Scottish Country Dance of the Day

May 4th is Orange Day!

California's citrus heritage has deep roots in what is now downtown Los Angeles and neighboring Orange County.

In the 1840s this area was the site of the state's first commercial citrus farm, planted by a frontiersman named William Wolfskill.  When the Gold Rush of 1849 hit, there was a huge demand for oranges because it had been well established that fresh citrus was useful in combating scurvy.

By the turn of the century, capitalizing on the image of California as the land of opportunity and sunshine, the state's citrus sector became the first to use advertising to promote an agricultural commodity, and the orange became the perfect symbol for the sun and the Golden State.

Orange County today is also famous for its tourism as the home of attractions like Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and several beaches along its more than 40 miles of coastline.

This orange-shaped circle dance pays homage to the California orange also referenced in the vintage skipping rope rhyme:

"California oranges, 50 cents a pack,

 California oranges, tap me on the back!"

Candied fruit, also known as crystallized fruit or glacé fruit, has existed since the 14th century. Whole fruit, smaller pieces of fruit, or pieces of peel, are placed in heated sugar syrup, which absorbs the moisture from within the fruit and eventually preserves it. Depending on size and type of fruit, this process of preservation can take from several days to several months. This process allows the fruit to retain its quality for a year.

For a recipe and amusing saga of candied orange peel involving a Hungarian physicist, click the vintage California citrus fruit crate label, one of colourful advertising labels used by packers and distributors, many of which used a Scottish theme in the art as a nod to their founders' ancestry.