7 Days of Oranges - Day 5

Freshly Squeezed Grapefruit Juice

Before my grandmother Brigid passed away she gave me a lot of her cookware, dinnerware and silverware. I love each and every piece and they all hold a sentimental value in my heart. One item she gave me was her glass hand juicer, which is well over 50 years old. I never used it until my 7 days of oranges mission and I'm loving it! It will be one of my staples from now on. If you don't have one I highly recommend it. I typically just squeezed citrus with my hands for recipes, no more of that! Using a juicer allows for way more juice, plus it gives a very soft pulp which means more flavor.

My Grandmother's hand juicer

Keeping with my 7 Days of Oranges mission, today I am on Day 5. Don't forget our 15 pounds of oranges also included grapefruit. I couldn't forget about these big bad bitter but sweet round boys!  Plus I only have 2 days left on my mission so they had to be incorporated. I decided rather than cooking with the fruit why not take advantage of it's fresh juice all by itself. That made my recipe very simple: freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, that's it! Oh my gosh it was so delicious! Typically when I eat a grapefruit I have to add sugar to take away the bitter taste, no sugar necessary when juicing it. I thought it would need it but once I took a sip I didn't add any. And besides being sweet and delicious there are numerous health benefits to juicing and eating grapefruit. They are loaded with vitamins and minerals, they boost the immune system, are good for your skin and reduce water retention, and are low in calories, only about 70 calories per grapefruit. One grapefruit yielded a half of a cup. Trust me a little goes a long way with this so a few ounces each was plenty. I know you're thinking pouring juice from a carton is much easier and more convenient but once you try hand squeezing your juices you'll see how incredibly easy it is. My 9 year old Tyler did most of the squeezing which took a whole 2 minutes! Only a little time for big flavor. The fresh flavor reminded me of our trip to Bora Bora where every morning we sat on our over water bungalow where we drank freshly squeezed juices. Tropical heaven. Freshly squeezed juices are the best because a) of the fresh taste and b) there are no artificial sugars, flavors or preservatives. Enjoy it for breakfast or enjoy it as a mid-day snack for a quick energy boost. There is no mystery to me anymore that freshly squeezed grapefruit juice or any juice for that matter is the way to go! Salute to 7 days of oranges and 2 days to go!

Adding sugar isn't necessary...it's sweet enough alone

Tyler squeezing the juice. Oh, so easy!

Our breakfast

Grapefruit Juice - hand squeezed

Preparation time: 3 minutes
Yields: 1 cup
Serves: 4

• 2 large grapefruits (any variety, we used pink)
• 1 juicer (I used a hand citrus squeezer)

Cut the grapefruit in half and using a hand citrus squeezer, squeeze the juice and pulp. Use a spoon or a strainer to remove any seeds from the juice. Pour evenly into 4 cups. Each cup yields 4 ounces of juice. 

Food Impressions:

Nate: Didn't try any...party pooper!

Tyler: "Wow, mommy this is yummy...it tastes fresh and not really like orange juice."

Zachary: "I love this juice, it's sweet and a little sour."

Dave: "Did you add sugar to this?"

Andrea: Pure and simple, healthy and sweet.