Some call them tangelos even though they're actually a cross between a Dancy tangerine and a Duncan grapefruit. But they're also known as honeybells. Hurricanes and frosts keep their habitat scarce and render them rare and coveted. With an extra-juicy, from-the-tree sweetness, they make a brief appearance after Christmas; then they're gone till next year.
Best eaten in the shower or over the sink, honeybells cultivate rabid fans. Ed Cushman realized this in 1945 and cornered the honeybell market.
On Cushman's website, it calls honeybells "the world's only limited edition fruit" and warns consumers to act before supplies run out:
"After that, there are no more. Anywhere. At any price."
Bonnie at the Cushman's store in West Palm Beach says the remarkable, bell-shaped fruits usually show up the first week of January and are gone by the end of the month.
Prices won't be determined until they arrive, but a typical care package runs around $40 for 13 pounds. Pricy little items!
"They are super-popular," says Bonnie. "And so juicy that people have to wear bibs."
