juice

i am not the biggest fan of fruit juice. given the choice between a glass of juice and the whole fruit, i will choose the latter any day. why would i settle for a cup/glass/box of additives when i can eat the real thing? why would i sip/gulp/slurp a textureless liquid when i can experience a medley of sorts with each bite i take? and why would i ever want to deny myself the satisfaction of knowing a fruit in its purest form?

well, times have changed.

yesterday at the farmer's market, i was particularly interested in a stand i had never given the chance to visit. the juice stand. i don't know if it was because i was perfectly content with my basketful of lush fruits that i had a spark of momentary curiosity, but i put my judgment aside and asked the juice man what he was all about.

no added sugar. no added water. absolutely no preservatives. and organic. 


each bottle of fruit juice was just that. 100% fruit juice. i was intrigued by the mixes before me: pomegranate, apple pomegranate, orange peach, cherry apple orange, and apple cherry. i learned where the fruit was grown, how the juice was produced, and how it could be used in recipes aside from drinking alone. and then i sampled. every. single. one.

no, it's not a whole piece of fruit. yes, it comes in a bottle. but gosh darn it, that fruit juice was as pure as it gets! i complimented the juice man on his commitment to preserving the fruit's integrity, and then bought a bottle of apple pomegranate juice. these juices will NEVER replace my whole fruit, but with the summer heat and desire to "mix it up" every now and then, i'm okay with this juice man's pure creations.