Make A Battery From An Orange

While we have touched on these projects in previous blogs here is an update on several new uses for orange based generated electricity.

This orange battery was built by photographer Caleb Charland as part of his ongoing alternative energy photographs using fruit, vegetables, and other objects to create light for his long-exposure photographs. The electricity powering the lightbulb inside the orange is generated through a chemical reaction between citric acid and the zinc nails inserted into each wedge. 

I think this is by far the most lovely piece he’s done in the series, but before you start work on a bunch of orange lights to keep on the nightstand, the light generated was so dim this particular photograph required a 14 hour exposure.

A link to his website http://calebcharland.com

As you may know citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons and grapefruits, can be used to generate electrical currents. The citric acid in these fruits combines with electrodes, such as copper and zinc, to generate electricity. Acting as a power cell, these fruits can power small devices such as LED lights and basic digital clocks. Creating an orange battery as a science project is a valuable way for your children to gain hands-on experience with how electricity is made and how it functions in a very basic circuit.

What You Need:
1 Orange
1 Copper nail, 2 inches long
1 Galvanized zinc nail, 2 inches long
1 Small light bulb with a 2-inch lead
Electrical tape
Micro Ammeter (optional)
Alligator clips

Directions

Squeeze the sides of the orange to loosen the juice inside and prepare it for the experiment.

Insert both the copper and galvanized zinc nails into the orange. The nails should be 2 inches away from one another with the tips in the center of the orange.

Take a small light bulb and remove the insulation from the leads, or bulb wires, which must be at least 2 inches in length; the bare wires must be exposed. An LED holiday light works well for this purpose.

Wrap one of the exposed wires around the galvanized zinc nail that is sticking out of the orange. Secure it with electrical tape if necessary. Repeat with the other end of the wire, wrapping it around the copper nail.

Watch as, once the second wire is attached, the orange generates enough electricity to make the small light bulb light up.

Are you looking for the perfect wholesome and healthy foods to use as gifts 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

Orange Coffee Cake Recipe

Today is National Coffee Day! Are you one of the millions who will celebrate? What goes great with Coffee? Coffee cake of course. I may be a bit partial but I think that orange coffee cake is the very best.

Ingredients

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 12-ounce cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 count)
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed Sunburst Oranges orange juice

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, pecans, and zest; set aside. Separate the biscuits. Place about 3/4 teaspoon cream cheese in the center of each biscuit. 

Fold each biscuit in half over the cheese, pressing the edges to seal. Dip the biscuits in melted butter, then dredge in the granulated sugar mixture. Place the biscuits, curved-side down, in a single layer in the hollows of a lightly greased 12-cup bundt pan, spacing them evenly (do not stack). 

Place any remaining biscuits around the tube, filling any gaps. Drizzle any remaining butter over the biscuits, and sprinkle with any remaining sugar mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Immediately invert the cake onto a serving platter. 

Combine the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, stirring well; drizzle the glaze over the warm cake. Serve fresh and warm.

Total Time: 1 hour
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Baking Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

Are you looking for the perfect wholesome and healthy foods to use as gifts 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

Farmers In Japan Growing Heart Shaped Oranges

Last year the story was that farmers in Japan were growing octagon shaped oranges by using a frame to force the orange to grow into the octagon shape. Well, not to be out done farmers in Yawatahama are using a similar technique to grow oranges into a heart shape.

Farmers in Japan are growing these heart-shaped mandarin oranges with extra tender care and a wood and aluminum triangular form.

Yawatahama is a city located in the southwestern part of Ehime Prefecture, Japan, and has the largest fish market on Shikoku. The Mikan is the featured agricultural product. Now it seems they feel that growing these heart shaped mandarin oranges will help increase sales.

Watch Video by clicking below.

Fruits with a twist
Farmers in Ehime Prefecture are betting on a special trick to conquer more customers.
Posted by NTV News24 English on Friday, September 4, 2015

The farmers tell Nippon TV News24 Japan that they had about a 60 percent success rate with the method last year, yielding approximately 250 heart-shaped oranges. They hope this will help them sell more oranges. One thing is for sure: Heart-shaped citrus will go over way better with your significant other than a square watermelon this Valentine's Day.

Are you looking for the perfect wholesome and healthy foods to use as gifts 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

Orange Musical Instruments

As our regular readers know on Wednesday we feature stories that are of a humorous nature or feature oranges being used in an unusual manner,

This week the plan was to see if oranges were used as musical instruments. So a quick trip through Google lead to nada, zip, nothing. From what we didn’t find, it seems that while musical instruments have been made from nearly everything else on the planet no one has ever used an orange to make music with. 

Oh, we found lots of uses of the color and name orange when it comes to musical related items and selling of the same. And yes, in the city and county of Orange there are many musical links.

So here are just three of the “orange” musical related finds that resulted from the “orange musical instruments” search.

Orange Amplifiers Rockerverb 50 MK II 50W Tube Guitar Amp Head Orange

All Valve, channel-switching amplifier with ultra-transparent effects loop and valve-driven reverb. This amplifier utilises a two stage clean channel with a four stage dirty channel. The Clean Channel delivers a super rich clean tone with beautiful harmonic overtones. It is a non-master channel, much like vintage Orange amps, and when cranked the power section breaks up faster, delivering the most classic British crunch imaginable. The Dirty Channel is four stages of unadulterated filth, but it is NOT a one-trick pony. Move the Gain knob from 0 to 10, and as you do you'll find a variety of Orange tones, from metal to fusion, rock to blues...there's even some country in there. Improvements include mid EQ control on clean channel, more transparent FX loop, larger, more usable reverb with additional ECC83 preamp valve to power it and #L34 output valves.

Percussion Plus Plastic Maracas - Real Toy Musical Instruments

Quality instrument Great sound Plastic maracus on a wooden handle 1 x pair 181 g 

Manufacturer's Description - Percussion Plus bright orange plastic maracus - Product Description - These colorful plastic Maracas offer a bright tone. 

Extremely popular across the board of musical styles & the number one choice in schools these Maracas sound great & also look fantastic with a bright orange finish.


Retro Belt-Drive Turntable With USB-to-PC Connection and Rechargeable Battery

The PVTT2U is a unique record player that incorporates compact and stylish form with versatile function. This multifunction turntable plays 33, 45, and 78 RPM records and lets you turn your vinyl records into digital music files using your PC. The unit's USB port allows you to connect this turntable to your computer and digitize your music using the included Audacity audio editing software. This unit also has a built-in rechargeable battery that uses the USB port to charge - connect it to your computer or use an AC-USB adapter (not included). Inside, on the front-end you'll find two stereo speakers for audio playback. Stereo RCA output allows you to connect this turntable to your home audio system for even bigger sound while your record spins. It's all packed into an elegant and portable briefcase-style design that is sure to add some style to your sound.

Are you looking for the perfect wholesome and healthy foods to use as gifts 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 

Using Oranges In Jerk Chicken

The bright citrus flavor of oranges enhances many dishes from main meals to desserts. Because oranges are high in vitamin C, they are a very healthy food to cook with. Used in a marinade or sauce, oranges add a sweet-tart flavor to meat, seafood and tofu. Oranges are also a versatile ingredient in desserts, as they pair well with sweet spices and chocolate.

There are two commonly held theories regarding how the name "Jerk" came to be used. One is that it originates from the Spanish word "Charqui", used to describe dried meat. Over time this term evolved from "Charqui" to "Jerky" to "Jerk". Another theory is that the name derives from the practice of jerking (poking) holes in the meat to fill with spices prior to cooking. Nowadays, the word "Jerk" is used as a noun to describe the seasoning applied to jerked food and as a verb to describe the process of cooking used.

Hot, succulent Jamaican Jerk Chicken is a tropical treat. You'll love the heat and flavor of this fiery marinade.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken - cut into parts
4 oranges, juiced (Reserve Pulp)
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped green onions
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 habanero peppers, chopped (optional to taste)

Directions

Place chicken in a medium bowl. Cover with orange juice and water. Set aside.

In a blender or food processor, place orange pulp, nutmeg, salt, brown sugar, thyme, ginger, black pepper and vegetable oil. Blend well, then mix in onions, green onions, garlic and habanero peppers until smooth.

Pour most of the blended marinade mixture into bowl with chicken, reserving a small amount to use as a sauce for serving. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Preheat an oven 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook 45 minutes or until done... depends on oven.

Cover with remaining marinade mixture, serve. You can microwave for 30 seconds to take the chill of the mixture.

Preparation 20 minutes
Cooking 45 minutes
Ready In 3 hours 20 minutes

Are you looking for the perfect wholesome and healthy foods to use as gifts 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 Home of the Plucky Brand

Plucky Brand is Proud to be part of the ever-growing social media family of Sunburst Oranges. Doing good for people and pets in need of help is our 'soul purpose' in life. Utilizing Facebook and Shopify goes hand-in-hand with that mission. Thanks for taking the time to visit us at our Shopify Facebook page: 

We have different and special items that are not on our main website sunburstoranges.com

We feature all our great products as well as items from our Liver Walk sponsorships and Artwork by those artists we feature. Like the SK Stehelin Gallery of Three Rivers CA.

“Of all the plants spread by Nature upon the surface of the globe, there are none more beautiful than those we know under the names of citron, lemon, and orange trees, which botanists have included under the technical and generic name of Citrus. These charming trees are both useful and ornamental. No others equal them in beauty of leaf, delightful odor of flowers, or splendor and taste of fruit. No other plant supplies delicious confections, agreeable seasonings, perfumes, essences, syrups, and the valuable acid so useful to colorers.”

Georges Gallesio: Traité du citrus, 1811 translated from French in 1876 expressly for “The Florida Agriculturist"

Support Our Troops
Do you know someone in the military currently serving our country? Show your support and let them know they are remembered. Whether a husband, a friend, a father, a son, daughter or other family member, the arrival of a box of delicious oranges will brighten the day and bring a smile to all who share. 

Sunburst Oranges is a thoughtful and delicious way to say ‘Thanks’! Choose from the medium or large box with no additional shipping costs. 

Get the Party Started!
A box of Sunburst Oranges shipped in our super-saver value pack is the perfect size for events and get-togethers. Try a box at your next family reunion, block party, church gathering, beach party, company picnics, a camping trip or just to have at home or the office.

A box of oranges complements almost any occasion. And a healthy treat when it is your turn to bring the snacks for your Little League or youth football team.

Are you looking for the perfect wholesome and healthy foods to use as gifts 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

Chocolate May Prevent Brain Loss, Alzheimer's

Just in time for International Chocolate day a new study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, said that certain nutrients in chocolate can help prevent age-related neurodegenerative disorders and maintain brain health in elderly.

According to researcher and neurology professor Giulio Maria Pasinetti, polyphenols are the micronutrients present in large amount in cocoa that can help maintain brain health. The benefits associated with the compound are so well established that experts believe it could even lead to the production of “chocolate pills” someday.

“There is growing interest in developing a cocoa extract, and potentially certain dietary chocolate preparations, as a natural source to maintain and promote brain health, and in particular to prevent age-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease,” says Pasinetti in the review.

During the study, the researchers discovered that consumption of cocoa polyphenols reduces the formation of harmful proteins, including beta-amyloid and abnormal tau aggregates. Such proteins are known to accumulate in the brain and cause damage. The accumulation results in loss of synapses and hence makes the connections between nerve cells dysfunctional.

The researchers further claim that dietary polyphenols can cross the blood-brain barrier and can easily access the brain areas that are associated with the progression of the Alzheimer's disease in the elderly. One such polyphenol metabolite is quercetin-3-O-glucoside that modulates the neuropathogenic mechanisms associated with beta-amyloid.

It is estimated that nearly 35.6 million people had Alzheimer's in 2010. The number is expected to double by 2030. Since the current treatment methods available only target the cognitive decline in patients and do not slow down the progression of the disease, the researchers believe that the potential benefits associated with consumption of cocoa nutrients should be taken a bit seriously.

The health benefits of chocolate have also been explored in previous studies, highlighting its protective power against heart disease, gas and bloating ​and a means of replenishing oxidative stress related to muscle fatigue.

International Chocolate Day is celebrated September 13th every year, according to the National Confectioners Association. The hallowed date is the birthday of Milton S. Hershey, founder of the Hershey Company It is unclear when the holiday was first celebrated.

Are you looking for the perfect wholesome and healthy foods to use as gifts 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