Challenge: Consider the Orange

As you all know, this month is unprocessed month for me and it's certainly been quite the experience for me and with only a couple days left of this challenge, I'm extending a small challenge to you, my friends: consider the orange.

Next time you reach for a glass of orange juice, stop yourself.  Put the carton back into the refrigerator and walk away.  Grab your coat (it's a little chilly out) and your wallet and go to the grocery store.  Put two-three large oranges into your cart.  Feel the heaviness of the oranges as they plunk down and settle in to your cart.  Pay for the oranges.  Go home.

Grab a big bowl and set it on the counter.  Cut the oranges in half and by hand, and one-by-one, squeeze the juice from each orange into the bowl.  Let your nose twitch with excitement as it takes in the sharp and zesty aroma of the citrus.  Feel the way the orange's insides slide slickly through your fingers as you release the juice.  Get every last drop from that orange into that bowl.  Next, grab a glass from the cupboard and set it on the counter.  If you're not a fan of pulp, (I'm not) grab a fine-mesh strainer and carefully run the juice from the bowl, through the strainer and into the glass.  If you're a fan of pulp, just pour the juice from the bowl into the cup.

Now, take a sip.

Find yourself involuntarily making that obnoxiously loud, lip-smakin' "Ahhhhhh" sound.

Doesn't that taste incredible?  It's so naturally and surprisingly sweet, no sugar is needed.  The orange juice is so flawlessly delightful, you can almost feel your body thanking you for this gift of pure, refreshing deliciousness.  And that's where the appreciation for what's natural starts.  With a fresh, unaltered piece of fruit, freshly hand-squeezed by you.

Then go about your day and eat what you will but remember that brief, blissful moment you shared appreciating a piece of fruit in it's purest state.