Basics to Juicing
How many times have you purchased fruits and vegetables and by the time you were ready to eat them found they had turned into mush? Perhaps you’ve reached for some fruit or veggies and while it was still good it lacked the crunch you enjoyed so much. Well, there is a solution for your dilemma! Juicing! Yes, juicing is the ticket and you want to start right away.
This past spring our family began a small garden . The bounty was so plentiful, it produced more than we could handle at one time. The fruits and vegetables were so good, not to mention the healthy side of the venture. There were no chemicals or additives. With a busy summer schedule our garden growth could have been left to waste but we figured out a way to save the day because we hated for items to go bad.
Friends we knew had been talking bout juicing but we had never tried it. Too, I have to be honest, extracting the juice from fruits and vegetables never sounded tasty to me. Yes, I have heard and been made aware that juicing strips the healthy fibers from the fruit and vegetables and all of that jargon but it just did not seem palatable.
The good news is, we eat the raw fruits and vegetables and only toss the left overs in the juicer.
I have a Jack La Lanne’s Power Juicer Express. I’m promoting this as a product that you can buy without worry. It is a fabulous item and you can have no fear. The purchaser simply cooks the fruit or vegetables briefly and strain them thought a jelly bag or wire strainer. Once you have your juice you can start the canning process or freeze it for later opportunities.
Here are a few fruits I like to juice
- Kiwi
- Citrus
- Melon
- Apples
- Cranberries
- Mango
- Pears
- Pineapple (remove core and and outside shell)
- Tomato
- Cucumber
- Berries
Here are a few vegetables I like to juice
- Kale
- Carrots
- Spinach
- Sweet Potato
- Swiss Chard
- Celery
Do not juice
- Thick fruit or vegetable skin (remove first)
- Bananas
- Hot Peppers
- Large pits or seeds
- Avocado
I like to make popsicles for our son but it doesn’t always make it to the freezer.
If you do not have time to juice right away, you can even freeze the raw fruit/vegetable and juice later. Remember to always thaw your fruits before trying to juice. I made this mistake one time. It equaled NO JUICE!
Juicing it up is simple and can be very fulfilling. This is a great way to fill your diet with those healthy fruits and vegetables you may not particularly care for. One thing to be aware of is the amount of sugar you will receive from some fruits. As you come to love the juicer try to mix in more vegetables than fruit to offset your sugar intake.
When you are done juicing, you will have tons of pulp that can be used for many different things.
- Feed it to the chickens
- Add to compost pile
- Mix it in your garden soil
- Mix into to your fruits salad
- Make juice pulp quick bread
- Mix it in your pancake mix
Check back for more juice ideas
Katie Girl
