“In the summer time when the weather is hot” -Mungo Jerry
Every spring I do what is possible to cull the last remaining grapefruit off of our trees to preserve their juices for summer in Phoenix. There’s something unbelievably challenging about quenching your thirst in the Phoenix summer. I’ve found that this is something only Tequila and fresh, cold citrus juice can do. Since I’ not quite in the business of making tequila, squeezing the last of the spring grapefruit juice seems much easier. And since there’s quite an abundance of fruit during the spring it is impossible to eat all of it, so juice is the next best option.
The best time to remove the remaining citrus from your tress in Phoenix, AZ is mid to late April. Although depending on the heat and the tree’s tolerance for the sun, you might consider picking the fruit earlier. Simply remove the remaining fruit and pile it up in your kitchen sink. Next, it’s important to rinse your citrus to remove any debris and dirt that may have accumulated over the desert landscape. At this point, I would strongly urge you to invest in an automatic, electric juicer. I absolutely love my Proctor Silex Alex’s Lemonade Stand Citrus Juicer Machine and use it frequently. Purchasing one of the these juicers also goes to a really great cause of fighting childhood cancer with each one purchased. At the time I am writing this, it’s also very reasonably priced under $25 bucks.
Slice your fruit in half with a moderately sharp knife and use the reamer on the juicer to adjust your setting. In our family, we love pulp so we set the reamer to the maximum pulp setting. Depending on how much fruit that you juice, you may have a lot left over. Make sure to press down firmly on the reamer to extract maximum juice from each grapefruit husk. Your hands will be wonderfully sticky.
Once you’ve finished extracting your juice from each peice of fruit, simply take your juice and pour into a pitcher into the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you aren’t planning to drink your juice right away then pouring it into a ziplock bag is the way to go. Seal the bag and label with the date & month. Using a straw, suck out all of the excess air and then lay lengthwise in your freezer in order to maximize storage space. Most fresh juice can last in the freezer for approximately 3-6 months from squeeze date. This gives you a lot of flexibility for thawing and using later.
When you are ready for fresh juice on the weekend, or a refreshing Greyhound cocktail, simply take out a freezer storage bag and let it thaw overnight in your refrigerator. Trust me, “fresh” juice doesn’t taste much better than this.
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