Mandarins are an excellent source of Vita-

mins A & C and folic acid

Mandarins also contain fiber, an important part of

your diet!

One mandarin is consid-

ered one serving of fruit

Mandarins are easy to

peel

The pieces inside the fruit

are called “sections”

Some mandarin fruits

have seeds, others do not

Mandarins (Citrus recu-ticulata) are not oranges

(Citrus sinensis)

Califor-nia Mandar-ins are worth $38.2 million dollars in

sales

Manda-rin fruit is

very sensitive to freezing

temperatures

When mandarin fruit freezes, famers can lose

their whole crop

Shiraz Ranch

Shiraz Ranch was created by four business partners in 2002. Three of the partners are engineers, and one is an agricultural scientist. The photo features Barat Bisabri, the agri-cultural scientist, with his family. All of the partners came to the

U.S. from Iran over 30 years

ago.

Mr. Bisabri and his partners chose “Shiraz” as their company name, after an ancient city located in Persia. Shiraz is located in modern day Iran, and is famous for its mild climate, beautiful gardens and known as the birthplace of the 12th cen-

tury poets Hafez and Saadi.

Shiraz Ranch has three sepa-rate farms located in Westley, Newman and Esparto (near Woodland). The partners grow food on over 1200 acres! Be-sides mandarins, they grow grapefruit, olives, almonds, na-vel oranges, pomegranates,

lemons and pummelos.

(Shiraz Ranch)

http://www.shirazranch.com/

Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx

(Mandarin Fruit Facts)

http://www.harvestofthe month.com Click on “monthly elements” and then select the purple

square on the left.

(Persian Civilization)

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikijuior : Ancient_

Civilizations/Persians

The University of California prohibits discrimination or harassment of any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy (including childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth), physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer-related or genetic characteristics), ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or status as a covered veteran (covered veterans are special disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, Vietnam era veterans, or any other veterans who served on active duty during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized) in any of its programs or activities. University policy is intended to be consistent with the provisions of applicable State and Federal laws. Inquiries regarding the University’s nondiscrimination policies may be directed to the Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Director, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 1111 Franklin St., 6th Floor, Oakland, CA 94607, (510) 987-0096.

November 2009 #6

Brought to you by University of California Cooperative Extension, Stanislaus County (209) 525-6800

Thanksgiving Edition!

Easy Mandarin

Chicken Salad

Ingredients (serves 4) 1 head romaine lettuce

4 cooked chicken breasts,

sliced

4 mandarins, sectioned

1 onion, sliced

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Dressing 1/4 c balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 fresh squeezed mandarin

juice

Directions

Put 2 cups of lettuce on each

plate. Add sliced chicken, man-

darins and onions Sprinkle al-

monds on top. Add dressing to

taste.

Mandarin Nutrition Info

Math

Easy: How many sections are in a

mandarin? Count them. Hard: If 15 mandarin trees had 100 mandarins, and

each mandarin had 8 sections, how many sections would you have?

English/Language Arts Pretend you are a poet, and write a poem about your mandarin. Use your senses of taste, smell and touch. Remember, not all poems rhyme. Write10 lines.

Problem solving Why do some mandarins have seeds and others do not? Find out why farmers threatened to sue bee-keepers over this topic. Read article aloud. http://www. Nytimes.com/2007/ 03/14/dining/14seed.html

Geography Find Tangiers, Morocco on a map. On which continent is it

located? Find Iran on the map, then find Shiraz. It still exists today.

History Learn about the ancient Persian city of Shiraz. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiraz

Nutrition

What is folic acid? What does it do in the body?

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002408.htm

Advanced Did you know the word “mandarin” also refers to a language spoken in China? Another spoken language in China is called Cantonese. Why do you think China has several languages? Which one is the official language of the country? Take a look at this map of where the languages are spoken: http://iguide.travel/illustrations/China-12.png http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiraz http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoken_Chinese

1 c. fresh mandarin sections 1/4 c. orange juice 4 c. fresh cranberries 2 c. sugar 1 c. chopped, unpeeled apple 1/2 c. raisins

1/4 c. chopped walnuts 1 tbsp. vinegar 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes until berries begin to burst; mix well. Cool. Store

in jars or serving dish in the refrigerator. Perfect to use in place of cranberry sauce dur-ing Thanksgiving dinner. Easy to can and great to give as a gift!

Many of us are short on time or short on money these days. These simple tips will help you host a get together filled with fruits and veggies with-out breaking the bank:

Decide on your budget first, then your invita-tion list.

Use coupons or look in grocery store circulars for discounts on fruits and veggies that you need.

Check out your local farmer’s market and fruit stands! These are great places to shop for fruits and veggies. Fresh seasonal fruits & veggies tend to be cheaper and tasty.

Fresh, frozen, canned, and dried all count toward getting more fruits and veggies. Buying canned or fro-zen fruits and veggies can be a more cost effective way to add

fruits and veggies to your dishes. For the healthiest option, buy canned veggies with-out added salt and canned fruit without added sugar. Stock up on canned fruits and veggies, so you’ll have them on hand to add to your favorite reci-pes.

Group Soup

Do you have a recipe with different ingredi-ents including vegeta-

bles? When you invite friends over, ask them to bring one ingredient and then make the soup together! Did you know beans are a tasty, filling low-cost substitute for meat?

Visit www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov for more ideas!

(Based on article Get Smart Entertaining from the CDC)

The word

“mandarin” refers to the bright orange robes worn by public officials in China during ancient times

The word “mandarin” also re-fers to a language spoken in China!

Mandarin fruit has been cultivated in China for over 3,000 years

Tangerines are a type of mandarin that are dark orange

Mandarin fruit grows on trees. You can buy mandarin trees at local nursery or garden centers almost anytime of the year. Sometimes citrus trees go on sale during late summer.

To Plant: First, amend your soil with compost, tilling it in to a depth of 6 inches. Then, dig a hole a little bit bigger than the citrus container. Place the root ball (part of the plant that contains the root and soil) in the center of the hole. Next, fill the soil in around the root ball. You may need someone to hold the tree while you do this. Use your hands or feet to push the soil down around the root ball firmly. When you’re done, the soil on the top of the root ball should still be on top. Do not cover the top of the root ball with soil. Finally, water your tree with several gallons of water. You can even make a trough around it to help hold the water. Use a citrus fertilizer according to instructions.

Note: there is no need to add soil to the planting hole, as you already amended the soil ahead of time.

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Try This

At Home!

Thanksgiving Recipe: Mandarin Chutney

Entertaining For the Holidays? Make it Fun, Healthy, and Economical!

By Theresa Spezzano, Family, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences Advisor

UC Cooperative Extension