Caro's Cookbook: Orange Juice and Other Ramblings...

Today is the last day of my summer vacation. I can hardly believe it. Although this summer didn't involve any jet setting across the globe (like last summer), I enjoyed this vacation possibly more than any other I can remember. Summer vacation 2012 included a trip to Arizona to see my mom (Grand Canyon, Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon, and Prescott), spending some time in Kansas City with friends, heading north to Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan to visit friends and family (bachelorette parties and a wedding, canoe trip with my dad in the Boundary Waters, celebrating my sisters birthday, catching up with college and grad school friends, camping, listening to live music, and getting a little time to RELAX!).

While visiting a fellow foodie friend of mine in Michigan, our conversation led to the somewhat recent controversy surrounding the processing and marketing of store bought orange juice. You know, the kind that you buy at the supermarket in cartons, advertised as "pure" or "natural", usually with a picture of some beautiful looking oranges or a farmers gloved hand delivering a glass of refreshing juice.

I had always assumed that the orange juice that I consumed was mechanically harvested and squeezed, some preservatives were possibly added, the juice was packaged, stored for a short time, and then shipped to the distributors and retailers. I guess this understanding was somewhat naive. I never really thought about the feasibility of this type of system given the mass quantities of orange juice that we consume in the United States. What I learned was that, generally speaking, the larger orange juice producers make the juice and store it in aseptic tanks for up to a year, having removed the volatile compounds (i.e. oxygen) that would cause the juice to spoil, but in doing so also remove the natural aroma and flavor of the juice. Before packaging and shipping, the juice is doctored up through the addition of flavor packets that produce the remarkably uniform flavor that many of us have come to associate with "fresh and natural" orange juice. Here is an article that goes into a little more detail: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2009/05/ask-an-academic-orange-juice.html

This all makes perfect sense, considering it would be incredibly difficult for the industry to provide a cheap, uninterrupted year-round supply of juice to consumers without some sort of long term storage process.

The main reason I consume orange juice (in moderation) is because of it's health benefit. I typically use it as an ingredient in smoothies - a little Vitamin C boost. How do I feel about consuming a beverage that has been sitting in storage for so long that many of it's natural and beneficial phytochemicals (that would be found in the fresh orange) have probably been lost? Is it worth it to me that I drink this kind of beverage in order to enjoy orange juice year round? How do I feel about the somewhat misleading marketing strategies used to promote these products?

I understand that many of the products that I consume go through much more behind-the-scenes processing than I might ever imagine. I am also under no delusion that all methods of processing are negative - on the contrary, I have many options for healthy foods readily at my fingertips due to modern processing and packaging techniques (i.e. shelf stable almond milk). In addition to enjoying a convenient supply of healthy and safe foods, I also value having a basic understanding of the process by which the food I eat arrives at my table.

So...to make long story short, I've decided to try my hand at making orange juice. Fresh. Juice. From Oranges.

Since I use the juice mainly as an ingredient in smoothies, the texture and consistency were not as important to me as the flavor.

The recipe was simple:

Peel 5 navel oranges. Blend on high speed (I used my Vita Mix, high powered blender) for about 90 seconds. Chill juice in a glass jar.

The verdict.....a VERY thick, almost smoothie-like juice. The juice did not resemble anything that most people probably think of when they picture orange juice, in terms of texture. However the flavor was fantastic. For smoothies, I think this will be an excellent (tasty, cheap and easy) ingredient. I spent about $2.00 on the oranges at the local open air vegetable market near my apartment. And it took me about 10 minutes to peel and blend the oranges. The five oranges produced about 1 liter of juice.

For a thinner juice, my next attempt will be blended for more time and possibly strained through a cheese cloth. Alternately I will go with the hand juicing method using my Oxo citrus juicer.

I generally consume a half gallon of juice every few weeks. I'm interested to see if the fresh squeezed method will be do-able for me during the very busy school year. I'll report back on the status of orange juice making and consuming in a few months!