Sunkist Citrus Farm Tour

I was so excited to be part of the Sunkist Citrus Farm Tour. I’ve always been a big fan of citrus, and I mention it specifically in The Plant-Powered Diet, as well as include it in so many of my recipes. There are so many historical and cultural food traditions that borrow upon the healthy habit of including citrus in cooking and meals.

Sunkist—a citrus marketing cooperative—got its start in 1893, and its owned and operated by lots of family farms in California and Arizona. The average size farm is 40 acres, and they grow 40 different varieties of citrus.

We started out in Oxnard, where we enjoyed a delicious breakfast—complete with a beautiful red grapefruit half— and then learned more about the health benefits of citrus fruit.

Health Benefits of Citrus

Citrus has many health benefits—it offers a weight loss aid, an immune-boosting dose of vitamin C, and heart health benefits. Plus, there are so many varieties of citrus they are available fresh year round!

In fact, lemons can help you trim salt in your diet—something that I feel is very important for optimal health, as Americans are consuming far too much sodium. Lemons make the perfect “S’alternative”—recent research shows that you can reduce the salt by 75% in recipes with this perfect optimal blend:

For 2-4 serving recipes, reduce salt by using this blend:
Before/During Cooking:
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp lemon zest
Finish with 2 ½ tsp lemon juice

Check out more information at S’alternative on how you can substitute lemon for salt in your healthy, delicious recipes.

Me in the gorgeous Donlon Ranch lemon orchard

Lemon Ranch Tour at Donlon Ranch, Somis, California

So, after learning about citrus, we piled onto a hayride on our visit to the Donlon Ranch, a 250-acre family ranch since 1959, which grows lemons, avocados and blueberries—some organic, some conventional. The sight of all of those gorgeous bright yellow lemons hanging on the tree just made me smile. It was a beautiful day in this lovely Ventura County ranch. I learned so much about growing lemons. Lemon trees can grow a long time, up to 60 years. The kinds of pests you have to worry about are scale and insects—for organic trees the Donlons use various botanical oils and sulfur. The lemons are picked by hand—there is really no way to use machinery with this delicate fruit. After they are picked, the lemons are sorted by grades, washed, and waxed.

My dietitian friends on our hayride to the lemon orchard 

Lunch in the Lemon Orchard

After the tour, we had a gorgeous lunch overlooking the lemon trees. We feasted on bean corn salad, garden vegetable salad, grilled veggie sandwiches, fresh fruit, and more.

Green bean corn salad

Lemon Cooking Lessons

After lunch, we returned to Oxnard, where the amazing Michelle Dudash, RD showed us how to cook some amazing dishes with lemons. I learned a lot about how to make lemon zest with a microplane, and then use the zest in cooking, followed by a splash of lemon juice at the end to brighten flavors. This technique is great in soups, stews, and pasta dishes. And salads are great with both zest and juice, too. Michelle demonstrated and shared this incredible lentil salad recipe, which I’ve included for you.

Watch a portion of Michelle’s discussion here.

Lentil Salad with Bell Pepper, Avocado, and Apple Cider Vinaigrette (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

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• Author: The Plant-Powered Dietitian
• Yield: 9 servings 1x

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Ingredients

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• 1 cup dry brown or green lentils
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• ¾ cup diced celery
• 1 avocado, diced
• ¼ cup diced red onion
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoon + 1 ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

• 2 ½ teaspoon Sunkist lemon juice
• 2 teaspoon jalapeno, membranes and seeds removed, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

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Instructions

1. Rinse lentils, remove any foreign debris, and drain. Place the lentils in a pot and cover with twice as much water. Add bay leaf and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until tender.
2. Rinse lentils with cold water, drain well, and place in a large bowl.
3. Add remaining ingredients and stir.
4. Chill for at least 30 minutes, up to 3 days.

Notes

*Nutritional Information per Serving: 134 calories, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 6 g protein, 17 g carbohydrate, 9 g fiber, 77 mg sodium.

*Adapted with permission from Clean Eating for Busy Families: Get Meals on the Table in Minutes with Simple and Satisfying Whole-Foods Recipes You and Your Kids Will Love, by Michelle Dudash, RD.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1

Note:  I am not a spokesperson or profiting from these products or company; just providing my own unsolicited opinion about popular products, services, and organizations in the food world today!