Limoneira Hot Air Ballooning
May 2010

 
Limoneira - May Momentum


Sustainability, an important concept that ensures long-term viability, has been an important part of Limoneira Company's culture for over a century. To sustain is to nourish and nurture. By providing housing opportunities for all income levels, and working with regional partners to enhance advances in education, job creation, healthcare, tourism and other economic development drivers, Limoneira employees work daily on sustainability.  With our approximately 7,300 acres of land, water resources, and other assets, Limoneira's commitment is to agriculture and community-building. 
 
In our May issue we'd like to sustain you with news on a great educational program called Homegrown - The Importance of Agriculture in Ventura County, provide a few healthy lemon tips, and Chef Jason Collis of Jonathan's has provided us with his recipe for Seedless Lemon Chicken. Jason will be presenting a Passion for Life Is a Passion for Fine Food on Monday, May 10th at the Santa Paula Rotary meeting. If you're in the area, you can learn more and enjoy the fellowship of Santa Paula Rotarians. 
 
Best Regards,

The Limoneira Team

Homegrown - The Importance of Agriculture in Ventura County

 
Limoneira is very proud to be sponsoring Homegrown - The Importance of Agriculture in Ventura County. This innovative program, designed by Mary Maranville and the Ventura County Conservation District, was created to meet the California Content Standard Based Science Curriculum for field trips. Among the many topics students learn are: the functions of each part of a lemon tree including photosynthesis and the pollination of flowers; the role of plants as a source of matter and energy in the food chain; the benefits of the local geography in agricultural production; the role of solar energy in the agricultural production process; and the invention of refrigeration and its impact on citrus production. The field trip begins in Limoneira's Demonstration Orchard, continues though the production stages at Limoneira's historic packing house, progresses on to the Solar Orchard, and finishes with either lunch or a snack at Limoneira Park. Over 1200 Ventura County third grade students have participated in "Homegrown."


 
Santa Maria Real Estate Projects
 
Limoneira has been building great new neighborhoods for over a century. The company's real estate and community development division encompasses a variety of residential and commercial products.

Limoneira Company has invested in four entitled development parcels in Santa Maria in northern Santa Barbara County, a county that tends to entitle very few parcels.


 - Centennial Square, consists of 72 condominiums on 5.09 acres, and is close to medical facilities, shopping, and transportation, and includes oneacre suitable for commercial development.
 
 - Eastridge consists of 120 single family homes on 37 acres. Three additional acres are zoned ----commercial.
 
 - Pacific Crest Terraces is an eight-acre parcel approved for 112 attached-housing units.
 
 - Sevilla is a development of 69 single-family homes adjacent to shopping, transportation, schools, ----parks, and medical facilities, with an additional three-plus acres zoned for commercial use.


Limoneira has entered a joint venture partnership on our Eastridge Property with The Holt Morgan Group for the purpose of building 120 units depending on market conditions. The three remaining parcels, Centennial, Pacific Crest, and Sevilla remain available for sale.


 
Limoneira Solar Project Earns LEED Gold Certification
 
Recently, the U.S. Green Building Council awarded Limoneira's Solar Project and Visitor Center with a Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification. This is the first private-sector LEED gold project in Ventura County. The Visitor Center combines the functional role of sheltering banks of electrical switchgear and inverters, with the interpretive role of a viewing platform with exhibits illustrating how solar energy is used in Limoneira's agricultural operations.   A "green roof" of Santa Clara Valley native vegetation helps by providing cooling shade for the inverters, and is a component of the educational aspect of the tour. The visitor center includes a monitoring room for viewing "live" solar data and historical statistics. Visitors can also watch a video of the installation of the 6,400 photovoltaic solar project. A megawatt of electricity is produced by the project, and another four solar projects in the company's northern operation collectively produce another megawatt of clean energy.


 
Issue: 5

Table of Contents

Homegrown - The Importance of Agriculture in Ventura County
Santa Maria Real Estate Projects
Limoneira Solar Project Earns LEED Gold Certification
Lemon Facts
Join Our Mailing List

Links


Limoneira Hot Air Ballooning 
 

Limoneira
Limoneira Lifestyles
Orchard Fresh Gifts
Tours


Recipe of the Month



Chef Jason's Limoneira
Seedless Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:
4 skinless chicken breasts
4 Limoneira Seedless Lemons
6 large button mushrooms
    sliced
1/4 lb stock butter
2 tbs capers
3 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 cup of white cooking
    wine
1 oz olive oil
4 tbs flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees over high heat in a medium size frying pan, heat olive oil and place 4 chicken breasts in frying pan. Cook about three minutes (until chicken is golden brown) turn chicken breasts and cook another 3 minutes until golden. Once both sides are seared golden transfer chicken breasts to a casserole pan and place in oven for about 20 minutes until chicken is cooked all the way through at a temperature of 165 degrees. While chicken is in the oven, strain drippings from the frying pan to a medium sauce pan and heat drippings. Add capers, garlic and mushrooms and saute until garlic is golden. Add white wine and reduce wine by half. Add fresh lemon juice to the pan and immediately add cold butter coated with flour. Turn heat to low, whisk in the butter together with the sauce and set aside. Once chicken is done pour sauce over the chicken and serve. Garnish with a lemon wheel and fresh chopped parsley.
Lemon Facts 

Limoneira Company is one of the largest suppliers of lemons in the United States. This very versatile fruit is used in infinite ways to flavor foods and beverages. We've listed some interesting Lemon titbits below.

Limoneira Hot Air Ballooning Nutritionally, the lemon constitutes one of nature's seven top sources of potassium, a mineral that promotes clear thinking, ----------aids in normalizing blood pressure, and works with sodium to regulate the body's water balance.

Limoneira Hot Air Ballooning Lemons are nature's top source of citric acid, a life-essential found in the cells of all living creatures.

Limoneira Hot Air Ballooning Add the juice of one lemon to an equal amount of hot water for an anti-bacterial gargle.

Limoneira Hot Air Ballooning Fresh lemon juice has only 4 calories per tablespoon, and a trace of sodium.

Limoneira Hot Air Ballooning High in vitamin C, lemons prevent scurvy.  To this day, the British Navy requires ships to carry enough lemons so that every ---------sailor can have one ounce of lemon juice a day.

Limoneira Hot Air Ballooning Sprinkle lemons with water and refrigerate in a plastic bag. The lemons will last a month, or more, frozen.

Limoneira Hot Air Ballooning Fresh squeezed lemon juice in a glass of ample water is said to cleanse the liver. It is also said that lemon juice helps to ---------------stimulate the metabolism.
Limoneira Hot Air Ballooning The lemon is also a first-rate insect bite repellent, not just because of its citric and ascorbic acid content but because of the ---------organic citrus compound azadirachtin, a potent natural insect repellent which is secreted by the skin of the lemon.

Limoneira Hot Air Ballooning The juice of half a lemon in warm water morning, noon, and night helps eliminate toxins and ease aches.

Limoneira Hot Air Ballooning To use lemon juice as an astringent body pack, mix juice with oatmeal and sponge mixture over your skin.

Limoneira Hot Air Ballooning Lemon juice promotes perspiration and helps block pain. When lemon juice is heated, salicylic acid, the chemical precursor ----------of aspirin's active ingredient, is produced.