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It’s that Spooky Time of Year Again

Halloween Citrus Label
Barr Packing Company, Sanger, California


The Jack-o’-Lantern — folklore

There are lots of legends connected to Halloween and the carved pumpkin or Jack-o’-Lantern has its fair share. One Irish legend is about a shrewd but lazy farmer, Jack, who is said to have trapped the Devil up a tree by carving a cross on the trunk. Jack then made a deal to release the Devil if he promised to never tempt Jack again. When he died, Jack’s lazy, evil ways denied him Heaven, and the Devil wouldn't let him into Hell. The Devil gave Jack a single ember to light his way through eternal darkness. Jack carved out one of his turnips, put the ember inside, and began endlessly wandering the Earth. He was known as "Jack of the Lantern," or Jack-o'-Lantern.

According to Wikipedia there are a multitude of variations on this legend:
• The Devil mockingly tossed a coal from the fires of Hell at Jack, which Jack then placed in the turnip.
• Jack tricked/trapped the Devil a variety of ways, including placing a key or other item in the Devil's pocket when the Devil was suspended in the air or plucking an apple from a tree. Some versions include a "wise and good man." helping Jack to prevail over the Devil.
• In some variations, Jack's bargain with the Devil is only a temporary bargain, but the Devil, embarrassed and vengeful, refuses Jack entry into Hell after Jack dies.
• Jack is considered a greedy man and is not allowed into either Heaven or Hell, without anything having to do with the Devil.

In the earliest uses of the term jack-o'-lantern in the mid-17th century, it meant a night watchman, or man with a lantern. In America, carved pumpkins are closely associated with the harvest season in general.

The poet John Greenleaf Whittier, who was born in 1807, wrote in
The Pumpkin (1850):

Oh!—fruit loved of boyhood!—the old days recalling,
When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling!
When wild, ugly faces we carved in its skin,
Glaring out through the dark with a candle within!

Schooner Lemon Crate Label

Back to Goleta Valley and the Goleta Lemon Association for this vintage circa 1930s lemon crate label. Featuring a great image of a schooner at sea, this crate label for Schooner Brand, famous Santa Barbara lemons from Goleta Lemon Association, Goleta, California, was printed by Schmidt Litho Co., Los Angeles. The label measures approximately 10.75 x 8.5 inches. The colors are beautiful on a dark background with deep red border and red and white lettering.

I've discussed Goleta in previous posts but here's a little more information.

Goleta Lemon Association
The Goleta Lemon Association began in the late 1800s with less than 700 acres and grew to eventually include more than 2500 acres, about three-fourths of the valley's crops. In 1936 the Association built a million-dollar packing plant and in June of that year sent their first shipment of lemons, wrapped in yellow or white tissue paper called onion skins, to the Chicago market. The then famous Santa Barbara County lemons sold for $9.20 to $9.60 per box, a high price during the Depression years.

In the 1950s a fire destroyed the land and storage facilities, costing the Association $1.5 million. The Association was able to raise the money needed to restart operations and they continued until 1976 when they were purchased by interests in the Central Valley and later sold to the Santa Barbara Lemon Association which operated until 1986.

California Lemon Festival
Lemons are such a large and inherent part of the history of Goleta, it was inevitable that they be celebrated. For the past 14 years the Lemon Festival has been the biggest celebration in the Goleta Valley. If you would like to join the celebration, which includes "sumptuous lemon food, fantastic family atmosphere, a cornucopia of entertainment and activities, and their famous pie-eating contests," just head to Girsh Park in Goleta, October 21 & 22, 2006 for the 15th Annual Lemon Festival. Seriously, for more information on the lemon festival, go to http://www.lemonfestival.com/.

Purchase this Schooner Brand Lemon Crate label or visit Oobydooby.com to view or purchase several Goleta Valley Lemon Crate Labels.

From Table to Wine Grapes

This vintage crate label says Sanguinetti Flame Tokay Grapes, packed by Sanguinetti Fruit Company of Lodi, California — the home of the Lodi Grape Festival. Although Lodi has produced grapes steadily from its incorporation as a city in 1906 through today, the festival got its start in 1934 after the repeal of Prohibition, when the city looked forward to prosperous times for both table and wine grapes.

At the height of the Flame Tokay production, about 25,000 acres of land — almost half Lodi's total acreage — were dedicated to Flame Tokays. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, production of Flame Tokays peaked at around 4 million "lug" crates of the best grapes intended for use as table grapes.

Today, there may be less than 1000 acres in production and only about 1,000 lug boxes of Flame Tokays are shipped from the Lodi area. Most Flame Tokays today are used as bulk grapes in sparkling wines and brandy. This decline is due to the popularity of the flame seedless variety. Flame seedless grapes are a blend of Thompson, Cardinal and a few other grape varieties and are the second most popular table grape after the Thompson seedless. There is still a small market for the old grapes and some are shipped to Canada.

You can learn more about Lodi and the festival and the California grape industry at lodinews.com.