January 23, 2020
Upcoming Events | Show Off Your Garden
Take Time to Juice
by Joey Bokor
by Joey Bokor
We live in a world of conveniences. Alexa turns on lights and plays your favorite music.
A few words and any product you want can be here tomorrow. With these
things to make our lives easier, you'd think that we would all be carefree
and relaxed. But when I look around at family, friends and even at our own lives,
it seems like we are all busier than ever.
Think back on a time when you didn't feel that way. For me, it goes back to squeezing orange juice. Growing up, we had a big yard by today's standards - a full acre. And on that acre, there were lots of fruit trees. One side of the front yard was devoted to citrus and I think that space alone had eight different trees. Many of the trees were orange trees and with different varieties in the grove, we could harvest oranges through much of the year. One of my jobs was to squeeze fresh juice. I'd go out early in the morning, often before anyone else was awake, with my yellow milk crate and pick from whichever tree had the ripest fruits at the time. Crate filled, I'd head back into the house to slice and juice the oranges. We had an industrial strength juicer. It was heavy, so it didn't move when you pressed down like today's lightweight machines. The juicing head was ceramic. It quickly liquified the most resistant navel oranges. I'd juice away and usually down the first cup I squeezed. There is nothing like the taste of fresh, warm orange juice. It is liquid magic.
Our navel orange tree at home has had a small harvest recently and we've been able to squeeze fresh juice. And as I squeezed, the old juicing memories from less -harried times entered my mind. And then my thoughts turned to what I said in the first paragraph. We have conveniences that should save us time. No getting up to turn on the lights or play music. No need to go to a restaurant for our favorite dishes and no need to head to a store to pick up a product that we want. We should have hours of free time. But what are we doing with all that time?
You would think that we'd be taking afternoon naps and enjoying relaxed evenings in our favorite spots with our favorite people. We'd take the time to juice oranges and grow tomatoes. To stare at the stars and smell a rose. But somehow, we've filled the free time with more stuff. And it isn't making life simpler.
This week, and every week, I encourage you to take some time to enjoy the simple things in life. Juice some oranges, plant some seeds, read a book, cook a meal from scratch and enjoy doing things with the people you love. Life is too short to be too busy. There should always be time for fresh juice.
Think back on a time when you didn't feel that way. For me, it goes back to squeezing orange juice. Growing up, we had a big yard by today's standards - a full acre. And on that acre, there were lots of fruit trees. One side of the front yard was devoted to citrus and I think that space alone had eight different trees. Many of the trees were orange trees and with different varieties in the grove, we could harvest oranges through much of the year. One of my jobs was to squeeze fresh juice. I'd go out early in the morning, often before anyone else was awake, with my yellow milk crate and pick from whichever tree had the ripest fruits at the time. Crate filled, I'd head back into the house to slice and juice the oranges. We had an industrial strength juicer. It was heavy, so it didn't move when you pressed down like today's lightweight machines. The juicing head was ceramic. It quickly liquified the most resistant navel oranges. I'd juice away and usually down the first cup I squeezed. There is nothing like the taste of fresh, warm orange juice. It is liquid magic.
Our navel orange tree at home has had a small harvest recently and we've been able to squeeze fresh juice. And as I squeezed, the old juicing memories from less -harried times entered my mind. And then my thoughts turned to what I said in the first paragraph. We have conveniences that should save us time. No getting up to turn on the lights or play music. No need to go to a restaurant for our favorite dishes and no need to head to a store to pick up a product that we want. We should have hours of free time. But what are we doing with all that time?
You would think that we'd be taking afternoon naps and enjoying relaxed evenings in our favorite spots with our favorite people. We'd take the time to juice oranges and grow tomatoes. To stare at the stars and smell a rose. But somehow, we've filled the free time with more stuff. And it isn't making life simpler.
This week, and every week, I encourage you to take some time to enjoy the simple things in life. Juice some oranges, plant some seeds, read a book, cook a meal from scratch and enjoy doing things with the people you love. Life is too short to be too busy. There should always be time for fresh juice.
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Happy
Gardening, The Kerby's Nursery Family 
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It is almost time for a new season of vegetable gardening. To prepare for planting season,
get the soil in your garden ready now. That way, when it is time to get veggies in the ground,
you'll be all set to plant. Start with Great Soil - The condition of your soil will make or break your veggie garden. Vegetables get most of their nutrients from the soil, so the healthier the soil, the healthier the plants and in turn the more nutrients that make their way into the vegetables you harvest. The mix we like to use is half Kerby's Planting Soil to half top soil. Add some new soil to your garden a few weeks before you plant each season to replenish nutrients lost. Once added, turn the soil with a shovel or till in to mix everything up.
Add some Nutrients - Especially if you are planting the same veggies in the same place season after season, make sure to add fertilizer when turning the soil. Espoma's Garden-Tone fertilizer is an organic option that adds great nutrients into the soil. You can also add a little lime to sweeten the soil, which is especially helpful for tomatoes.
Mix Well - The key to preparing soil is to have it mixed together well a few weeks ahead of planting time so that it gets a chance to come together. So make sure that you mix it up and then lightly tamp it down to level. Give it a few weeks and you'll be ready to plant.
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Citrus New Shipment just Arrived Starting at $59.99 |
