Orange Juice Press 

An orange juice press whether by hand or electric, enables you to enjoy freshly-squeezed OJ with all the vital nutrients; toss out the strainer.

This page was last updated on 22nd May, 2023. As I write it is late autumn in the Southern-Hemisphere; we are enjoying the limes already but we are waiting impatiently for the oranges and mandarins to ripen.

How to make your own freshly-squeezed OJ.

Our faithful Valencia of 30-plus years has finally turned up its toes. Fortunately we have a couple new trees, another orange and a mandarin. For two-years we had to purchase the fruit.

Once your citrus trees get to around twenty-years old, plant new ones; it really takes them about another five to get established.

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Most of us I suspect, would not dream of squeezing our own OJ. But there's a problem; in the carton from the juice company it really is a junk food, light-years away from the real McCoy.

Once you consider the facts, you'll see what I mean. OJ contains only one third of the vitamin-C, a tenth of the folate and a twentieth of the calcium; and no fibre.

• How to get more fiber
  

And the satisfaction you get from eating a fruit you have picked yourself from a tree, be your own or from a neighbour is something you'll remember all your life. I ramble on, but forty years ago whilst a poor student in Lombard, Illinois, we had the audacity to ask if we could collect those that fell on the ground on our way home from church. I still remember the taste, quite different to ours today. They drank OJ from a carton I suppose.

Enter the orange juice press into consideration.

My point is that you either make time to prepare nutritious choice foods; or you get sick and your children too. And instead you spend even more hours trudging off to the doctor and the pharmacist.

These orange-juice ingredients have many of the foodstuffs that are vital to keep your family happy and strong.

We look for unchlorinated water whenever possible.

That means from a spring or the heavens. We now have no concerns about the bacteria in the rainwater from our underground reservoir; testing has just given it a clean bill of wellness.

Orange Juice Press

Orange juice press adds another dimension; the whole fruit is no doubt even better but it is all about variety.

Quizz: What vital food ingredient is, even straight from the tree, completely absent in freshly squeezed orange juice? The answer is at the bottom of this page.

• What's potting in the garden ...
• Nutritious Choice Foods ...

These photos were taken whilst we were  in Holland; our electric orange juice press was in mothballs. I'll get some updated graphics when next the citrus trees are bright in fruit.

Having said that, we humans seem to have an ongoing love affair with the labour-saving devices. Instead of using a manual hand squeezer, we go to the gym and pump weights.

There's certainly a place for the manual squeezer like I am using. The alternative is weak flabby muscles; and then we get tennis elbow or some other arm-pain complaint because we are so unfit.

Electric orange juice press

There are decided advantages of an electric orange juice press. The reaming action certainly extracts more of the pulp. I like this one since you can remove the strainer completely.

It is very old but still in use most days when the fruit is in season.

The Cuisinart 500 gets excellent reviews and is very affordable. It also reverses, removing yet more juice and is apparently easy to clean. I have not seen or used one myself though.

They use very small amounts of electricity; less than 50W apparently which is a breeze even on a small solar power-supply.

So slice and squeeze your citrus, remembering that home-pressed oranges and lemons have significantly more bioflavonoids. Scrape some of the pith because it is rich in vitamin C; even more than the pulp and juice.

Read this in the context of enjoying eight coloured foods most days which means a 35 percent lower all-cause of death; that is massive.

It is because coloured foods contain the bioflavonoids that improve our eyesight and reduce inflammation in our bodies; they mop up free radicals too meaning less metastatic disease.

• Orange juice bioflavonoids
  

Are you convinced? I hope so.

Tree planting help

If you have the space, do plant an orange tree. They require zero maintenance and covered with bright yellow fruit are so decorative. Pull out that Japanese maple and plant something that bears food; and whilst you are about it, an avocado and a lemon if your region permits and you have the room.

The big advantage of your own tree is that you can wait until the fruit is properly ripe; that makes all the difference. If I eat oranges picked too early, I personally get nasty canker-sores in my mouth and gout; the acidity.

Otherwise of course you simply have to buy your oranges but even that is worth the cost and effort.

Notice all the colours. Yellows from oranges, pawpaw and bananas; green from avocado. Out of sight are red tomatoes and radish. Have you had your eight fruit and veggies today? It is all about prevention of tumours.

Researchers followed 20,000 people for two decades; those that enjoyed eight coloured foods every day had a 35% lower all-cause of death; that's massive, not to mention the suffering and cost of treatment that goes with it.

• Are you worried about metastatic disease? I am. Anti-Cancer is written by a psychiatrist who survived two brain tumours; it makes a fascinating read.
  

Whilst I am not a gourmand, anyone can tell the difference between fresh-squeezed orange juice and what you buy from the grocery store.

Also I find freshly-squeezed juice seems to be less acidic.

If you live in an area where you can buy citrus by the bag as I can, or grow it in your garden you will enjoy an orange juicer as much as I do.

Written on Amazon by a happy owner of a juicer.

This is from a happy customer after buying a Cuisinaire 500 for $30.

Why strain it at all? It is the easiest way to get the pips out and you will notice there are two jugs. She who must be obeyed does not like the pulp; and I do not enjoy scenes.

No we do not pitch her pulp. My granddaughter and I drink enriched orange juice and we do not get as many colds as granny does; but we will not belabour that fact. There is trouble coming if she ever gets to read this.

Not to forget the LEMON

Due to the subtle mixture of sugars, acids and bioflavanoids all cultivars of citrus have their unique flavours. If OJ is good, then LJ is perhaps even better.

• LEMON DROP DRINK RECIPE ...

And of course fresh lemon juice on Helen's fifteen euro salad is a must; the ultimate cure for my constipation, together with dribbled olive oil it is divine.

• Growing lemon trees ...

The Mandarin orange tree is another good friend.

There is quite a lot being written about the detrimental effect of high glycemic index carbohydrate food; it is very fattening and is taxing on your pancreas. It's the quickest way to go about getting metabolic syndrome.

In nature thousands of years ago, you would not have found this very sweet mandarin orange tree. Having said that, it is as old as Chinese civilization. 

In essence if you are obese, avoid very sweet citrus; for the rest of us, make sure the pulp comes with the juice and in the context of the whole meal should include plenty of fat and protein to lower the GI.

Take a short brisk walk after any sweet or starchy meal.

Absolutely none of us should be drinking OJ from the grocery store; insulin-resistance lurks just around the corner.

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Here are the back issues.

Citrus trees are so vital and beautiful and the scent of the flowers perfectly heavenly. Add the nutritional value of freshly squeezed orange or lemon juice and the fact you'll never have a spina bifida baby, less heart attack and stroke; you have a winner.

I have just read up about homocysteine; faster healing of shoulder, ankle and spinal complaints so you'll understand why I rave about freshly-squeezed OJ and the orange juice press.

Glycemic index

The joy from your orange juice press needs to be tempered by the fact that even the whole fruit may give you a significant rise in your blood glucose; that's not heart-friendly and the chief cause of obesity and fatty liver.

One whole orange and half a grapefruit pushes my blood glucose up to 9.2 (165); that's not good. I am pre-diabetic; along with nearly a half of adults eating typical grocery store food.

• How to test for prediabetes
  

But there is a solution. Today I took a brisk ten-minute walk after the juice and my readings rose only to 6.8 which is entirely normal; the sugars are changed to glycogen instead.

Taking some form of exercise immediately after a starchy meal will deal with any abnormal response but you must check your own readings. I wish I had bought a glucometer years ago so that I could test my body's reaction to starches; even those supposedly friendly carbs like freshly-squeezed OJ.

What vital ingredient in orange juice facts is totally deficient? Get omega-3 fatty acids from fatty fish, nuts and flaxseed.

• MACKEREL RECIPES ...
• Broccoli Walnut salad ...
• Grinding flax seeds
  

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