ponce de León planted the first orange groves in St. Augustine, Florida. They were the precursor to what would become an integral part of Florida’s identity. Orange groves slowly spread across the state, inspiring agricultural innovations and manufacturing ingenuity. Now Florida food writer Erin Thursby reveals the surprisingly colorful history of Florida’s most famous crop. Discover the story behind Deland’s eccentric “citrus wizard” Lue Gim Gong; the rise and fall of smuggler Jesse Fish; and the silver-tongued politician William J. Howey, who made his fortune selling plots of groveland through the 1920s. Celebrate the heyday of orange tourism and the farmers who weathered freezes, floods and citrus greening. From the old roots of orange cultivation in Northeast Florida to the new center of oranges in the Southwest, Thursby offers a unique historical tour of the Sunshine State.