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Looking for something to do with your citrus after you eat the delicious fruit? Here are some instructions on turning the rind into a oil lamp. Looks like a cool idea, but be careful!

http://lifehacker.com/5873655/convert-an-orange-into-a-candle-with-a-little-kitchen-oil

Here is a really great article with some handy recipes for citrus flavored baked goods.

Local Raw Honey is a valuable commodity. As many of our customers know, eating local raw honey will help reduce your allergy symptoms. But unfortunately many people don't know the difference between raw honey and processed honey, which has had most of the pollen removed. This helpful article explains the difference:

Food Safety Watch disagrees, and says removing all of the pollen from honey removes any way to test for its geographic origins, doesn't improve shelf-life, negates the possible health benefits of pollen, and is actually being used to cover up the import of unregulated and often contaminated honey from China through another country like India and finally into the US.

We harvest honey on our grove, not only for our customers, but also because the bees offer natural pollination of the trees. If you're looking for raw honey in the Tampa Bay area stop by our grove store, or check out our local shopping page for a list of retailers.

Holiday meals are often loaded with fat. But using citrus to accent your dishes, you can help add an acidic counterpoint that will balance out the meal.

Here's some handy tips from the Ventura County Star.

Use citrus to lighten the meal, not it's impact

Here's a neat article in The Rome News-Tribune about the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables. We found this passage particulaly interesting:

Citrus Fruits: Phytochemicals in oranges, tangerines and grapefruits may help the body resist cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens), prevent harmful blood clotting and avoid eye problems.

So satisfy your craving for delicious fruit and do something good for yourself, all with one little click.

It's been a tough year in Florida citrus with several freezes and an increase threat from greening throughout the state. None the less, the USDA reports a 4% increase over the size of last years crop.

Michael Sparks, executive vice president of Florida Citrus Mutual had this to say:

"With all the challenges we faced, from cold weather to pest and disease to the drought conditions, the quality of the 2010-2011 crop shows how skilled the Florida citrus grower is at producing their product."

Cee Bee's Citrus was lucky enough to make it through the season without any major freeze damage, and we're looking forward to another good year next season!

The Citrus Growers’ Association of South Africa have issued a new report showing that, among other things, people who eat grapefruit regularly have more energy and better concentration.

 "Four out of five women asked to eat a grapefruit a day for a fortnight said their concentration was excellent or very good in comparison to before the trial period.

 Two thirds reported higher energy levels, 81 per cent said their hair improved while 58.5 per cent said they had lost weight."

The report also shows that grapefruit consumption in much of the world has declined because the white grapefruit available in many parts of the globe is sour and requires additional sugar that negates the health benefits. Our customers don't have that problem because all Cee Bee's Citrus Grapefruit, including our signature Duncan White Grapefruit, our sweet and juicy. So do yourself a favor and order some today!

For years Lipitor users have been warned to avoid grapefruit because on the possibility of a dangerous interaction. In a new study by Watson Clinic published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, cardiologists Patrick J. Reddy, MD, and Kevin F. Browne, Jr., MD call this myth into question. Their research indicates that typical consumption of grapefruit juice is safe with Lipitor and there is no necessity for reducing the dosage of Lipitor when consuming grapefruit juice.

“As a cardiologist and prescribing physician, a number of my patients have asked me about grapefruit-drug interactions with statins, and atorvastatin in particular,” says Dr. Reddy. “But until now, we have not known the effects of consuming typical amounts of grapefruit juice on the efficacy and safety of atorvastatin in patients requiring treatment. While there is a potential grapefruit-statin interaction with other statins (for example, simvastatin and lovastatin), this interaction does not appear to be significant with grapefruit and atorvastatin.”

Your family will love this Asian tinged dish. If you can get your hands on Jasmine Rice, now available at most supermarkets, it will give the dish a more authentic flavor. We suggest using Cee Bee's Citrus Navel Oranges for this dish, but any fresh orange will do. Make sure to wash the orange before you zest it!

Cee Bee’s “Ono” Orange Chicken

1 ½ cups jasmine rice or long-grain white rice

2 cups Cee Bee’s Citrus fresh squeezed orange juice

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce or to taste, to your desire of heat

1 tablespoon cornstarch w/ 3oz of water for slurry-to thicken sauce

Zest of 1 whole orange, peel orange and segment

2 large eggs

Salt and black pepper to taste

Flour for dredging chicken in flour

8 oz broccoli florets

8 oz of baby carrots

1 ½  lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

PREPARATION:

Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F

Cook rice according to package directions. Cover to keep warm; set aside

In a small sauce pot, over medium-high heat, add the orange juice, zest, soy sauce, brown sugar, and sweet chili sauce. Reduce by half. Add cornstarch, water mixture to sauce starting with just half to thicken to your desired consistency. Peel orange and segment. Set aside.

In a medium sauce pot, add water on medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of salt and parboil florets for approx 3 min. Strain and set aside. Parboil baby carrots for approx 4-5 minutes. Strain and set aside.

Cut chicken into 2-inch squares and place in a large bowl. Dredge the chicken pieces with flour. Stir in egg, salt and pepper.  Dredge once more with flour. Add a small batch at a time to fryer, and fry for 3-4 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove chicken from oil and drain on paper towels. Set aside. Repeat 

In a large sauté pan, medium high heat, add chicken and vegetables.  Pour sauce into pan and toss to cover chicken and vegetables.  Lightly toss in oranges segments.  Serve with jasmine rice.   Garnish with green onions and red pepper flakes.

What better way to start the day than with a taste of sunshine! Our local customers can get their hands on Cee Bee's Citrus' Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice at one of our Bay Area Retailers. If you don't have a Cee Bee's Citrus retailer near you just order some of our Delicious Fresh Oranges and squeeze them yourself. For and even sweeter treat make this smoothie with Tangerine Juice!

Orange Vanilla Smothie

1 cup milk
3/4 cup vanilla yogurt or vanilla ice cream
6 oz Cee Bee’s Citrus orange juice
1 tbsp. Cee Bee’s orange blossom honey (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
1 dozen ice cubes

Process all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Taste and adjust flavorings. Serve immediately.