When my children were young we always had frozen juice concentrate in our freezer. Not anymore though.

My wife and tend to buy fresh juice, or at least purchase it in liquid form, on the occasions we drink the stuff. Yes, it is more expensive, but it is also more convenient than buying the concentrate, then mixing it with water..

I had noted that there seems to be less of a juice selection in my grocer’s freezer than there used to be. I didn’t expect it to drop to zero. The stuff has been around my entire life.

And I liked it, though admittedly I haven’t been drinking as much in recent years. I’m not sure I can articulate why. Maybe a preference for fizzy drinks. Perhaps a desire for freshness?

I realize I haven’t been drinking as much juice as I used to, and it isn’t just the concentrate that isn’t in the house. There’s no tomato juice in the fridge or pantry. The same goes for apple juice. Those are two I loved as a child, tastes that bring back fond memories.

So not it becomes official. minute Maid, basically the last firm making juice concentrate here, is stopping production of the stuff after 80 years. It will all be over in a few days.

If I had a big freezer I’d probably buy a lot of the stuff and stock up. There’s bound to be a market, when there is no more being made. Hoarders can make a killing.

The only problem with doing that is that I no longer have the big chest freezer that sat in the basement of our townhome. All I have is the freezer compartment on our refrigerator. And it is pretty full. Maybe I could squeeze a couple of cans into it.

Not orange juice or lemonade though. You can still buy those, though not the concentrate. And probably not a fruit punch – my wife doesn’t like those because they aren’t 100% juice.

My favorite on a hot summer day was limeade. It was always hard to find, probably not sweet enough for most tastes. If I can find a couple of cans though, I will be them now.

That would let me enjoy that childhood memory one last time when the summer heat is here.