#66_CALAMANSI JUICE

CALAMANSI JUICE

This fruit drink is very rich in Vitamin C

CALAMANSI OR CALAMONDIN FRUITS

My friend Virgie from San Leandro, California, sent me these gorgeous calamansi from her calamansi tree. I would love to have one in my yard too, but they don't grow in cold climate like Utah.

Although these citrus fruits are native to the Philippines, some resources say they can also grow in Hawaii and Florida and obviously in California, but I don't believe they are cultivated commercially. Now, I'm not so sure about this and I stand corrected.

Calamansis are relative to mandarin oranges or pomelos, except they are sour, their peels are thin, and they have very juicy pulps. They have plenty of uses such as: removing stains on fabrics, removing stains on the skin specially the hands. I remember my father used to scrub his hands with the fruits after a day's work at the shoe-making shop to remove the stains in his hands and to smooth the calluses. This trick really worked well.

Calamansi fruits are excellent to use as fruit drinks similar to lemonade and are favorite condiments for pancit guisado and pancit Malabon.

I have a good memory of these fruits. When we were kids my sisters and I would cut a calamansi in half and sprinkle some salt on the cut side and suck the juice just for the fun of it. I also used to peel one and pop it in my mouth...either way was sooo sour, they made my whole face puckered!! It amazes me that I've never had a desire to do this since I became an adult.

PULPY CALAMANSI JUICE

Favorite fruit drinks among the Filipinos

To make a good CALAMANSI JUICE:

1) Boil 1 cup water and 2 tablespoons white sugar until water is reduced to half. Let cool.

2) Squeeze juice of about 10 calamansi fruits (about 1/4 cup) into a tall glass. Take out seeds.

3) Pour cooled syrup into the glass. Add some cold water to make one full glass.

4) Stir thoroughly. Can put some ice cubes in it.

Makes one 12 oz. glass fruit drink.

NOTES:

1) If you prefer not to make syrup, just use plain sugar or honey to sweeten the drink.

2) Do not use hot water with the extracted juice so as not to kill the vitamin C content of the juice.