February 2012

February is the month of love, and this month we have a great deal to feel passionate about. We love Wong Sher Maine's look at the benefits of lemons through an Asian perspective. We love that we can celebrate Valentine's Day (and the Super Bowl!) with friends and with Limoneira Lifestyles Gift Packs. There is also nothing better than working together to build a sustainable world, and we love the use of beneficial bugs to combat their predatory brothers in a natural way.

 

We hope that you have a wonderful month and receive all the love you so richly deserve. 

 

IPM (Integrated Pest Management)  

 

In 1917, Limoneira Company built the first private insectary in California to grow beneficial insects. Limoneira was one of the founders of Associates Insectary.

 

When it comes to controlling insects and other agricultural pests, there's nothing more natural than using natural enemies to do the job. Using beneficial insects, mites, and snails as part of an Integrated Pest Management Program helps control infestations, all the while lowering the use of pesticides, and preserving the environment. Beneficial organisms are especially advantageous in closed environments like nurseries and greenhouses, or within interior spaces, where the use of pesticides is especially undesirable.

 

A grower-owned cooperative founded in 1928, (Limoneira Company was one of the founding companies), Associates Insectary is the oldest commercial insectary in the United States. It is a pioneer in Sustainable Pest Management, operating with the same sustainable farming principles for more than 80 years. Associates Insectary provides complete Integrated Pest Management Services to California's Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, where the use of beneficial predators has helped to greatly reduce the amount of pesticides needed to produce high quality crops in these areas.

 

Over two million beneficial organisms are produced at their Santa Paula facility each day, and while most of the beneficial organisms that they produce are used by the Grower-Members, significant quantities are regularly shipped to locations throughout the United States and internationally. They are the only producer of Mealybug Destroyer beetles in the United States. Please visit associatesinsectary.com for more information.

Santa Barbara Magazine Fashion Photo Shoot At Limoneira Ranch   

 

On Friday, January 13th (good luck for us that day), Santa Barbara Magazine Executive Director Gina Tolleson (Former Miss South Carolina and former Miss World) whipped up a fashion frenzy in a number of locations at Limoneira ranch. LA celebrity stylist George Kotsiopoulous, photographer Andrew Durham, and hair and makeup artist Geoffrey Rodriguez glammed up their beautiful ("citrusly" ecstatic) model. She's so flexible, too. She loved posing with our English miniature sheep, old-fashioned trolley, antique "REO" truck, and was all over the groves! Look for more in their Spring issue.

 

Lemons Work Wonders

 

In "The Asian Magazine-Through Asian Eyes," WONG SHER MAINE writes "Lemon works wonders, let me count the ways." With the just-past Christmas and Chinese New Year gorging seasons, there is no better time to stock up on lemons and cleanse your overloaded digestive system. What else about a lemon makes it one of nature's best medicines? Lemon juice is about 5% citric acid and has a pH of 2 to 3. Some believe this can change the body's acid condition into an alkaline one, which is desirable. As it contains antioxidants - which scientists have discovered aid in cell rejuvenation - lemon helps fight disease-causing free radicals in the body. It contains lashings of good vitamins C, A, B, potassium, magnesium, and folic acid. Vitamin C is particularly good for warding off colds. Antibacterial and antiseptic, lemon retards the presence of disease-causing bacteria in the digestive tract. Historically, lemon has a colorful past. In the 17th century, ladies in the royal French court would suck on lemons to keep their lips red. The Romans valued lemons as an antidote for all poisons. The Chinese brought the fruit along with them on their long sea voyages. The English made lemon consumption mandatory for sailors, so they could stave off scurvy. As to origins, nobody quite knows, but lemon is believed to have grown in the wild in India and China. The Chinese used the fruit as a cough reliever and as a dietary supplement during pregnancy. Traditional Chinese medicine doctors believe that it can relieve body 'heatiness' - a concept that relates to the balance of "yin" and "yang" in the body - phlegm, and prevent hypertension. One is perceived to be "heaty" when one feels feverish, has a sore throat, constipation, rashes, and indigestion. Ayurveda, the traditional natural system of medicine from India, uses lemon in combination with other substances, to ward off nausea, vomiting, and digestive disorders.


Flu or sore throat

Juice one lemon and add it to a cup of hot water with honey. Drink the solution every couple of hours. The honey helps to sooth the sore throat. For those who also have phlegm, traditional Chinese medicine may prescribe mixing 100g of lemon and the following Chinese herbs: 12g of jie geng, 10 pieces of pang da hai, 9g of gan cao. All these should be boiled in water and drunk once a day.

 

Hypertension

Boil one piece of lemon and 10 pieces of water chestnut in water and drink it once a day.

 

Detox

Drinking lemon or lime juice with warm water first thing in the morning is a very common practice that is believed to flush out toxins from the body. Ashley Judd practices this.

 

Thirst quencher

Squeeze a few drops of lemon into your drinking water. Not only does the water taste better, cleaner, and more refreshing - the reason why swankier restaurants place lemon slices in their water - the lemon-enriched water apparently quenches thirst better than plain water.

 

Dandruff

After shampooing, rinse out your hair with the juice from half a lemon mixed with 2 cups of water. It helps with the dandruff, sweeps out the soap film, and gets rid of excess oil.

 

Tired facial skin

Mix equal quantities of lemon and honey and apply onto the face and neck. After 10 minutes wash the mixture off with cold water. Lemon contains alpha hydroxy acids, highly valued as a beauty product ingredient, as it helps to keep skin radiant and fresh.

  

Cuts

Apply some lemon on the cut - if you can tolerate the sting. The juice serves as a disinfectant and an antiseptic.
Issue: 25            
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Table of Contents

IPM (Integrated Pest Management)
Santa Barbara Magazine Fashion Photo Shoot At Limoneira Ranch
Lemons Work Wonders
Show Your Love With A Limoneira Lifestyles Valentine's Day Gift Pack
Supercharge Your Super Bowl Party With A Limoneira Super Bowl Party Pack
We Love Local Blogger Margot Stewart and "LITTLE LUNCHES"
Limoneira Winner's Block

Links

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Blue Corn/Meyer Lemon Cornbread

 

1 cup blue cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

5 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup white sugar

1 pinch salt

Grated rind of one Meyer  

   lemon

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup butter

1 Meyer lemon, thinly  

   sliced

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch circular baking pan. In a large mixing bowl, sift together cornmeal, flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Combine the eggs, milk, and oil in a separate bowl and mix well. Combine the egg mixture and lemon rind with the dry ingredients. Meanwhile, place the butter inside the baking dish in the oven until it melts. Then mix the hot butter into the cornmeal mixture. Transfer cornmeal mixture into the baking dish. Carefully arrange lemon slices in a circular pattern on top of the batter. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the edges of the cornbread pull away from the side of the dish and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm; drizzle with honey to taste.

 

Source: Jeanne Ponessa Fratello

 

Founder Jeanne Ponessa Fratello began her career as a reporter focusing first on Congressional policy, and later on education policy. She then spent more than ten years as a speechwriter for higher education leaders. An active blogger since 2005 she writes for both the "Jolly Tomato" and "South Bay Sparkle," a Los Angeles-area events and attractions blog. She is also an active freelance writer and a regular contributor to The Huffington Post, CBS Los Angeles online, and MomsLA. 

Jeanne lives in Southern California with her husband and two young sons.

 

Contact: thejollytomato@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Show Your Love With A Limoneira Lifestyles Valentine's Day Gift Pack

 

Their ardor will know no bounds when you present them with a Limoneira Lifestyles "Valentines Day Hearthrob" gift containing: Delicious chocolate-lemon biscotti; our Avocado-Honey Lip Balm (Natural and organic ingredients coupled with lip plumping polypeptides and vitamin B3 in a delicious flavor mix of vanilla, and almond - our lip balm was put to the test in the tough winters of Idaho's Bitterroot Mountains and we think you will be as amazed and pleased as we are at this perfect solution for the 'drys.'); Limoneira Lemon Hand Lotion (Keeps hands feeling soft and hydrated while looking toned and supple. Natural citrus, avocado, and jojoba extracts combine to form an elegant barrier that instantly softens skin and stays with you all day. Continued use will visibly reverse the skin's aged look. Light, tack-free formula); Limoneira Hand Cleanser (Exceptionally mild even for dry, irritated skin in an all-natural, amphoteric base of cleansing agents safe enough for a baby); Lemon-Sugar Candle (with a hint of vanilla). 

 

 

 

 

Supercharge Your Super Bowl Party With A Limoneira Super Bowl Party Pack

 

The countdown to Indianapolis is on! You can be a winner at any Super Bowl party by sharing our Super Bowl Party Gift Pack with your customers and friends. Don't settle for a field goal; go for the touchdown to win big in the entertainment red zone. Our Super Bowl Party Gift Pack makes your party complete with our fresh Hass avocados for delicious guacamole (along with our guacamole seasoning packs), spicy, local, and kicking Chipotle salsa, pistachios, almonds, and cashews for healthy snacking. In addition, our Sweet Meyer lemons and Persian limes will add extra points to your mouth watering margaritas or your favorite beverage. We bet you'll be a big hit when you bring out our football scoring grid and marker on February 5th. There is another benefit too! Enjoy Super Bowl XLVI in a healthy way; order your gift pack today!  

 

 

 

 

We Love Local Blogger Margot Stewart and "LITTLE LUNCHES" 

 

Founder of Little Lunches, a resource for parents and caregivers who want fast, fun, easy and healthy meal ideas for their children. She is a marketing consultant, the mother of two toddlers and an independent certified instructor for the Baby Sign� Program. Margot says "My goal when I started Little Lunches was to get and share ideas about making easy, fun, healthy lunches for my kids as they grew from tiny babies into actual eaters. Four years into this I am still in awe of the inspiring lunches I see other moms making. I am grateful for the feedback and suggestions I get from the nearly 1,000 other parents who have joined the conversation". For more information, please visit ourlittlelunches.blogspot.com.

 

Limoneira Winner's Block   

 

This month our lucky winner is Ann Herold, Los Angeles, CA 90036. As our monthly winner,  Ann has won a Limoneira Orchard Fresh or Lifestlyes Gift.

 

Congratulations Ann!l!   

 

For your chance to win, make sure you're on our mailing list to be entered into our monthly drawing. To join click here or visit our website at www.Limoneira.com    

 

Be sure to check out our other contests and drawings for additional changes to win prizes.