I am still on my quest to find a way to store OJ without using a freezer. Oranges do not grow here (NE)! I've found a wholesaler on the net who provides aseptically packaged fruit concentrates (an amazing variety of fruits offered), but the quantity starts at a 6-gallon pail and goes up from there to a tankerload! We only use about 3-4 qts/wk. Does anyone know if you canned fruit concentrate (which involves boiling), how would it taste later? Is frozen OJ concentrate in the supermarket exposed to high heat during processing? Would anyone like to split the cost of a 5-gallon pail so we can experiment? How about it, you thrifty New Englanders? PS: Don't tell me about Tang, Crystal Light, etc; my husband WILL NOT drink those things, would rather do without. My fallback position is to make and store a lot of cranberry juice, as they grow wild where I am. Any thoughts appreciated. If enough people respond, we can of course order the tankerload size :-D

-- judy (wednesdayschild@hotmail.com), July 23, 1999

Answers

Hi Judy--My family consumes vast quantities of OJ, especially my 7 yr old, who refuses water. I'd be very interested in your web source for this product, thanks. Is it very expensive? Wouldn't mind chipping in with you but alas, I'm in NYS. Good luck,

-- Deb (deb@needhelp.com), July 23, 1999.

I don't know how much it is. I posed as a retail bakery when I called them up to get the brochure! It doesn't include prices. I bet it's pretty cheap compared to those 12 oz frozen OJ containers, though. The company is called Bell Marketing, it's in Illinois, and the # is 800-426-6113. Website is www.bellmarketing.com. They make about 40 juice concentrates, about 20 fruit purees, and a variety of other things related to fruit. If you call them it's probably advisable to hint that you are a business which uses this sort of thing. Please let me know if you order anything by private email.

-- judy (wednesdayschild@hotmail.com), July 23, 1999.

I wonder if you dehydrated orange pulp, then reconstituted it with water (perhaps with a dash of lemon juice) whether that would work.

-- marsh (armstrng@sisqtel.net), July 24, 1999.

Marsh,

I think thats Tang. ;-)

-- R (riversoma@aol.com), July 24, 1999.

Adventurefoods.com, (828) 497-4113, powdered juices available:

lemon - $11.64/lb, lime - $12.05/lb (1 cup = .34lb)

orange segments, freeze-dried, $37.91/lb (1 cup = .04lb)

Can buy in quantities as low as 4oz.

For comparison: 1 cup powdered milk = .29lb

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), July 25, 1999.

I tried making fruit leather with a dehydrator using thawed frozen concentrate and then rehydrating it with water. It worked but the flavor was a bit "off".

-- Barbara (jhegedus@mango-bay.com), July 27, 1999.

If you bottled/canned those concentrates wouldn't the result be even more depleted of Vit. C than what you started with? Better not count on it for nutrition.. just a routine comfort food. And as for rebottling/canning from huge pails of concentrate.. why not experiment with canning regular frozen concentrate? Doesn't seem there is any advantage to getting the more-processed aseptic pail concentrate to just process it again. And as for Tang etc. wonder if you could liven them up by adding some dried citus peels?

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), July 29, 1999.

Storage problems are my excuse for stocking up on lots of cans of mandarin oranges.

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), July 29, 1999.