This photo, taken by Audreyjm529 over at Flickr, does more for citrus than any ill-fated product redesign could ever hope to. It's bright, beautiful and so vibrant that you can practically smell the ambrosial scent of lemons and oranges wafting from your computer screen. Prolonged exposure to this picture may cure everything from Vitamin C deficiency to Seasonal Affective Disorder; side effects may include uncontrollable giddiness and a silly grin. Proceed without caution.
Is a dish lacking something you can't pinpoint? Try a tiny bit of salt if you must, but don't forget the secret weapon tucked in the fridge or lolling on the counter.
About a month ago, I had the opportunity to take a trip to Ojai, CA to check out the Southern California lemon groves. The trip was sponsored by Sunkist, and so I got a true insider's glimpse of how citrus goes from those beautiful California groves to the shelf in my local market. I also got a chance to pick a lemon (quite a thrill for the girl who hasn't lived in LA since she was eight), see the Pacific Ocean and get a break from the frigid January weather.
I also learned a whole lot about Sunkist. Did you know that Sunkist is actually a cooperative organization, founded 115 years ago by a collection of growers, in order to better market their produce to a broader audience? There are current members of the co-op who are the fifth or sixth generation of their family to be involved with Sunkist. Knowing that certainly helped put a human feel on what had, in my mind, been a faceless corporate entity.
The trip also broadened my thinking towards using lemons in cooking. I tasted the most delicious fried lemon slices, that were amazing with fresh goat cheese (also made with the help of lemon juice) and am currently infusing a bottle of oil with lemons for some special salad dressings come spring. All the lemon tricks and recipes came from celebrity chef Jill Davie, who is Sunkist's official Lemon Lady and was a real treat to get to know.
For more facts about Sunkist lemons and some of Jill's recipes, check after the jump.
Your meal is almost finished, and you're wondering what last minute ingredients you can add to give it that extra special flavor. Citrus juice, particularly from lemons and limes, goes a long way in many dishes.
As we approach December, I start to crave the diversity of fruits available during the rest of the year. I get tired of seeing apples and pears. So, what I look forward to is the citrus season when you can find vibrant gorgeous oranges full of vitamin C. From December to early spring, markets are full of seasonal citrus fruits to fulfill your fruit needs and your sweet tooth.
While oranges taste perfect on their own, they can add a unique sweet and citrus tang to some of your most simple dishes. And, the citrus fruits that one may not necessarily want to eat plain, such as lemons and limes, create tasty salads and enhance flavors in poultry and fish.
A run-down of the ever-tasty world of burritos in Toronto.
Lemons are the latest tasty thing to suffer soaring prices.
Imagine -- golden colored fat dripping off a pasture-raised chicken allowed to graze on alfalfa with the help of, get this, a mobile roof that travels through the pastures.
There are some kitchen tasks we all dread -- cutting onions, pulling out the insides of a chicken, and for many of us, squeezing lemons and limes. Here are some tips for getting the most out of your lemons, and for getting most of your lemon juice into your bowl, not on your fingers.
On the Today show, Epicurious.com Editor Tanya Steel shows Hota Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford how to make a simple key lime pie.
Even if you can make a key lime pie in your sleep, it's a fun video (even though they say to use pre-squeezed key lime juice if you can't find limes - eek! That's like using lemon juice instead of real lemons in lemon squares!) The taste just can't compare.
Well, the video is fine until good ol' Kathie Lee ruins the moment by first commenting on the amount of calories in the condensed can of milk (Steel smartly replies "Yeah, but who's counting calories?") and then likens the ingredient to colostrum (and Kotb remarks, "Buzzkill.")
Cook much, Kathie Lee? Yeesh - don't invite her over when you're making key lime pie. She'll totally ruin your appetite.
I love it when people care. Even if it's about something minor, like whether you can get a slice of lemon with a Starbucks iced tea, it's always refreshing when someone actually gives a damn. I feel like I'm generally too busy (read: lazy) to care about things, and it's good to know that someone out there is doing the caring for me. Plus, caring gets other people caring.
Take, for example, Al Lewis at the Denver Post, who cares desperately about the fact that Starbucks doesn't provide fresh lemons to squeeze in iced tea. I never noticed it before, but now that I think about it, I might really like that option. I always ask for lemon with iced tea in restaurants, but it never occurred to me that Starbucks has been denying me. So while part of me thinks Al Lewis should just invest his time in finding another establishment for purchasing out tea, more of me thinks he keeps fighting the good fight. Your thoughts?
When you go to a restaurant and get a drink - whether it's a cocktail or iced tea or just water - do you usually get a slice of lemon with it? Well, after watching this news report from HealthInspections.com...ahem
Punch and punch bowls have always bored me. All the ones that I've tried have been overly sweet and dull, and besides, punch bowls remind me of high school dances, and who wants to be reminded of high school?
But this Holiday Punch over at Esquire.com looks like something I could get into, even if it does have rum in it (not a big rum guy). It also includes Cognac and tea bags.
We can change the way we make eggs -- scrambled, poached, fried -- but what about changing the eggs themselves? Mix up your scrambling routine with quail eggs.
I love it when people care. Even if it's about something minor, like whether you can get a slice of lemon with a 
Punch and punch bowls have always bored me. All the ones that I've tried have been overly sweet and dull, and besides, punch bowls remind me of high school dances, and who wants to be reminded of high school?
Second Helping of Slashfood - June 19
Competitive-Eating Contest to Pit Humans Against Elephants
The Backyard Boom - The Hungry Bride
