December 12th, 2012
In Your Box Stem and Leaf Clementines, Satsuma mandarins, Rio Star grapefruit, and Fukumoto navel oranges
Storage and Ripening Take your fruit out of the box right away. Store citrus in the refrigerator to prevent the skin from drying out. If you prefer to eat your citrus at room temperature, leave some out on the counter in a bowl for a pretty, festive centerpiece.
What It Takes These incredibly sweet and juicy Rio Star grapefruits are some of the most popular citrus of the season. Kids and adults alike will love them for breakfast or at any time of day! Dennis and Linda grew these Rio Stars on their citrus grove in Texas. Dennis purchased his father’s farm in 1984 and immediately transferred to organic production. He was instrumental in helping the USDA develop organic standards for citrus fruit. In 2002, Dennis was appointed to the National Organic Standards Board. Besides his vast amount of knowledge, Dennis simply has the best grapefruit we’ve ever tasted. My kids call them “greatfruit” and don’t understand why their friends put sugar on their grapefruit. You sure don’t need sugar to make these grapefruits taste sweet and delicious!
The Olsens grew the stem-and-leaf clementines in the box. The leaves are a bit light this year but the fruit tastes as great as always. They make a great centerpiece during the holidays (if you can keep from eating them!). These clementines are so delicious because the Olsen’s don’t pick them until they are ripe on the trees. That gives the fruit a high sugar content and deep orange coloring.
The Satsuma mandarins are from Rich and Mila in Orland, California. Their ranch was originally established by Rich’s grandparents in 1910, when they grew peaches and apricots. It wasn’t until 1960 that they began planting mandarins, and now they are known for providing some of the tastiest organic fruit around. Rich and Mila started making the transition to organic agriculture before “organic” was widely known - all the way back in 1978. Rich’s family started to notice the negative health effects of chemicals when several family members developed severe allergic reactions to the pesticides used on conventional farms. Rich says that the trees that are approaching 40 years old are the ones that produce the finest satsumas. Kids and adults alike love the zipper peel skin and the contrasting perfect balance of sweet and sour. They’ll disappear fast so set one aside for yourself. Rich says the trees really produced a great crop this year. This says a lot given how good they are every year.
Ignacio “Nacho” Sanchez and his wife, Casamira, provided the navel oranges your box. For Nacho and Casamira, farming started as a hobby in 1989 when they bought their first 6-acre orchard in Cutler, California. But over the next four years, Nacho’s orchard expanded rapidly, and he made his passion for farming into his full-time job. When their twin girls were born in 1991, Nacho and Casamira named their orchard Twin Girls Farms; and when their third daughter arrived, Nacho named some varieties of peaches after her. Having converted to organic farming practices in 1999, Nacho uses beneficial insects and cover crops in place of conventional chemicals. He gets great satisfaction from the knowledge that no harmful chemicals can affect his family, his workers, or his customers.
Health and Wellness Did you know? One clementine contains about 60% of your daily recommended value of vitamin C! It also contains B vitamins, which help support healthy muscles, skin and hair, as well as supporting metabolism and helping prevent pancreatic cancer. Clementines also provide some potassium, which is essential for you heart, kidneys, muscles, nerves and digestive system. Who would have thought all that good was contained in one of those little clementines? Next time you bite into a juicy, sweet clementine, appreciate the health benefits - along with the amazing flavor!
Recipe Orange Cardamom Cake Cake: Cooking spray 3 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 3/4 teaspoons ground cardamom 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup fresh orange juice 2/3 cup canola oil 1 tablespoon grated orange rind 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 large eggs Glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar 4 1/2 teaspoons fresh orange juice 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350°. To prepare cake, coat a 10-inch tube pan or Bundt pan with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon flour. Set aside. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine 3 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Make a well in center of mixture. Add 3/4 cup orange juice, canola oil, orange rind, lemon rind, vanilla, and eggs to flour mixture, and beat with a mixer at low speed until well combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Spoon batter into prepared cake pan, spreading evenly. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes on a wire rack, and remove from pan. To prepare glaze, combine 1 cup of powdered sugar, 4 1/2 teaspoons orange juice, and lemon juice in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over warm cake; cool cake completely on wire rack. Courtesy of cookinglight.com