Party In My Tummy: A Tip for Juicing Citrus

Today’s installment of Party in My Tummy! isn’t really a skill, since all of us are pretty comfortable with a fork, so consider it just a quick tip.

 

 

If you’re juicing an orange or a lemon or a lime, and don’t have a juicer handy, just STICK A FORK IN IT!  Oh, and squeeze too.  The fork breaks up the little juice sacs inside and enables a squeeze to get more juice.

 

 

Be careful not to try to get every single drop out of the lime, as you’ll probably be scraping the pith at some point and that will make your juice bitter.

 

 

Of course a juicer will be more convenient if you’re making margaritas for an army, but this little fork method is perfect for adding a splash of lime to some pad thai or fresh salsa!

 

 

Here’s what I did with all the limes you saw in the pictures:

 

 

I used a fork to squeeze the juice out of about a dozen little limes to make some impromptu fresh limeade!  I’m always concerned about using too much sugar to counteract the acidity of the citrus, which then kind of negates the healthy aspect of a homemade drink, but this ratio of lime juice and simple syrup and water worked out really well!

 

 

Hold on, let’s take a step back.  Simple syrup…is super simple.  It’s just sugar and water.  You bakers and candy makers are probably very familiar with a nice thick sugar syrup for glazing, but for limeade, I wanted something light.  So, my simple syrup uses a water to sugar ratio of 2:1.

 

And the overall ratio?

Recipe:

1 Cup simple syrup

1 Cup lime juice

4 Cups water/seltzer

 

1. Heat 2 cups water in a saucepan.  Add 1 cup of sugar.  Stir over heat until the sugar is dissolved and the water is once again clear.  Let cool.  Any unused syrup can be stored in the fridge.

2. Take a bunch of limes or lemons, and a fork.  Squeeze out 1 cup of juice.

3. Add 1 cup of simple syrup, 1 cup of juice and 4 cups of water or seltzer to a jug.

4. Add ice and enjoy!

 

 

Want to see more tips?  Check out this post!