For a while there I thought summer had made a comeback — this past week was that hot and humid. The low, dark clouds refused to make good on their promise of rain, the heavy air as still as it was stale, and everyone a little testy. Then someone said I should bake bread again, and I was, like, “Have you lost your mind?”
Nah, not really. But I did offer her some santol juice to cool her head. Ma’s been enamored with the stuff ever since she had it at Zubuchon. “Did you know you can make juice from santol?” She doesn’t remember calling me a fool for making the same ten years back (“You expect me to drink that?”) after reading about it in MarketManila. Go ahead and click on the link for the recipe; I’ll wait.
Done? Good, because I did not — at least not before making the version featured here. I relied on memory, and realized, after having revisited the article just now, that I was meant to include the pulpy seeds as well. And that’s what I’m here to tell you, actually: you can keep the pulp for yourself and still get decent santol juice with just the rind. I used nine fruits’ worth for two liters of water — quite a lot of chopping involved, true, but would you rather spend that time outside? To sweeten, stevia or honey, or, if you are not minding your glucose levels, plain old sugar (or sugar syrup). Keep topping the pitcher with more water until you’ve leached all flavor out of the rind (there will be discoloration, but that won’t affect the taste).
BTW, are you aware santol is cottonfruit in English? It is so commonplace you tend to take it for granted. If, as Wikipedia says, a mature cottonfruit tree can produce up to 24,000 fruits a year, that means a lot of rind going to waste (since it’s mostly considered too sour to be edible*). All that juice material! Go ahead and make yourself some — it’s really refreshing, never mind the weather. Bottoms up!
* And yet some people swallow the undoubtedly inedible seeds (and proud of it). Apparently, intestinal obstruction and/or perforation from ingesting santol seed (including the occasional death) is medical fact. «
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