Fruits are defined as a product of vegetable growth edible to humans, such as the developed ovary of a seed plant with its contents and accessory parts, which includes the pea, pod, nut, tomato and pineapple. A fruit may also be the edible part of a plant developed from a flower with its accessory parts, such as the apple, lemon and peach. The most popular fresh fruits in the United States are (in order): Bananas, apples, oranges, grapes and strawberries.

In 2009, U.S. production of noncitrus fruits reached 17.6 million tons, down slightly from 2008. The value of the crop totaled $11.0 billion, also slightly lower than 2008. Bigger apple, blackberry, cherry, date, pear, prune, red raspberry and strawberry crops contributed to the increase in noncitrus production.  (NASS 2010)

The U.S. citrus crop for the 2009 season was estimated at 10.7 million tons, 11 percent smaller than 2008. While the grapefruit, lemon, orange and tangelo crops were smaller than the previous year, the tangerine and mandarin crops were larger.

California is the leading producer of lemons, accounting for 89 percent of U.S. lemon production, and now the leading producer of tangerines and clementines. Florida is the major orange juice producer in the United States, and its grapefruit crop accounts for 70 percent of the country's grapefruit production.  (NASS 2010)

Sources
Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook, Economic Research Service (ERS), USDA, 2010.
Noncitrus Fruits and Nuts, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), USDA, 2010.


 

• Apples
• Apricots
• Aronia Berries
• Avocado
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Cherries
• Citrus
• Cranberries
• Dates
• Figs
• Grapes
• Melons, See Vegetables.
• Olives
• Peaches
• Pears
• Plums
• Pomegranates
• Prunes
• Raisins
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Watermelons, See Vegetables.
• Wine