Imperial Valley press., 1945-08-30
GUinea Pig
In the Kitchen

Every 50 often, while shopping
around the Sunkist Building to pick
up material for these columns, your
reporter gets stopped in the 9Th
floor corridor by lady in an apron.
Come in and be a guinea pig"
she says.
Taking your reporter by the arm,
she leads him into the Sunkist
kitchen, a bright, shining, spotless
place decorated in ivory and green
quite a shock after the sober
tones and businesslike atmosphere
Of the rest Of the building.
"Sit down." says the lady in the
apron, and brings 4 serving of
lemon pie, orange cake, orange
salad or lemon sherbet. "Try this"
she commands
Often it's not just one cake or
sherbet. but three or four that you
are ordered to sample. You take a
mouthful Of this. then a mouthful
Of that, and compare them, while
members of the Sunkist Home Eco
Monies staff await your verdict.
X X X
IF something doesn't taste so
good, they make-yo say so! That's
the whole point. The job Of the
Sunkist kitchen is to create new
practical recipes using California
citrus fruits, and to work out fresh,
interesting variations on the old
ones. That takes a lot Of expert
menting.
Only after a recipe has been tried
out successfully again and again
is it finally approved. But to citrus
grower, the important part is what
happens next
News of the. new recipe, with
complete description - illustrated.
often, with drawings or appetizing
photographs-goes out to 2700 food
writers all over the United States.
This list includes every noted home
economies editor m the country. 1t
includes 300 radio home economists.
These 2700 women have a following
that runs into many, many millions.
A large number of these home
economists know Miss Essie l.. Ell
lott, head of the Home Economics
Division, personally. Through many
years of friendly contact, Miss Ell
Iiott has established the prestige of
Sunkist so thoroughly that the en-
tire home economics field looks to
Surkist for guidance and informa-
tiOn on anything that has to do with
citrus fruit. SO, when SunkiSt
brings out new lemon pie or or
ange salad, it is enthusiastically
promoted throughout the nation.
When the sugar shortage came
along, the Home Economics Divi.
sion Immediately sent out recipes
requiring little or no sugar, and, nI
no time at all, had the food writers
OF America going to bat for Sunkist
Prowers-shOwing America'S
housewives how they could keep or
serving citrus dishes, and make the
natural sugar in oranges offset the
lack of other sweets. This summer
Miss Elliott and her staff have haC
the editors going to bat again-on
small oranges.
And, because Sunkist material is
so well liked, all this immense
amount of promotion is obtained
free of charge.
X X
The Home Economics Division OF
the Exchange has other important
jobs. 1t gets out the famous Sunkist
Recipe Books, 100000 of which
have been sent to housewives al
their written request! It's big work
in the field of education will be
taker up in a later column. But il
seems to this reporter that no citrus
grower should overlook this kitchen
business! By keeping citrus dishes
constantly before the minds OF
Americas housewives, stimulating
interest with new, delectable COM
binations, the Home Economics Di-
vision plays a very steady and
worthwhile part in maintaining
and increasing citrus consumption
It's another of those things that
couldn't be done by a small group
of growers, but can be done through
the Exchange, in which IA, 500 grow.
ers 1cOrk together.
Nert report: In this paper two weeks
from today.
California Fruit Growers Exchange