Orange Lemonade Recipe

Is Your Supermarket Chucking Foods Before They Expire?, saw this article on Mother Jones magazine website and my thoughts turned to my attitude towards 'Sell by' and 'Use by' dates on food packages.

I grew up in India were refrigerating cooked food for more than a day at least back then was unheard of. Vegetables were in the crisper for a couple of days maybe. We mostly used our senses - noses, tongues and hands to detect if fruits, vegetables, milk or any food for that matter has gone bad.

I still carry that technique to detect freshness of food even with the plethora of dates on most packaged food products. Though I ignore the dates to figure out if they are spoiled I definitely use these dates to buy stuff from the store especially the quick perishables like meat, milk etc., but once they land in my pantry or refrigerator I generally use my nose to tell if they have to be thrown away.

I am actually glad when something goes bad as opposed to them staying the same even after a good couple of weeks. Makes me wonder if these unspoilable food are real food but that is a story for another day.

I know and have seen people throw away perfectly good food because the dates on the packages say otherwise and are on or near the expiry date.

What is your attitude towards these dates on food products?

Moving on to the recipe,
I am on not terribly fond of orange juices. I rarely buy them and never reach for them unless I have no other choice. Those are the times when I want to avoid the donuts but want something sweet. The metallic taste of most store bought orange juices is what I do not like about it.

Freshly squeezed orange juices on the other hand tastes like well how fruit juice should taste fresh and sweet. It was no wonder that when I saw some orange lemonade at my favorite Amish Lancaster Dutch market I could not resist picking it up. It doesn't hurt that they usually make the juices on the premise and does not have any additives.

When the half gallon we bought ran out we set out to make our own. Simple recipe but delicious as they come. My dear friend and her kids were visiting and I tested the juice on them. While my friend found the juice a tad sweet, the kids liked it. So control the amount of sugar you add or skip it altogether.

Orange Lemonade Recipe
Ingredients
1. Juice from 6 medium sized lemons
2. Juice from 6-8 Oranges (see note)
3. 1/4 cup of sugar (half this amount should suffice)
4. 3 cups of water

Method
1. Mix in all the ingredients, refrigerate.
2. Add ice cubes just before serving.

Note:
1. I strained out the pulp (of course you can eat this later) but leave it in if you like it that way.

Mango Sorbet Recipe

Summer days in the DC area come with humidity, heat and bugs. Today is one of those unusual days with a cool breeze, zero humidity and no bugs - perfect for leisurely walks, outdoor activities and such.

This mango sorbet might not be something that you will be reaching out for on a day such as this one but on the other hand on a normal DC day this sorbet will come in quiet handy.

This sorbet was made with canned mango pulp but with the mango season on hand it can be made with fresh mangoes.

Mango Sorbet
From Canned pulp
1. 1 30oz can of mango pulp (see note)
2. 1/2 cup of fresh mangoes sent through a blender and roughly chopped (as small or as chunky as you want)
2. juice from one small lemon (3 tsp worth)

From fresh Mangoes
1. Ripe juicy mango pieces enough to make 3 cups of pulp + maybe 1/2 cup of water (about 8-10 mangoes)
2. 1 cup of sugar (adjust accordingly)
3. 3 tsp of lemon juice

Method
1. In an ice cream maker combine the mango pulp and lemon juice and let it set for about 25 minutes.
2. Scoop and freeze for another of couple of hours before serving.
3. If not using an ice cream maker freeze and every couple of hours break the crystal and let set again. Do this for 3 times and then freeze.

Note
1. If using canned mango pulp do not add any extra sugar.