Foodie Product Review
"Celebrate the Juice of Life"
CLAIRE FELICES ponders the benefits of a juicy life ...
“Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon." - Doug Larson.
Hundreds of moons ago I would wake up to the chaotic sounds of mornings with my cousins on various state of undress, the grown ups busy in breakfast making and near where the bath is could be heard smattering variation of "hurry up". The only constant would be the coffee percolating and the glasses all around the juice pitcher oftentimes with just enough contents for one last glass, too bad for the next one up.
Citrus fruits have been around for 4000 years. It has seen the dramatic
conquests of man and have travelled to the old and new worlds providing
sustenance and good health. The first commercial orange juice would have
to be nearing
its century old mark as it was first produced in California in mid 1910s
as a means not to waste what is an overproduction of the fruit Citrus
sinensis or Ambersweet. It wasnt too long until mass distribution
came about with the operation of the national railways and pasteurization
had been discovered and perfected. Demand for it was not
a problem as since 1890s it has been consumed to prevent scurvy which
often occurs with a vitamin C deficiency.
Drink it up
The first juice though wouldn't happen to be from the best fruits as today
are touted to be. They would be those that are oddly shaped, a little
banged on the sides, slightly discolored in other words those that are
not that
aesthetically pleasing to the eyes and not a fruit vendor's pick.
Although there's nothing like eating the fruit in its most basic nutritious
state, juicing it would be an advantage for people on the go, makes
for a nutritious alternative than plain
water or soda. In the summer season we freeze it on small 2 by 10 inch
disposable plastic strips as a substitute for ice cream and call it
ice candy.
The benefits of juice are valid and conclusive. But it has insidiously
gone in everything from its natural liquid form to candy to everything
else because of the flavor and the memories we have of it, hot or
cold, in powdered
form, mixed with alcohol, fruit flavored coffee, in cakes and even
on its own. Some diets would call for just liquid intake and there
would
be juice
typically in it as some detoxification would have vegetable
juice that are found to have higher sodium content as opposed to
fruit juices that have more sugar, finding the right balance would
depend
on what results one wants.
DRINKING 170 litres of water with
breakfast would be ridiculous. You'd have your legs crossed all the way
to work, which would be particularly problematic if you were doing the
right
thing by walking.
But that's the amount that goes into manufacturing just one cup of orange
juice, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
says. Citrus is a thirsty crop.
Then there's the fuel that goes into the tractors, pesticides, packaging
and transport of OJ. In addition, orange production uses more pesticides
than any other major commodity, the World Wide Fund For Nature reports.
There's obviously more to choosing a juice than whether to go for the pulpy
or the
smooth stuff. There's a fair bit to weigh up if breakfast is to be an environmentally
champion affair.
First on the list, says Cam Walker, the campaigns co-ordinator for Friends
of the Earth, is making sure the Os in your OJ are dinky-di. But beware.
All may not be as it seems on the label. These juice manufacturers can
be a slippery bunch.
"
Check labels carefully to make sure you're buying Australian oranges," Walker
says. "A lot of companies try to pull one over on us by including the
word Australian in the product. If it says it's made in Australia from imported
and Australian oranges it's a fair bet it's mostly imported. There could
be as little as 1 per cent Australian oranges in there.
"
Anyone making juice from Australian oranges will be proud of the fact and
will say it on the pack. If not, it's probably made from concentrate from
places like Brazil and there are a fair few food miles involved in getting
it here. With the threat of peak oil and climate change we need a thriving
agricultural system here. We need a relocalisation of agriculture."
In the concentrate versus freshly squeezed debate, the consensus seems
to be that the high energy cost of producing juice from concentrate
outweighs any savings made in transporting a lower-volume product.
When it comes to packaging, environmental experts are cagey about giving
the nod to glass, plastic or aluminium as the most eco-friendly medium
(to be discussed further in another column), but they agree on one
thing: less
is more. "Go for a large container rather than lots of small ones," Walker
says. "I've got kids and I buy one-litre juice and pour it into their
drink bottles every day."
We should also make sure the packaging can be recycled. "Look for the
1 or 2 symbol," Walker says. "A lot of products will have recycling
labels but can't be recycled in Australia. You need to check what your council
can do. Most can only do 1 or 2."
Jeff Angel, the director of Sydney's Total Environment Centre, says
consumers should insist on organic orange juice. Even better, he says,
would be
to buy oranges and squeeze them at home.
"
There are still some transport costs but the manufacturing stage is completely
avoided," he says. Of course, you rule out even the transport costs
if you grow the oranges in your own backyard.
"
That's what I do," Angel says. You can even use the peel to keep slugs
off the vegie patch.
BAN THE PLASTIC DRINKING BOTTLE
NSW Premier Nathan Rees has announced an immediate
ban on all departments and agencies buying bottled water, including
supplies for water coolers.
It was the first step in a Government campaign to reduce significantly
the consumption of bottled water in the community, Mr Rees said.
In a double blow for the bottled water industry, the sleepy Southern
Highlands hamlet of Bundanoon voted to ban bottled water, just
hours after the NSW
Government announced its boycott.
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Your say, Poll
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"
These plastic bottles are everywhere," Mr Rees told reporters yesterday.
" It's not just the direct plastic bottle that causes the physical reality
in our local environment.
" Bear this in mind. You take a 600ml plastic bottle, 200ml of oil has gone
into its production.
" That's leaving aside the C02 that comes from transporting it around the
place."
Bottled water has been banned in ministerial offices at Governor
Macquarie Tower in Sydney's CBD since Mr Rees became Premier last
year.
At a community meeting last night, Bundanoon locals overwhelmingly
supported the Australia-first ban on commercially bottled water,
already agreed
to by businesses in the town.
Local businessman and Bundy on Tap organiser Huw Kingston said
almost 400 people turned up to the Bundanoon Memorial Hall, with
only two
casting dissenting votes.
The voluntary ban has been triggered by concerns about the carbon
footprint associated with bottling and transporting the water.
Free water fountains will be installed in the NSW village, south-west
of Sydney, to replace the bottled water.
"
It was the biggest ever turnout in the community here at Bundanoon - it's
overwhelming support," Mr Kingston said.
" We can now continue with our route of making Bundanoon Australia's first
bottled water-free town.
" We can go forward with the strength of the community and the businesses
right behind us."
Australians spent about $500 million on bottled water in 2008,
a 10 per cent increase on 2007.
"
It's all about common sense," Do Something! director Jon Dee said.
" When you reduce the usage of bottled water you're not just saving the
environment, you're also saving your wallet at the same time.
" It makes total sense whether you're a government department or whether
you're a company, whether it's in smaller bottles or the larger
bottles that get delivered to offices."
Mr Dee said it made no sense for people to pay twice as much for
a litre of bottled water than for a litre of petrol.
"
The bottled water industry has managed to convince people that bottled
water is somehow pure or better for you than water you drink out of the
tap," he said.
" But we have among the best tap water in the world."
But Geoff Parker, director of the Australasian Bottled Water Institute,
which represents the industry, said he was disappointed by the
bans.
Both restricted consumer choice, he said.
"
The environmental footprint of one bottle of water of locally produced
water would be much smaller than a tin of canned tomatoes imported from
overseas, some imported cheese, or French champagne," he said.
" I think we need to keep it in perspective."
Garrett backs bottled water ban
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett says other states should consider
following NSW Premier Nathan Rees's lead in banning bottled water
from their departments.
"
I think it's worth looking at," Mr Garrett told ABC Radio.
" Quite clearly we're having a really important, pretty healthy debate about
the value of bottled water.
" It's up to individual state governments to decide what positions they
want to take, but I think Nathan has done the right thing."
Mr Garrett said he tried to avoid bottled water, and re-used plastic
bottles as often as he could.
There are a number of suppliers where you can get the Compact Juicer for a special introductory price of $269 inc gst. The best ones are www.compactjuicer.com.au, www.tohealth.com.au, www.healthstart.com.au and www.ecostore.com.au ...
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To be reviewed on Sydneycafes.com.au please post products to The Editor, Sydney Dining Media, PO Box 217, Paddington NSW 2021 Australia. We take no responsibility for lost stock so please email us via editor@sydneycafes.com.au to let us know something's on its way.
The Best of Sydney Coffee
Mano Espresso Bar - Glebe is not All about Grunge
At Mano Espresso they serve Campos Coffee, specifically Campos Superior Blend, made by their qualified and highly skilled baristas. They also have a selection of T2 teas and Chai, as well as freshly squeezed juices. Mano Espresso have recently been awarded four beans in their review in The Coffee Guide Sydney 2009. Certainly in a very short time our experience is that they're already among the best espresso bars in Sydney. Their menu consists of a range of gourmet light meals - toasted pides, soups and their famous spanakopita, and their new addition - delicious steak sandwiches made fresh to order. They also have a range of friands, cakes and muffins to indulge your sweet tooth. For more info, browse their website and feel free to send them your feedback via their contact us page.
Incas Caffe - the best of Italy right here in Sydvegas
Incas Caffè is a boutique Italian coffee boasting all the qualities a good Italian coffee should have. Since being introduced into Australian cafes only a few years ago, it's fast becoming the brand of choice with coffee connoisseurs. The combination of a rich blend and strong aroma, guarantees a perfect coffee each time. Incas Caffè supply commercial coffee machines, grinders, accessories, POS and complete barista training. To discuss your needs or for more information, contact the office on (02) 9614 0040, email us via sales@incascaffe.com.au or visit us online at www.incascaffe.com.au
Numero Uno Coffee & Barista Training
100% Rainforest-Alliance certified coffee from Numero Uno is a combination of three things - coffee, people and passion. They are in business because they love it - and provide a complete experience that educates, inspires and empowers their customers - while offering superb blends such as their Aria Blend, their Il Vizio Blend and their intensely rich Picasso Blend. Numero Uno supply full barista training with any espresso machines including any domestic range of coffee equipment on-site or at their barista training studio. For more info call Sam or Gina on (02) 8399 0111, email them via sales@numerouno.com.au or check out their website: www.numerouno.com.au
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