Juice Extractor

[lilly]

have just been given a brand new spanking Big Mouth juice extractor for my birthday.

would love to hear of any fave recipes any of you have.

so far i have been making

carrot
celery and
apple

mix yummo~

however..i would love to add beets to it. do i need to cook up the beet first....? or do i just use it whole and raw...( dumb question i am thinking as i am writing this cos i am thinking raw is best!)

any tips advice etc..well received..

 

[IanT]

Lord, I could give you a million...Im big into juicing, my mother got me into it but since I cant really afford to buy too much now, I dont do it as often..I got one of those Juicelady machines from my mom...i love that thing!...

as for the beets, no you dont need to cook them first (cooking will also rob them of nutrient value because it breaks down the cells...jucing is beneficial when you use the freshest (and most ALIVE) ingredients you can...also juice the beet tops, theyre PACKED with nutrients! In my experience beets go through the juicer better when you cut them into little blocks lengthwise like strips

Some good blends to try:

"Summergrass"--my personal favorite and it is GREAT for you..

wheat grass juice
apple (1-2)
juice of 1 lemon
(optional sweetener-juice of one piece sugar cane)


also you can juice parsley and cilantro both mixed with lemon juice and applejuice...great mixes and both of those green veggies have been proven to remove heavy metals from the body, they both act as natural 'pick me ups' in the morning too...use them in ploace of coffee, you get more energy from parsley and cilantro then from one cup of coffee...and best part ..no caffeine!!


carrot-ginger

ginger and either orange,grapefruit (my favorite), lemon or lime or any combo of them..

wheatgrass on its own (this is an EXCELLENT veggie and you can grow a little on your window sill and cut it with scissors, keeps growing back just like your lawn)

celery-orange

mango-pineapple

papaya-mango-pineapple

pineapple-grapefruit

blueberry-cherry

cranberry-lemon

.....I could go onnnnnnn and on lol


I try to use fresh ginger alot, and citrus', as well as anything green...pretty much Ill go to the store and buy a bunch of greens and juice them...bar none if you can find sugar cane it is soooo much better than sugar and you can also use the juices to make the best yogurt smoothies in the world! the fresher the better!!.

I also save the discarded pulp from the machine to use as compost in the garden...it works like a charm!

I have a book Ill PM you about tomorrow night, dont have it right now because Im not home but it is a GREAT resource..


carrots are good but they contain alot of glucose which in large amounts isnt good for you (especially if youve got diabetes in the family) so I limit my use of carrots to a minimum...

the best advice is just get creative! almost anything can be juiced!

also when you get sick...if you juice fresh garlic and ginger...mix with parsley juice and then drink it like 4 times a day youll be better in no time at all...I use that over any prescription any day

Ill keep them coming to once I get back home Ive got a lot of info on this stuff

 

[IrishLass]

A juicer is an awesome gift! I got my first juicer about 1995. I'm on my third one now and I love it (Green Power Juicer). It's not a large mouthed one (which is a very nice feature, by the way), but it gets the job done nicely.

I find we go through seasons in our house where it seems we juice just about every day, and then we have long stints where the juicer just sits on the counter taking up space. Right now it's getting very hot out and we are going through another juicing season.

We have two favorite juices at our house. One is carrot/apple, and the other one is apple-lemonade.

I especially love the apple-lemonade juice, because while it's sweet and tart like lemonade should be, there is no sugar added to it at all. It gets all its sweetness from the apples only. I made some apple-lemonade the other day and added a handful of purple grapes to it as well. It was very good. Yum!

To our carrot apple juice, sometimes I'll add celery and/or cucumber, and/ or beets to it, or a tiny, tiny sliver of fresh gingerroot. Everything goes in raw. It's amazing how sweet raw beets are. Sometimes I'll even add parsley and romaine lettuce. (My Green Power juicer is one of those masticating juicers that juices leafy vegetables, as well as wheatgrass very well). I've made wheatgrass juice with it before, but I haven't done that in a long time. Wheatgrass juice takes some getting used to. It's like drinking Nyquil to me. Blech! It's just too overpowering, but they say it's very good for you.

My sister has a juicer, too and she makes an awesome homemade V-8 type juice. I need to get the recipe from her, because it's so good and I've been wanting to make it. I don't have that one in any of my books, unfortunately.

Although I've never tried this before, I think some kind of melon juice with a sprig of mint thrown in would be really good. At least it sounds really good.

Well, now that I've made myself totally hungry for juice, I'm going to go make a grocery list and go to the store and get some more juice ingredients.




IrishLass

 

[IanT]

lass, dont give up on wheatgrass til youve tried the summergrass recipe I put above! it converted me!

I used to do shots of it but it gave me the shakes like when you drink nyquil (yuck!) but its great mixed w/ other juices like in the sumergrass drink...now Im desensitized to it and I can gulp wheatgrass like water

Its got soooo many nutes!


ohhh your getting me excited I want to go back home and juice, I havent in so long!...just been sitting in the cabinet!

 

[lilly]

wow!! thank you both so much!!! for the info~~~

and i didnt' know about the wheatgrass, i will look out for some and get it going in a pot!!

i went shopping today and was able to get some great bargains on some organics. i am going tomorrow to get some things i forgot..like the lemons etc....i am excited!!!...LOL and looks like i have new hobby~ my health~

funny as it may sound but already i am motivated and reading about the benefits of fresh juices etc. which i have always known is so good for us.

thanks for the recipes..i am copy pasting them into a file so i can print them out and make my own recipe booklet....great stuff..keep them coming please please please.

oh another question...what is the best way to store the beets..so they dont' dry out...i have had them before...put them in my crisper and 2 days later ..yuck!

and do you make it ahead ( the juices) or daily..? i find that a few carrots an apple and some celery realy gives at least 2 days worth..? so can they be stored in the fridge for 2 days at least in a sealed container..?

Ian i think think it is great to have forums like this that helps keep us motivated and interested in things....thank you so much to you and irishlass..

 

[IanT]

!! you are quite welcome! For wheatgrass it may require a different type of juicer, I think they sell handmade ones for like $40 bucks, but it might work in the one you have...depends on it it goes through and gets smooshed and ground enough to extract the juice!...


your health is a GREAT hobby and I agree its great to have a forum like this that keeps you learning!


for storing beats, I like to put them in a container completely saturated in water, it keeps them wet, you will want to keep the beet tops (greens and such) separate because they may get nasty in the water, but the beets themselves are pretty much roots, and do very well in water !! Apart from juicing, you can also store cut potatoes like that to keep them from going brown ...many years in the restaurant industry...

Ill wash them, then put them whole in the water.

When I juice, I try to do it daily, the fresher the better...but some juices last for a few days, particularly if you add citrus because it acts as a natural preservative, but I like to try to keep it fresh as possible..2days max definitely

 

[lilly]

!! you are quite welcome! For wheatgrass it may require a different type of juicer, I think they sell handmade ones for like $40 bucks, but it might work in the one you have...depends on it it goes through and gets smooshed and ground enough to extract the juice!...


your health is a GREAT hobby and I agree its great to have a forum like this that keeps you learning!


for storing beats, I like to put them in a container completely saturated in water, it keeps them wet, you will want to keep the beet tops (greens and such) separate because they may get nasty in the water, but the beets themselves are pretty much roots, and do very well in water !! Apart from juicing, you can also store cut potatoes like that to keep them from going brown ...many years in the restaurant industry...

Ill wash them, then put them whole in the water.

When I juice, I try to do it daily, the fresher the better...but some juices last for a few days, particularly if you add citrus because it acts as a natural preservative, but I like to try to keep it fresh as possible..2days max definitely

yes i agree. i thought about it last night and thought well the orange and mango juice would probably be ok.maybe even tomato,....but not the vegies.

and my son is realy on board with it too..he is 10. and wants to make lemonade...so off we go today..more shopping..hehehe

 

[IanT]

tomatoe juice is great!!

trust me try the veggies, theyre not as nasty as youd think!!...just need to mix em with some citrus or something to give it some zang!

 

[lilly]

tomatoe juice is great!!

trust me try the veggies, theyre not as nasty as youd think!!...just need to mix em with some citrus or something to give it some zang!

oh i don't need convincing!..i love the vegie juices!! but have never made them myself before. i was referring to storing the vegie juices for a day or 2 that i dont' think that would go over so well and after all fresh is best!

today i tried to get a liver tone product i can use with them but alas they don't seem to have them here. back in australia there was a good one i would add to my store bought vegie juices.

and i love the taste of them home made so much more than store bought. taste fresh and clean...

 

[Missjulesdid]

I'm not an expert on the type of juicer you have, but please do make sure that it's sutable for juicing grasses if you decide to make wheatgrass juice. You can wreck your juicer if it's not made for making juice from wheatgrass.. ask me how I know!

 

[IanT]

yup!... I agree! they havge specialized versions that go for like $40 , but theyre more than worth it!

I agree with you, veg juices are the best fresh..Ive tried 2 day old wheatgrass or parsley-ginger grapfruit juice and it just doesnt taste right..plus you can see the plant particles kind of separate into water and stratiate....not as nice as right out of the juicer! I just make it a fixture in my kitchen when I get juicing, make it a routine every day like breakfast

 

[IrishLass]

lass, dont give up on wheatgrass til youve tried the summergrass recipe I put above! it converted me!

I used to do shots of it but it gave me the shakes like when you drink nyquil (yuck!) but its great mixed w/ other juices like in the sumergrass drink...now Im desensitized to it and I can gulp wheatgrass like water

Its got soooo many nutes!


ohhh your getting me excited I want to go back home and juice, I havent in so long!...just been sitting in the cabinet!

Okay, IanT, I'll take your word for it (she said cautiously). They have wheatgrass already grown at my local Whole Foods Mkt, so maybe I'll get up enough courage to give it a try once more. Your description of 'the shakes' is just perfect, by the way. That's exactly what my reaction was when I downed a shot of wheatgrass. It was like I got the heebeejeebies or something.



To Lilly-

Just like IanT and Missjulesdid said- make sure you have the proper juicer for juicing wheatgrass. There are some that are much better at it than others. The juicer that I have now, for instance, does an excellent job of juicing leafy green and grasses, but my first 2 juicers did a horrible job. If your juicer doesn't do a very good job of it you can buy a wheatgrass juicer for pretty cheap, though, like IanT said.

When I bought my most recent juicer (the Green Power juicer), I wanted to avoid having too many machines taking up my counter space , so I made sure before I bought it that it could kill two birds with one stone, proverbially speaking, i.e., be able to juice leafy greens and grasses as well as the harder, more solid veggies and fruits. Apart from the fact that it has a small feeding chute on it and is not as super quick as other juicers, I'm very happy with it. It juices both forms of veggies (as well as fruits) perfectly fine, and the pulp comes out quite dry- meaning that it sucks every possible last drop of juice out of my fruits and veggies without any extra effort on my part (my last 2 juicers not only did a horrible job at juicing leafy greens, but a horrible job at filtering or straining, too).

As for making a bunch of juice and storing it for a few days, this is quite possible, although the longer you let the juice sit, the more nutrients it looses. But then again, I'm of the opinion that the 2-day old juice you make at home still has way more good qualites in it than a freshly opened, store-bought, bottle of juice.

The most days I've stored my juice for is 4 days. It was beginning to turn a little brown, but it still tasted very good (this was the apple/lemonade juice). I've let the carrot/apple juice go as long as 3 days before, too. My juicer doesn't whip up a lot of oxidation when it juices, so the juice is able to keep for longer, but I've found that the more leafy greens I add to it, the quicker it deteriorates. You'll just have to experiment with your particular juicer and see how it goes, but just make sure to refrigerate your juice right away in a covered container of some sort to ensure you get the most life out of it.


IrishLass

 

[IanT]

Glad to hear youll give it another try! trust me you try the summergrass recipe (i dont even use the sugar cane for sweetener, just the apple is good for me) and you will be doing it every day!

Its sooooo good!!

As for making a bunch of juice and storing it for a few days, this is quite possible, although the longer you let the juice sit, the more nutrients it looses. But then again, I'm of the opinion that the 2-day old juice you make at home still has way more good qualites in it than a freshly opened, store-bought, bottle of juice.

i second that!! pasteurization kills all the 'living' nutrients in the juice, as well as the bacteria (some of which is beneficial to your body!!)

it also denatures (science term=destroys) the nutrient molecules so the nutrients arent in their natural state..kind of like water in a microwave

 

[lilly]

thanks again everyone for sharing your experiences and knowledge.

i haven't tried any of the greens yet..will hold off on it for a bit. have too many things going on....what with soap making too!!! still waiting to get going..hehee

i did store the carrot/apple/celery juice i made from one morning to the next and it was fine. i know it sounds ridiculous but there are morning when i just dont' have time to do all that and the cleaning up of everything too. So i figure if i make a batch every other day/ i should be fine~ to start with at least.

today i had orange and mago juice...OMG it tasted so great!! much better than any store bought product that is for sure.

and IanT i have taken on board your tip about the beets! and they will be getting juiced tomorrow.

beet/celery/carrot and apple juice ..with a bit of ginger..hmmm hmmmm

 

[IanT]

yup thatll be a good mix!! mmmm mmmm!

 

[lilly]

i am just loving my juicer!...i suggest everyone go out and buy one..LOL

ok ok..i'll be quiet now. .''sits on hands so she cant' type! anymore about her juicer!!!'' 8)

 

[busymammaof3]

I have Jack Lalane's juicer from a few years ago. I SO want his newest one with the no drip spout. I love mine though. The big mouth is such a great addition. I have 3 young children, all in school now. And I don't have time to be cutting everything into bite size pieces. It's great! And the veggie drinks you can make...are FAR better than the store bought ones. More filling, more flavor and so much better for you! Congrats on becoming a juicer! I am confident you will LOVE it!

 

[IrishLass]

My sister has the Jack Lalane juicer and loves it, too. There sure is a lot to be said about that big feeding chute. That's a very good feature indeed.

I just made some carrot/apple/celery/grape juice this afternoon- enough to last us 2 or 3 days.

I haven't made it to Wholefoods Mkt yet to pick up some wheatgrass. Hopefully this weekend!



IrishLass

 

[IanT]

hey lass, if you buy the wheatgrass just be sure you have a wheatgrass juicer too!! and you might want to buy two of the mini pallets of wheatgrass from the, use the first one, but plant the second one in a flat box thats 3-4 times the size of the pallet of grass, it will send out runners (grass is in essence 1 living organism, not separate plants for each blade) so it will send runners out and spread out, hence you wont need to buy it again!

 

[lilly]

I have Jack Lalane's juicer from a few years ago. I SO want his newest one with the no drip spout. I love mine though. The big mouth is such a great addition. I have 3 young children, all in school now. And I don't have time to be cutting everything into bite size pieces. It's great! And the veggie drinks you can make...are FAR better than the store bought ones. More filling, more flavor and so much better for you! Congrats on becoming a juicer! I am confident you will LOVE it!

hi there! i saw him advertising his new one tv the other night..it looks great!

i am loving the juice that is for sure....i've had a medical thing lately and the pure fresh juice is certainly helping..i am positive of it.