When I was a kid, we got juice in cans of concentrate and mixed them with water. In terms of packaging, this definitely trumps the big carton. My dad always insisted on slicing the metal cap off the bottom of the cardboard canister so both pieces could be recycled. Weirdly, I still prefer the taste even though I’ve discovered that it’s often considered inferior.
At this point, all signs are pointing toward fresh-squeezed. But what about cost? The price for a 32-ounce carton of organic orange juice at Trader Joe’s is $3.99. A can of organic OJ concentrate is $2.49. And a four-pound bag of organic oranges grown somewhere in the US is $4.69. After squeezing two oranges I got about two inches of juice in a glass, probably about four ounces. With approximately 10 oranges in a bag, at two ounces each, that’s only 20 ounces of juice for almost five bucks. What kind of wacko system offers a processed product cheaper than a fresh one requiring less labor to make?
The taste though! Just-squeezed orange juice is amazing—the tangy smell, the sugary taste, the full body, the immediate impact of complete orangey-ness. So delicious! I don’t know if I’ll become a fresh-squeezed convert (I’d probably need hardware beyond my little lemon juicer), but I may return to it now and then for special occasions…and possibly pass on the carton in favor of holding out for the good stuff.
I have this juicer thing made just for OJ and grapefruit juices. My mother gave it to me for Christmas. It's all yours if you want it. I've never used it, and doubt I ever will. I've tried to pawn it off on my Boston friends but no one wants to go through the hassle of squeezing juice. And honestly I'm not sure I want to either. so if you want it, next weekend you come up, its yours.
ReplyDeleteWow. I'd never read that about orange juice being stored in tanks for such long periods of time. It definitely makes you think twice about the almost fresh-squeezed marketing tactics of some orange juices. Of course, juice and fruit are tricky ones anyway--usually grown in far away places, then processed somewhere else, and then trucked in from there.
ReplyDeleteAlso, every time I make my own juice, I'm amazed by how many orange peels I have left over. I wonder what happens to this compostable waste at big industrial juice facilities.
Hi Brynn,
ReplyDeleteI finally kicked my addiction to orange juice when I realized how much healthier and more satisfying it is to eat the orange instead. You may already be familiar with the following article, but I think one of the most interesting points Hamilton makes is that "we don’t have the same advertising for any whole food that we do for products."
http://civileats.com/2010/01/25/getting-fresh-an-interview-with-alissa-hamilton-on-orange-juice/
Brian - The above article notes that "orange juice makers don’t have to provide information about these synthetically produced flavor packs on the carton because they’re made from orange byproducts." I guess that partially explains how some of the peels are used. I found another article, which suggests that orange byproducts are used in cattle feed. This reminds me of the heightened E. coli risk in corn fed cattle and causes me to wonder about the consequences of feeding orange byproducts to livestock.
http://www.ultimatecitrus.com/Story/oj_story.html
Best,
Kim Anthony
Thanks for sharing these links, Kim. I originally read about this in my print issue of ACRES USA magazine, but couldn't find a digital copy anywhere.
ReplyDeleteI wondered about the peels, too, Brian! Even my little cup of juice from two oranges left a small mountain of peels.
Also, just found this interesting graphic that shows why processed foods cost more than fresh (although in this case they're focusing on meat vs. salad, but I'm thinking it's along the same lines for juice vs. oranges).
http://consumerist.com/2010/03/why-a-salad-costs-more-than-a-big-mac.html