The Fresh Market stores, two of which are in Knoxville (see this article for links with addresses), offer a variety of delicious and unique items, including the double-cream white chocloate milk discussed recently here. In addition, they offer a line of freshly squeezed, unpateurized citrus juices: orange juice, tangerine juice, and grapefruit juice. The orange juice seems to always be available, and the other two are frequently, presumably based on market availability and price of the fruits (when it's profitable to juice them, they'll juice them). They are absolutely delicious, far surpassing the quality and flavor of other fruit juice products, and though they seem pricy (at around $3 a quart), the cost is much lower than what you'd pay to produce that much fresh juice on your own with far less required effort on your part.
"Are they safe?" you might wonder after reading that word "unpasteurized." They are safe because they are fresh, although each bottle contains a warning label that there is the potential for bacterial-based health issues. The author, however, drinks a few of these a week, when he can, and has yet to have even one food-borne illness from them in over three years. Pasteurization is a process of heating a product to at least 180 degrees F to kill off bacteria in it, making it safer for bottling and storage. It also changes the flavor and texture of some juices (like citrus!) and destroys the natural fruit enzymes in the juice, which have great benefits for digestion and health. As long as the products are consumed in a timely manner (and you'll see that this stuff won't sit around long once you taste it!), there's no need for concern.
If you've never had fresh tangerine juice, then you're missing out on something absolutely fantastic. You should make a trip to try it as soon as you get the chance. Also, these are just about the quickest, easiest, and most economical way to produce some great drinks (top quality mimosas with almost no effort, for example, with just a little addition of champagne, which you could make with tangerine juice or even a blend of the three juices in varying proportions -- say one orange, one tangerine, and a splash of grapefruit... wow!). For other ideas on how to use fresh citrus juices, see this recent article and pick up some fresh tangerines while they're in peak season (November through January) to test out some of the other ideas there!
The juices are available in three sizes: 16 oz., 32 oz., and 64 oz, depending. Typically, the orange juice comes in all three sizes, grapefruit in the smaller two, and tangerine just in the quart, although sometimes any of the three can be found in any of the sizes. These, for what it's worth, are one of the author's main reasons for frequenting The Fresh Market as often as he does. Competing stores like Earth Fare, which is a wonderful place that also has two Knoxville locations, would be wise to catch on!
Update: The orange juice, at least in the 16 oz. bottles, is also available in certified organic freshly squeezed orange juice!
Buy it locally! Be sure to check out the Knoxville-area The Fresh Market stores to get some of this juice and give it a try. It's excellent!
For the author's personal reaction to these juices, visit his personal cooking blog, The Untrained Gourmet, and be sure to see this post about the juices in particular!
Comments