Happy Valentine's Day

Presented By:
 Sunburst Oranges
 180 South “E” Street
 Porterville, CA  93257
 559-561-3391

Sunburst Oranges: Citrus Pulp Used In Biomass Fuel

Biomass is fuel that is developed from organic materials, a renewable and sustainable source of energy used to create electricity or other forms of power.

Biomass is a renewable source of fuel to produce energy because waste residues will always exist – in terms of scrap wood, mill residuals and forest resources; and properly managed forests will always have more trees, and we will always have crops and the residual biological matter from those crops.

While you may have heard of biomass fuel did you know that the residue from all types of citrus pulp can be used as part of the mix of raw material for biomass fuel?

Efficient biomass conversion depends on locally available resources due to high shipping costs of biomass. Cellulosic ethanol and gasification processes are just entering the early commercial phase and offer many opportunities for improvement.

Sources For Biomass Fuels

Municipal waste, green waste
Bagasse and sugarcane waste
Citrus pulp
Forest residues & trimmings
Invasive trees and plants
Animal waste
Agricultural residues
Energy crops from trees such as pines and hardwoods
Agricultural crops such as grasses, corn, sweet sorghum, and sweet potato.

Cellulosic Ethanol from Biomass

Cellulosic ethanol is a biofuel produced from inedible parts (lignocellulose) of plants. Lignocellulose is composed mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Switchgrass, woodchips, sweet sorghum, orange peels are some of the more popular cellulosic materials for ethanol production.  Cellulosic ethanol has the advantage of abundant and diverse raw material compared to sources like corn and cane sugars.

By using a variety of feedstocks for refining cellulosic ethanol, fuel can be produced in nearly every region of the country.  Though it requires a more complex refining process, cellulosic ethanol contains more net energy and results in lower greenhouse emissions than traditional corn-based ethanol.  E-85, an ethanol-fuel blend comprised of 85-percent ethanol, is already available in more than 1,000 fueling stations nationwide and can power millions of flexible fuel vehicles already on the roads.

If you are looking for the perfect wholesome gift for a business associates, family or friends? A quick visit to http://sunburstoranges.com can solve all of your fresh gift giving adventures. We sell only the finest selections and the freshest citrus you can buy.

Presented By:
Sunburst Oranges
180 South “E” Street
Porterville, CA  93257
559-561-3391

Sunburst Oranges: Orange Chocolate Cupcakes For Valentine’s Day

Or should we say orange chocolate cupcakes for Valentine’s Day with a real twist. We know how busy you are so there are as many timesaving cheats in here as possible. We want to share how well the taste of oranges and chocolate go together.  The orange cup serving just adds a novel touch to this dish.

Ingredients
Twelve nice sized Navel Oranges (order today from Sunburst Oranges)
A chocolate cake mix (Duncan Hines)
A can of frosting
3 eggs
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 cup of fresh squeezed orange juice (see Directions)

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Cut the top off the oranges and set aside. Scoop the segments out of the orange bottoms. Make fresh squeezed orange juice from the segment parts and strain out the pulp. 

Open your cake mix and make up the batter as instructed substituting the call for water with the same amount of the fresh squeezed orange juice. Fill the orange bottoms with the cake batter and replace the top of the orange.

Individually wrap the oranges in tinfoil.  Place on the center rack of a pre-heated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven. Bake for thirty minutes and remove one orange and test doneness with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean your cupcake is done.

When done remove from oven and unwrap the tinfoil. Place of a cooling rack until cool.

You can choose to carefully remove the orange rind at this time or serve in the orange cup as is.

Open your can of frosting and scoop contents into a piping bag. Carefully remove the orange top (twisting motion) and decorate as desired. 

You could embellish the frosting with heart shaped sprinkles in honor of your Valentine. Or sprinkle orange zest over the frosting to increase the orange flavor of your desert.

Eating from the orange cup with a spoon may be a good option.

Have a Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us here at Sunburst Oranges.

If you are looking for the perfect wholesome gift for a business associates, family or friends? A quick visit to sunburstoranges.com can solve all of your fresh gift giving adventures. We sell only the finest selections and the freshest citrus you can buy.

Presented By:
Sunburst Oranges
180 South “E” Street
Porterville, CA  93257
559-561-3391

Sunburst Oranges: What You Need To Know About Valentine’s Day

Saint Valentine's Day, also known as Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is a holiday observed on February 14 each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world, although it is not a holiday in most of them.

St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical celebration one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. Several martyrdom stories were invented for the various Valentines that belonged to February 14, and added to later martyrologies.

A popular hagiographical account of Saint Valentine of Rome states that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire. According to legend, during his imprisonment, he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius. An embellishment to this story states that before his execution he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell. Today, Saint Valentine's Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion, as well as in the Lutheran Church. 

The Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrates Saint Valentine's Day, albeit on July 6 and July 30, the former date in honor of the Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and the latter date in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni). In Brazil, the Dia de São Valentim is recognized on June 12.

The day was first associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In 18th-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). 

In Europe, Saint Valentine's Keys are given to lovers "as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart", as well as to children, in order to ward off Saint Valentine's Malady. Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

Approximately 132 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged industry-wide (not including packaged kids’ valentines for classroom exchanges), making Valentine’s Day the second-largest holiday for giving greeting cards.

J.C. Cooper, in The Dictionary of Christianity, writes that Saint Valentine was "a priest of Rome who was imprisoned for succouring persecuted Christians." Contemporary records of Saint Valentine were most probably destroyed during this Diocletianic Persecution in the early 4th century. In the 5th or 6th century, a work called Passio Marii et Marthae published a story of martyrdom for Saint Valentine of Rome, perhaps by borrowing tortures that happened to other saints, as was usual in the literature of that period. The same events are also found in Bede's Martyrology, which was compiled in the 8th century. It states that Saint Valentine was persecuted as a Christian and interrogated by Roman Emperor Claudius II in person. Claudius was impressed by Valentine and had a discussion with him, attempting to get him to convert to Roman paganism in order to save his life. Valentine refused and tried to convert Claudius to Christianity instead. Because of this, he was executed. Before his execution, he is reported to have performed a miracle by healing Julia, the blind daughter of his jailer Asterius. The jailer's daughter and his forty-four member household (family members and servants) came to believe in Jesus and were baptized.

If you are looking for the perfect wholesome gift for a business associates, family or friends? A quick visit to http://sunburstoranges.com can solve all of your fresh gift giving adventures. We sell only the finest selections and the freshest citrus you can buy.

Presented By:
Sunburst Oranges
180 South “E” Street
Porterville, CA  93257
559-561-3391

Sunburst Oranges: Eating Chocolate Is Good For You

One of the many items we carry is Chocolate and if you listen to the news these days you may come away thinking that your favorite guilty pleasure is something that you should stay away from. It seems that further reading will show you that nothing could be further from the truth.

Next time you eat a piece of chocolate, you may not have to feel overly guilty about it.

Despite its bad reputation for causing weight gain, there are a number of health benefits associated with this delicious treat.

Chocolate is made from tropical Theobroma cacao tree seeds. The earliest use of chocolate dates back to the Olmec civilization in Mesoamerica.

After the discovery of the Americas, chocolate became very popular in Europe, and its demand exploded.

Chocolate has since become an incredibly popular food product that millions indulge in everyday for its unique, rich, and sweet taste.

But what effects does eating chocolate have on our health?

This MNT Knowledge Center feature is part of a collection of articles about the health benefits of popular foods. It provides details on the possible health benefits of chocolate as well as some risks and precautions that you may want to be aware of. Included throughout are links to relevant studies and articles.

The Potential Health Benefits Of Chocolate

Dark chocolate Throughout the years, chocolate has been on the end of a lot of bad press because of its fat content, and its consumption has been associated with acne, obesity, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and diabetes.

However, "the recent discovery of biologically active phenolic compounds in cocoa has changed this perception and stimulated research on its effects in ageing, oxidative stress, blood pressure regulation, and atherosclerosis. Today, chocolate is lauded for its tremendous antioxidant potential."2
The potential benefits of eating chocolate are said to include: lowering cholesterol levels, preventing cognitive decline, and reducing the risk of cardiovascular problems.

Chocolate May Lower Cholesterol Levels

Chocolate consumption may help reduce LDL cholesterol levels.

A study published in The Journal of Nutrition was carried out to determine whether chocolate bars containing plant sterols (PS) and cocoa flavanols (CF) have any effect on cholesterol levels.3

The study authors wrote "results indicate that regular consumption of chocolate bars containing PS and CF as part of a low-fat diet may support cardiovascular health by lowering cholesterol and improving blood pressure."

Chocolate May Prevent Memory Decline

Scientists at Harvard Medical School suggest that drinking two cups of hot chocolate a day may help keep the brain healthy and prevent memory decline in older people. The researchers said that hot chocolate can help preserve blood flow in working areas of the brain.

If you are looking for the perfect wholesome gift for a business associates, family or friends? A quick visit to http://sunburstoranges.com can solve all of your fresh gift giving adventures. We sell only the finest selections of chocolate and the freshest citrus you can buy.

Presented By:
Sunburst Oranges
180 South “E” Street
Porterville, CA  93257
559-561-3391

Sunburst Oranges: Clothes Made From Oranges, Who Knew?

We know how good oranges are for your health.  But, oranges as part of the next new fashion trend, Who Knew!

Can you wear citrus, be fashionable and respect the environment at the same time?

Now it’s possible thanks to two Sicilian girls keen on fashion and sustainable development: Adriana Santocito, 36-year-old fashion designer, and Enrica Arena, 28-year-old communication specialist.

Their adventure started in 2011, in a shared flat in Milan. Adriana and Enrica, non-resident students, dreamed of changing the world by using the resources and by-products that were going to waste in their homeland.

Sicily is one of the largest producers of lemons and oranges, but every year more than 700,000 tons of waste are created by the Italian citrus industry. So why not use that waste to make a new eco-friendly textile?

Adriana started experimenting in the lab of the Polytechnic Institute of Milan, extracted cellulose from the already squeezed fruit and turned it into textile fiber. Then she used nanotechnologies to capsulate citrus essential oils and fix them between the fibers. The result is a fabric releasing vitamin C on the skin. Adriana and Enrica, of course, called it Orange Fiber as their startup - and in 2013 they patented it.

In order to attract funds they entered startup competitions and won several awards. Supported by experts, they proved the project’s feasibility, developed a business model and found their first private investors - a group of Sicilian citrus entrepreneurs. Then an incubator (iPoin Trentino) decided to accept and support their project. So their idea has turned into an industrial reality. In September the new textile spun with silk was presented during Milan Fashion Week.

In addition to giving new life to citrus waste, orange textile reduces carbon emissions and environmental impact of the traditional textile manufacturing methods (taking a large amount of water, fertilizers and chemicals). Furthermore, it’s good for the body. The microcapsules can resist up to 20 washes but Orange Fiber founders have started working on a refill system.

Maybe they won’t change the world, but they’ve certainly found a response to an environmental issue and a way to improve the textile industry.

The first collection of Orange Fiber will be ready for market in February of 2015. The next step will be the internationalization of this environmental friendly project.

If you are looking for the perfect wholesome gift for a business associates, family or friends? A quick visit to http://sunburstoranges.com can solve all of your fresh gift giving adventures. We sell only the finest selections and the freshest citrus you can buy.

Presented By:
Sunburst Oranges
180 South “E” Street
Porterville, CA  93257
559-561-3391

Sunburst Oranges Presents: Chocolate Orange Cream Pie

A great dessert for that valentine dinner.

Ingredients
One half recipe Easy Pie Dough, shaped and chilled in a pie plate
16 ounces whole milk
2 tablespoons orange zest (from approximately 2 oranges)
13 ounces 65% chocolate, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces or smaller
5 tablespoons corn syrup
Pinch of salt
4 ounces mascarpone cheese
6 ounces heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
garnish: candied orange zest

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line the bottom and sides of the chilled, shaped pie crust with parchment or foil and fill with pie weights (I re-use dried beans for this purpose). On the bottom rack of the oven, bake the shell for 20 minutes rotating halfway through, then remove the weights and liner and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the bottom of the pie is golden brown. Remove the shell from the oven and allow it to cool completely.

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine milk and orange zest. Bring them just to a boil over medium heat, then remove from heat and allow them to sit for 20 minutes. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the zest, and return the infused milk to a clean, medium-sized saucepan. Combine chopped chocolate, salt, and corn syrup in a large bowl. Bring milk just to a boil, then pour milk over the chocolate mixture and allow it to sit for 2 minutes. Then, stir milk and chocolate mixture until all of the chocolate is melted. Pour mixture back into the saucepan over low heat, and stir continuously for approximately 8 minutes, taking care to prevent the mixture from burning on the bottom of the pan. The mixture will thicken and begin to bubble. Continue stirring until it has thickened to the consistency of pudding. Remove from heat and pour the filling into the pie shell. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the filling (not over the crust), and chill for at least 4 hours (overnight is ideal).

To serve: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cream and confectioner's together until the cream has thickened but does not yet hold soft peaks. Add the mascarpone and whip until the mixture holds medium peaks. Top pie with the whipped mixture and decorate with candied orange zest (if desired). Serve immediately.

If you are looking for the perfect gift for business associates, family or friends? A quick visit to sunburstoranges.com can solve all of your fresh gift giving adventures. We sell only the finest selections and the freshest citrus you can buy.

Presented By:
Sunburst Oranges
180 South “E” Street
Porterville, CA  93257
559-561-3391