Sunshine in Winter

We are in the doldrums of winter. The sun has not shown its face in countless days and the snow is hard and dirty. It is the worst time of winter when all is brown and grey and spring seems far away. The trees look bedraggled and sad. The sky outside is a monotonous amorphous white. In all this dreariness there is one thing that saves my soul from all out depression—citrus season.

I know that citrus is now available year-round but here in the Pacific Northwest, winter is the time when it most reasonably priced. We can usually pick up a box of oranges for between $12.00 and $14.00. Our boxes then end up in my favorite antidepressant…a tall glass of orange juice. When was the last time you had a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice? If you haven’t had one in a while, you may not remember that it is like drinking a glass of liquid sunshine…a pure pleasure to the soul.

Eight to ten oranges will make fresh squeezed OJ for my whole family…so it’s not as if you have to run out and buy a whole box. I’m willing to bet however, that after the first glass you’ll wish you had. If you do not have an electric juicer, they make the job easier. You don’t need an expensive one…just get a $15.00 Proctor Silex or Black & Decker at Target. Mine is a Proctor Silex and we’re on year 4 with it—juicing 4-8 30-pound boxes of citrus a winter.

Any ray of sunshine in winter is delightful. For me it is often orange juice—tart, sweet, and wholesome. There is nothing like it to give your heart a lift when winter gets you down.