All Things Orange: Sheep, Yes Sheep

A frustrated farmer in Troutbeck, Cumbria, sprayed his entire flock of sheep orange to stop thieves stealing them. Pip Simpson was forced to drastic measures after crooks stole 300 of his livestock in the past four years. This farmer, in northwest England, has gone to extreme lengths to make sure his sheep will stand out from the crowd. He turned the entire flock orange.

Simpson, 50, hopes the Tango-ing will deter rustlers or make the sheep easier to find if they are stolen. He decided to dye his 800 strong flock after 300 were taken over the past four years. He said: “The only solution was to make them completely different to everybody else’s. They’re literally luminous orange. The tint was a really bright color that nobody else had done, so it was just a case of trying to be different.

“There’s no harmful chemicals. It won’t harm them  at all.” “They’ve been sprayed luminous orange. “It’s as if they’ve been Tangoed” “Sheep theft is a massive problem.” The spray paint lasts about 12 months, and doesn't hurt the sheep.

"We’re hoping this will deter thieves because if they did get pinched they’re bright orange and somebody is going to wonder where they’ve come from. So yeah, we've had to try and stop that for a starter. I'm hoping that whoever is pinching them wouldn't be able to hide them, because they are luminous orange, he said. A recent National Farmers’ Union report found that rural crime cost farmers in the north-west of England millions a year. No mention was made of how this affects the use of the wool.

Cumbria Police have admitted there has been a recent increase in the number of sheep thefts. A recent National Farmers’ Union report said rural crime cost the north-west 6.5 million dollars in 2015.

This is not the only animal that was dyed bright orange. Recently, a seagull which looked like it had a spray-tan, was found beak-to-foot in orange after falling into a vat of chicken tikka masala. 

If you are looking for the perfect citrus for yourself or as a gift for a business associates, your 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

What Do We Get From Oranges?

Although oranges are one of the most widely consumed fruits in the United States, they were once considered an expensive delicacy in most regions of the country. With the advent of commercially produced orange juice in the 1940s, oranges became one of the most important national fruit crops, according to the book “Wellness Foods A to Z.” While the majority of oranges are processed into various juice products, the fruit itself is an excellent source of vitamin C and antioxidant compounds, and a good source of dietary fiber, potassium and several B vitamins, including folate.

Vitamin C

Arguably, oranges are most renowned for their high levels of vitamin C, a multifunctional nutrient essential to healthy eyes, skin, teeth and bones, as well as numerous processes in the body. Vitamin C boosts immunity by stimulating the production of antibodies and significantly enhances your body’s absorption of iron from foods of plant origin. In addition to its functions as a nutrient, vitamin C is also a potent antioxidant that helps prevent free-radical damage. Small-, medium- and large-sized oranges provide approximately 85 percent, 116 percent and 163 percent of the daily value for vitamin C, respectively, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

Antioxidants

Oranges are rich in several important phytonutrients, including flavonoids, carotenoids and other powerful antioxidant compounds. The primary flavonoid in oranges is hesperetin, a compound that significantly increases the antioxidant potential of vitamin C, according to “The Color Code,” a book about the health benefits of colorful foods. After vitamin C destroys a free radical, hesperetin acts to regenerate the vitamin back to its active antioxidant form. Flavonoid also helps slow the replication of certain viruses, including polio, influenza and herpes. Other research indicates that hesperetin helps diminish inflammation, reduce high blood pressure and promote healthy cholesterol levels.

Dietary Fiber

Oranges generally qualify as good sources of fiber, meaning they supply between 2.5 and 4.9 grams of fiber per fruit. Small oranges fall just shy of this classification with about 2.3 grams of fiber per fruit. Medium- and large-sized oranges, however, supply more than 17 percent and 12 percent of the daily value for fiber, respectively, according to the USDA. Oranges are highest in soluble fiber, the type associated with regulating blood glucose levels and reducing high LDL and total cholesterol levels. The fruit’s fiber content gives it a nutritional advantage over its extracted juice. Although a serving of freshly squeezed orange juice is a more concentrated source of both nutrients and calories, it provides roughly 85 percent less fiber than the whole fruit.

Additional Nutrients

Oranges are a significant source of potassium -- a large fruit supplies almost 10 percent of the nutrient’s daily value. The adequate intake of dietary potassium can help both prevent and treat hypertension. A large orange also provides nearly 14 percent of the daily value for folate, a B vitamin essential to cell production and maintenance. Because of its role in making red blood cells, getting enough folate can help prevent anemia. Oranges are a good source of vitamin A, a nutrient that promotes good vision and helps form and maintain healthy skin, bones and teeth. One large orange provides 8 percent of this vitamin’s daily value. Oranges are also a good source of vitamin B-6, thiamine, pantothenic acid, calcium and magnesium.

If you are looking for the perfect citrus for yourself or as a gift for a business associates, your 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

Crispy Orange Beef Recipe

Crispy Orange Beef refers to a westernized version of a Chinese dish made from beef and orange juice. 

The ingredients of orange beef can depend on where it is featured, but the western version generally consists of deep fried strips of beef coated in a dark sweet sauce that is reminiscent of other Asian sauces based on vinegar and sugar. 

It also contains flavors of oranges, garlic and hot peppers, and is commonly served with a small amount of julienned carrots and onions in the sauce

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds beef top sirloin, thinly sliced
2/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup long grain rice 
2 cups water
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons orange zest
3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
8 broccoli florets, lightly steamed or blanched
2 cups oil for frying

Directions 

Lay beef strips out in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Allow to dry in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, rice vinegar, orange juice concentrate, salt and soy sauce. Set aside.

Meanwhile, combine rice and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Add more water at the end if necessary.

Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Toss dried beef in cornstarch to coat. Fry in the hot oil in small batches until crispy and golden brown; set aside. Drain all of the oil from the wok except about 1 tablespoon.

Add orange zest, ginger and garlic to the remaining oil, and cook briefly until fragrant. Add the soy sauce mixture to the wok, bring to a boil, and cook until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Add beef, and heat through, stirring to coat. Serve immediately over steamed rice, and garnish with broccoli.

1 hour 5 minutes 6 servings 500 calories

If you are looking for the perfect citrus for yourself or as a gift for a business associates, your 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

We Are Getting Ready To Ship Navel Oranges

I have to admit that the title of this blog isn’t the whole truth. Sunburst Oranges – Has Fresh Navel Orange Gift Baskets.  Sunburst does have fresh navel oranges. In point of fact Sunburst Oranges sunburstoranges.com has the finest in fresh navel oranges. What we are missing is the baskets part of that.  Our oranges come in United States Postal Service Priority boxes and not in baskets.

Why do we do it that way?  That is a very simple answer… to save you money.  Yes, we could have a basket ($) with fancy tissue paper wrapping every orange ($) placed in a gift wrapped box ($) and shipped in even a bigger and heavier shipping box (even more $).  But ask yourself if you are looking to buy the very best in fresh navel oranges what is it you really want… the fancy packaging or the sweet juicy (run down your chin as you eat) orange?

So here is an idea if you just must have the extra “fluff” with your oranges we have a plan for you.

Step Number One; go to our website sunburstoranges.com and order those fresh ripe juicy navel oranges at a great price and delivered quickly by USPS Priority mail. Shipping included in the price.

Step Number Two; go to your local Michaels Craft Store (actually any good craft store will work) and buy a nice gift basket and some fancy green cellulose grass, green tissue and stuffing. Head back to your home and get ready to arrange your gift basket.

Step Number Three; (and I might add the most important) open our Sunburst Navel Orange USPS box and enjoy the fresh Sunburst Navel Oranges.

Step Number Four; What you do with the leftover, unused gift basket is up to you.  You could keep it and use it again for your next order of Sunburst Navel Oranges. Being from California we think recycling is important.

So while you need to handle the “Gift Basket” part of our blog title we are there to handle the Fresh Navel Orange side of our title.

Our largest Gift Pack (and most economical, I might add) is the Large Super Citrus Saver which comes with 24 Sweet California grown Navel Oranges delivered to your door by USPS at no additional shipping costs for just $29.95.

So I guess we need to set the record straight.  The correct title of this blog should have read:

Sunburst Oranges – Has Fresh Navel Orange Gift Packs

The difference between “Basket” and “Pack” is an important one and we always want to get it right so please know we are selling sweet navel oranges and it is Michaels Craft Stores that sell the gift baskets.

Fresh Navel Oranges hand-picked from our orange trees and quickly delivered right to your home.

Are you looking for the perfect gift for 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 Begins Thinking Navel Oranges For November

If you are new to healthy eating and you have pledged to eating more fruits you can’t do any better than eating navel oranges.

I don’t know about you but Navel Oranges are my favorite among oranges. The great news is that Navel Orange harvesting will be begin in just few weeks. 

There are numerous health benefits to navel oranges, and these go beyond just the obvious. The obvious and most well-know benefit of navel oranges is of course Vitamin C. This is arguably the most well-known benefit because navel oranges are a citrus fruit, and every citrus fruit has some kind of Vitamin C content to it. Though the amount of C content can vary amongst all the citrus fruits, the amount in navel oranges is definitely high. But again, this is not the only benefit of navel oranges, just the most obvious.

Another great health benefit of navel oranges is beta carotene. This is an antioxidant that helps prevent and repair cell damage. This cell damage can be due to any number of things like illness or free radicals, which are everywhere and which the body also naturally produces free radicals as a byproduct of digestion. Getting rid of these using the beta carotene in navel oranges can greatly improve your health and vitality.

Most dieticians will tell you that it is better to get these vitamins and minerals out of your food rather than a pill. And since navel oranges are low in calories, fat and cholesterol free and high in fiber and other nutrients, it is a good way to get your daily dosage of these things. It is also juicy and delicious, and available all through the winter. 

What is better than a sweet and delicious citrus fruit like navel oranges to get you through the chilly fall and icy winter? They will remind you of spring and summer even as the snow outside is gathering. Indeed, navel oranges can make you appreciate the sun of spring and heat of summer that much more when they return.

Calcium is another benefit of navel oranges that you may not have thought of. Often, you can find calcium enhanced juices in the dairy case, but many times if you eat a varied diet and consume navel oranges, you may not need that extra calcium. The rest is simply extra that will go unprocessed by your body.

In the store choose oranges that have smoothly textured skin and are firm and heavy for their size. These will have a higher juice content than those that are either spongy or lighter in weight. In general, oranges that are smaller will be juicier than those that are larger in size, as will those that feature thinner skins. Of course you can let Sunburst Oranges choose the very best for you. We will have Navels in just a few weeks.

Are you looking for the perfect gift for 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

Medicinal Properties of Oranges

The Juice of the Orange

Many of us mistakenly look to orange juice today as a dangerous source of highly concentrated fructose – simple “carbs” – without recognizing its profound medicinal properties. We sometimes think we can get the vitamin C activity oranges contain through the semi-synthetic ‘nutrient’ ascorbic acid, without realizing that an orange embodies (as do all whole foods) a complex orchestra of chemistries…  The ‘monochemical nutrient’ – ascorbic acid – is merely a shadow of the vitamin C activity that is carried and expressed through only living foods. The orange, after all, looks like a miniature sun, is formed as a condensation of energy and information from sunlight, and therefore is capable of storing and after being eaten irradiating us with life-giving packets of information-dense gene-regulating nutrition, by a mechanism that will never be fully reducible to or intelligible by the chemical skeleton we know of as ascorbic acid.

Given that thought, here are some of the evidence-based benefits of orange juice:

Orange Juice Improves “Good” Cholesterol: While it is debatable that lowering so-called “LDL” cholesterol is nearly as good for heart health as statin drug manufacturers would like for us to believe, raising “HDL” cholesterol does seem to have real health benefits. This is, however, quite hard to do with diet and nutrition, and impossible through medication. Other than taking high-dose fish oil, few things have been studied to be effective. Except, that is, orange juice.  A 2000 study found that the consumption of 750 mL of orange juice a day, over a 4 weeks, improved blood lipid profiles by decreasing the LDL-HDL cholesterol ratio by 16% in patients with elevated cholesterol.

Orange Juice Boosts Bone Health: A 2006 animal study in male rats found that orange juice positively influenced antioxidant status and bone strength.

Orange Juice (mixed with Blackcurrant Juice) Reduces Inflammation: A 2009 study in patients with peripheral artery disease found that orange and blackcurrant juice reduced C-reactive protein (11%)  and fibrinogen levels (3%), two concrete measures of systemic inflammation. A 2010 study found that Orange juice neutralizes the proinflammatory effect of a high-fat, high-carbohydrate meal and prevents endotoxin induced toxicity.

Orange Juice Boosts Weight Loss: A 2011 study found that children who regularly drank orange juice consumed an average of 523 calories a day more than children who did not drink orange juice regularly. Yet surprisingly, there was no difference in the weight levels between the orange juice consumers and the non-orange juice consumers.

Orange Juice May Dissolve Kidney Stones: A 2006 study found that orange juice consumption was associated with lower calculated calcium oxalate supersaturation and lower calculated undissociated uric acid, two indices of lowered urinary calcium stone formation.

Orange Juice Extract Suppresses Prostate Proliferation: Despite the fructose content, a 2006 study found a standardized extract of red orange juice inhibited the proliferation of human prostate cells in vitro.

The Peel of the Orange

The peel of the orange contains a broad range of potent, potentially therapeutic compounds.  These include pectin and flavonoid constituents, such as hersperiden, naringin, polymethoxyflavones, quercetin and rutin, various carotenoids, and a major odor constituent known as d-limonene, which makes up 90% of the citrus peel oil content, and is a compound that gets its name from the rind of the lemon, which contains a significant quantity of it. It is listed in the US Code of Federal Regulations as generally recognized as safe (GRAS), and is commonly used as a flavoring agent.  D-limonene has been studied to have potent anti-cancer properties, including against metastatic melanoma.

The whole peel extract has been studied to have a wide range of benefits:

 Orange Peel exhibits Anti-Arthritic Properties: A 2010 study found that orange peel extract significant suppressed vaccine adjuvant-induced arthritis in a preclinical model.

Orange Peel (Flavonoids) Exhibit Anti-Cancer Properties:  A 2007 study found that orange peel extract inhibited tumorigenesis in a preclinical mouse model of adenomatous polyposis and increases programmed cell death.[i]  Two additional 2007studies found that orange peel extract has anti-breast cancer properties. The first, by exhibiting chemopreventive properties against mammary tumor lesions in an animal model. The second, by inhibiting breast cancer cell lines in vitro. Additionally, a 2000 study found that flavanone intake is inversely associated with esophageal cancer risk and may account, with vitamin C, for the protective effect of fruit, especially citrus fruit, on esophageal cancer.  

Are you looking for chocolate 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

Greens With Fresh Oranges and Pecan Salad Recipe

Are you looking a unique and tasty salad recipe for your upcoming Thanksgiving Dinner? Let oranges do double duty: Use the juice in the dressing, and slice segments into this light and refreshing crispy greens with orange and pecan salad.

How about one that is also fast and easy? Sound like something you are looking for? Well this one is exactly what you are looking for.

Ingredients

    1/2 cup California pecans
    3 seedless Sunburst Navel oranges
    2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    3 tablespoons virgin olive oil 
   Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
    1 head Boston or Bibb lettuce, leaves torn (about 6 cups)
    1 head Endive, leaves torn (about 8 cups)

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit Spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing once, until fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool, then roughly chop.

Squeeze the juice from 1 of the oranges. Peel and cut the other 2 oranges into segments.

Whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the orange juice, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the lettuce, endive, orange segments, and pecans and toss to combine. Plate and serve immediately.

Are you looking for chocolate 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