Cider box from the orchard

Not everything that comes in a juice box is sugary, artificial, and overly processed. Take, for example, the 4.23-ounce boxes of freshly pressed apple cider from Carlson Orchards in Harvard (59 cents each or $3.99 for an 8-pack). They don’t look like other juice boxes - no splashy colors or cartoon mascots - and what’s inside doesn’t resemble typical kids’ juice: It’s made from whole, fresh apples, not concentrate, with no sugar or water added. “It’s our premium blended cider,’’ says Carlson Orchards’ Frank Carlson, the very same cider sold in gallon jugs throughout the area in season, but handily packaged for little hands. Carlson Orchards Premium Blend Apple Cider juice boxes available at Wilson Farm, 60 Pleasant St., Lexington, 781-862-3900; Roche Bros locations; and Whole Foods Markets.