Naples, FL-- Florida's famous spaghetti crop has been damaged by a late-Winter frost. The spaghetti trees were in bloom last night when the frost hit, and farmers fear the entire crop may have been wiped out. The macaroni bushes had less damage, because they are closer to the ground.
Millions of spaghetti trees were planted around Naples by Italian immigrants early in the last century. The beautiful yellow trees with their red blossoms and stringy fruit are almost as famous as Florida oranges. The spaghetti fruit ripens very quickly, and is usually harvested around April Fools Day. This morning, the ground was covered with red blossoms, and grocers are warning of a spaghetti shortage for later this year.
Farmers in the Naples area said damage to the macaroni crop was "minimal". The indigo-coloured plants grow closer to the ground, and are easily identified by their giant clumps of purple macaroni pods. The macaroni crop is still harvested by hand, and farmers are hoping for a bumper crop this year.
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