18
The inside information on juicing
Although the juice drinks contained in this booklet
were developed with flavor, texture and aroma for the
most part, the health benefits certainly add to the
pleasurable taste experience.
95% of the nutrient content of fruit and vegetables is
found in the juice. Liquids extracted from fresh fruits
and vegetables form an important part of a well-
balanced healthy diet. Fresh fruit and vegetable
juices are an easy to make source of vitamins and
minerals. Juices are rapidly absorbed into the blood
stream therefore being the quickest way in which the
body can digest nutrients.
When you make your own juices, you have complete
control over what you include in them. You select the
ingredients and decide if you need to use sugar, salt
or other flavoring agents.
Freshly extracted juices should be consumed
just after they have been made to avoid a loss of
vitamin content.
Purchasing and storage of fruit
and vegetables
•
Always wash fruit and vegetables before juicing.
•
Always use fresh fruit and vegetables for juicing.
•
To save money and obtain fresher produce,
purchase fruit or vegetables that are in season (see
the Fruit and Vegetable Facts chart on pages 20
and 21).
•
Keep your fruit and vegetables ready for juicing by
washing them before storing.
•
Most fruits and hardier type vegetables can be
stored at room temperature. The more delicate and
perishable items such as tomatoes, berries, leafy
greens, celery, cucumbers and herbs should be
stored in the refrigerator until required.
Preparation of fruit and vegetables
•
If using fruits with hard or inedible skins such as
mangoes, guava, melons or pineapple, always peel
before juicing.
•
Citrus fruit can be juiced in the Juice Fountain if
peeled first.
•
All fruits with pips, hard seeds or stones such as
nectarines, peaches, mangoes, apricots, plums and
cherries must be pitted before juicing.
•
A small amount of lemon juice can be added to
apple juice to prohibit browning.
Your Juice Fountain makes invigorating, frothy
orange juice. Simply peel the oranges and juice
(It is best to refrigerate oranges before juicing).
Note
19
The right technique
When juicing a variety of ingredients with varying
textures start with the softer textured ingredients on
low speed then change to high speed for the harder
textured ingredients.
If you are juicing herbs, sprouts or leafy green
vegetables either wrap then together to form a
bundle or juice them in the middle of a combination
of ingredients on low speed to obtain the
best extraction.
If juicing herbs or leafy green vegetables on their
own, the juice yield will be low due to the nature
of centrifugal juicing, it is advised to juice them
with a combination of other fruit and vegetables.
Note
All fruit and vegetables produce different amounts of
liquids. This varies within the same group i.e. one
batch of tomatoes can produce more juice than
another batch. Since juice recipes are not exact, the
precise quantities of any juice are not crucial to the
success of a particular mixture.
To extract the maximum amount of juice always
push the food pusher down slowly.
Note
Getting the right blend
It is easy to create great tasting juice. If you have
been making your own vegetable and fruit juices,
then you know how simple it is to invent new
combinations. Taste, color, texture and ingredient
preferences are a personal thing. Just think of some
of your favorite flavors and foods - would they work
well together or would they clash. Some strong
flavors could over power the more subtle flavors of
others. It is however, a good rule of thumb to
combine starchy, pulpy ingredients with those high
in moisture.
Using the pulp
The remaining pulp left after juicing fruit or
vegetables is mostly fiber and cellulose which, like
the juice, contains vital nutrients necessary for the
daily diet and can be used in many ways. However,
like the juice, pulp should be used that day to avoid
loss of vitamins.
There are a number of recipes contained in this book
for the use of pulp (refer page 34). Apart from these,
some of the other uses of pulp are to bulk out
rissoles, thicken casseroles or soups or in the case of
fruit, simply placed in a bowl topped with meringue
and baked for a simple dessert.
Quite apart from the consumption use, pulp is great
used in the garden for compost.
When using the pulp, there may be some pieces
of fruit or vegetable remaining. These should be
removed before using the pulp in any recipes.
Note
Tips on juicing
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