This time of year, we all are working hard to stay healthy and keep that awful flu bug far, far away. One of the things we often do is take extra doses of Vitamin C. Today, we’re looking a little deeper into the natural source of Vitamin C – citrus fruits.

“Lemons, oranges, limes, mandarins, kumguats, pomelos and grapefruit are all citrus fruits. Citric acid gives them all their characteristic sharp flavor.

“The Chinese first cultivated citrus 4,000 years ago. Now we consume 40 million tons of oranges each year, half of that total is orange juice.

“Citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C. Centuries ago Americans nicknamed British sailors ‘limeys’ because they were given lime juice to combat scurvy, a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency.

“The zest or rind of a citrus fruit contains a spicy oil; that from the bergamot is widely used in perfume making.

“Kumquats are not strictly citrus but the closely related fortunella: they are often made into preserves, pickles, or kumquat liqueur.”

(Thanks to 365 Days of Nature and Discovery by Reynolds, Gates and Robinson, published by Abrams, Inc:New York, NY, 1994 for today’s information.)

You can make your own orange juice! Fresh from your own blender – and requiring only two oranges! Here’s how:
Slice the oranges; place them in the blender with two or three tablespoons of sugar and 3 cups of water. Blend on maximum speed for 10-15 seconds, then strain through a sieve and pour over ice. Enjoy!

Try making fresh lemonade or limeade this same way, but use less fruit and more water.

Stay healthy! Winter is half over, you know!