Yellow Banks Groves: Selling Citrus for More Than 50 Years

For more than 50 years, John Buck, 78, of Largo, has sold fresh Florida citrus from his Yellow Banks Groves on Walsingham Road.

The citrus picking, packing, selling and shipping business started when Buck visited his mother in Florida.

"I was building houses in Indiana. I was so cold, so I came here to see my mom and made the decision to start over," Buck said.

When Buck started his citrus business, the fruit was picked from groves along Walsingham Road. Yellow Banks still picks its own fruit today, but now it comes from Winter Haven, said store manager Danielle Carter.

The citrus fruit is packed, shipped and sold from the Largo store, where visitors can sample fresh slices of navel oranges, ruby red grapefruits and tangerines. Honeybells will be available starting in January, Carter said. 

Yellow Banks squeezes orange juice fresh daily. A special treat is the store's unique soft-serve orange ice cream made with fresh orange juice. The orange and vanilla swirl is the biggest seller, Carter said.

The store also sells Florida specialties like key lime pie and Florida gift items.

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If you go:

• Address: 14423 Walsingham Rd., Largo
• Phone: 727-595-5464 or toll free 1-800-722-4590
• Hours: Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Open the first three Sundays in December from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. The store is only open from the middle of October through June 1.