. . . is not hot chocolate! While the northeastern United States has spent the week digging out from two or three feet of snow, Florida temperatures have reached 80 degrees and higher, and oranges are ready for picking.
When I moved into my current home, I became the beneficiary of three orange trees and one tree of pink grapefruit, shown above, in my back yard.
Though the trees have since died of old age (they were planted in the 1940's), I got a lot of enjoyment from them. I quickly learned that three large oranges would fill one tumbler with orange juice. In the evenings, I'd go pick three oranges, and then I'd squeeze them the next morning for breakfast.
My trees would produce dozens and dozens of oranges. I'd squeeze gallons of orange juice for my coworkers, and still have oranges left over to give away, and to last me through the season.
I even made my own label.
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| Internet image from realtruck.com |
Some friends discovered that the children of Florida's migrant workers didn't get to enjoy any of the orange juice. And so we devoted an afternoon to pick my remaining oranges to distribute to migrant workers' children. That day, we were able to fill up the bed of a pickup truck.
As long as I'm in Florida, I'll want my electric orange juicer to be close at hand! You'll notice in this photo that I've put a return address label on the juicer. That's because every once in a while, I'll be invited to the home of a friend for a juicing party. We'll pick all the oranges (someone younger will climb up to the top branches), and we'll form a production line of juicers. It's a good excuse for celebrating afterwards with a potluck dinner.
So here's my winter drink, from the orange tree of my friends, Sandy and Greg.
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We're both in a juicing mode, I see. When we don't make the carrot cocktail, we squeeze oranges for juice, (usually on Sundays). I always take a bit of zest from the skin of one of the oranges and plonk it in the juice. If you don't do that, try it. I think it makes a huge difference.
ReplyDeleteI will give the zest a try! I also use orange juice to make a lot of smoothies. Frozen peaches and oj go together great!
Deletedefinitely one of the perks of living in florida! Grapefruit too -my favorite! Have you replaced the dead trees with new ones?
ReplyDeleteHi, Stefan. On one level, I mourned the loss of the orange trees, but on the other hand, when they were gone I had an unobstructed view of the bayou that's just beyond my property. I opted for the view rather than new trees.
DeleteStefan, I should add that in the photo of my trees, you're looking across my yard, rather than towards the water.
DeleteIt seems so foreign to us Northerners who get one orange a year in our Christmas stockings.
ReplyDeleteThe color of your freshly squeezed juice is unique. Even freshly squeezed up here just doesn't seem quite as orange. It must be heaven to have a fresh glass every day.
But we love our snow drifts just as much.
Hi, Steve - We get fresh oranges for several months out of the year, and the taste is definitely sweeter than what comes out of a carton. Interestingly, I don't like commercial juice with pulp, but like the pulp from fresh-squeezed.
DeleteHello Mark:
ReplyDeleteSimply delicious. We cannot imagine anything more pleasurable than drinking the juice of one's own freshly squeezed oranges at breakfast.
Hello, Jane and Lance:
DeleteIt's a wonderful way to start the day — that and a cup of coffee.
Hello Mark, This post vividly illustrates how your own fruit trees are not merely sources of superior fruit, but also centers of hospitality and friendship. Did you replace the trees in your yard? There are so many interesting choices in Florida's warm climate.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I think you look a little like John Astin in that photograph.
--Road to Parnassus
Hello, Jim,
DeleteI did not replace the citrus trees because their demise afforded me a better view of the water that is beyond my house. Had I replaced them, I might have chosen an avocado tree — they grow well down here, and I love avocados.
I can see why that particular photo would remind you of John Astin! You've given me my chuckle for the day.
Dear Mark,
ReplyDeleteOrange trees and a Pink Grapefruit as well: how wonderful.
At our old house we had a huge Meyer lemon tree that was equally 'fruitful' although freshly squeezed lemon juice for breakfast is not top of my list of things to drink before work haha
To have freshly squeezed juice each day would be fab. I drink cranberry juice each morning but alas, it comes from a container.
Dear Kirk,
DeleteI hope the citrus industry doesn't get wind of this comment, but I'm sure cranberry juice is much better for you! Certainly you, as a great baker, must have used lemons for many wonderful concoctions!
I drink half a squeezed lemon in warm water in the morning , some where I read or heard it's good for you. Certainly it wakes one up.
DeleteDear Mark - it is an amazing thing to think that whilst one part of the States is covered in snow another part is enjoying beautiful weather and lovely fresh oranges.
ReplyDeleteI remember that H flew into Miami in transit for Ecuador. I had given him some oranges for his journey which he completely forgot about. They were soon sniffed out and confiscated from him.
Freshly squeezed orange is the perfect way to start the day - all of that vitamin C will be doing you a world of good.
Have you seen the comment that Steve from Qingdao has written in relation to the pagoda?
Dear Rosemary - when I read the newspaper in the morning, I always check the weather in other parts of the country — either the places that I have lived, or where I have friends. The variance is always quite amazing.
DeleteI did see Steve's remark. I wouldn't be at all surprised if some of the people you met in the 1980s see your blog posting on Quindao and get in touch.
Gosh thats hot for winter...I worked it out to be about 25 degrees celsius about the temperature in Sydney now
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a child we had an orange, lemon and grapefruit tree in the garden I agree it's fantastic having it on tap so to speak , now I have to pick bananas from the tree next door
That was really a great gesture distributing juice to workers children it seems pretty mean they cant get to drink the juice their parents no doubt work hard to pick
The migrant workers who pick oranges have a very difficult life by any standard. I have listened to reports from our National Public Radio saying that the teams that pick various fruit crops are very specialized in how they pick and in their speed. The state of Alabama, which passed a very tough immigration/aliens law, discovered that they simply could not replace the migrant workers with other personnel, causing a huge loss to the state's economy.
DeleteDear Mark,
ReplyDeleteHow I envy your perfect winter drink and morning routine! I can't think of anything better-- I absolutely love fresh OJ... Every new year, my husband receives a huge box of 'honeybells' from his office landlord, and we squeeze them all, devouring the juice in inappropriate quantities....I hope there is no such thing as an OJ overdose!
Thanks for sharing this story and wonderful pictures-- I especially liked the photo of you with the wagon load of OJ, and the idea of a juicing party... What fun! (I hope you have a collection of fun Florida orange juice glasses like the one in the photo-- I'll bet there are some design doozies to be had...)
I'll just go sulkily on my way now, clinging to my hot mug of tea as the snow and wind torment us once again.... ;)
Warm regards,
Erika
Dear Erika,
DeleteAs I mentioned above, when I have a lot of orange juice on hand, I start making smoothies. Most commercially made smoothies have crushed ice as an ingredient, but instead I add frozen strawberries, frozen peaches and frozen chopped bananas. Try it — life will never be the same!
I am jealous reading all of these comments! My daughter has lemon and orange trees all around her in California, I just have fire ants and weeds. :(
ReplyDeleteHi, Theresa - just so you know, I have fire ants in my yard, too. I've also had several disasterous encounters with them!
DeleteHi, Mark -
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the good wishes! I'm feeling much better, and even went out shopping today. Had plenty of orange juice while I had that dang cold. But not from oranges in my back yard. Gosh, the thought of having orange trees in the back yard to make fresh squeezed juice...just wonderful! I love your label: so clever :)
Hi, Loi,
DeleteYou're most welcome. Sometimes the winter flu is just the body's way of making sure we rest, and I'm guessing you stay pretty busy!
I'm glad you enjoyed the label. When one employs elves, one wants everything to be on the up and up!
What a wonderful post, Mark. I love orange juice and up here in the north, even though it's cold and occasionally snowy, I still drink a full glass a day. (Needless to say, I buy the best unadulterated juice I can find.)
ReplyDeleteHow fabulous to have your very own trees producing fruit - well, as long as they did. :)
Love that label!