The Complete Idiot's Guide to Juicing - Ellen Brown [10]
Pulp Tidbits
Raspberries were a campaign issue in a presidential election. Because they were considered quite the luxury, in 1840 the Whigs attacked Martin Van Buren for “wallowing lasciviously in raspberries.”
Strawberries. A good source of iron as well as B vitamins and vitamin C, strawberries do not ripen once they’ve been picked, so what you buy is what you get. Because most companies “top dress” the packages with the “hero berries” on the top, check out the bottom of the package. Generally, the smaller the berry, the more intense the flavor. Tiny European fraises du bois are the sweetest of all. Yield: 4 to 5 ounces of juice per pound of strawberries.
Liquid Lingo
Fraises du bois literally means “strawberries of the woods” in French, and you can find these tiny treats in specialty produce markets, most often in the spring. Treat them as you would any other berry.
Watermelons. Watermelon is rich in electrolytes, which makes it a good choice for a snack after a strenuous workout or any other time you might be dehydrated. One of the great feats of genetic engineering is the seedless watermelon. They’re not as much fun because you can’t spit the seeds at your friends, but they’re much easier to transform into a juice. It’s easier to cut the flesh off the rind after cutting a watermelon in quarters than it is to cut through the rock-hard rind. It’s not necessary to remove the seeds when juicing, but it is important if pulping watermelon. The best idea is to buy seedless ones. Yield: 6 to 8 ounces of juice per pound of watermelon.
Juicy Jive
Watermelon doesn’t produce more juice because the rind is so dense and heavy. Per ounce of edible flesh, watermelon is one of the highest juice producers.
Supporting Players
Lemons and limes, both rich in vitamin C, are never used in large quantities in juices due to their lip-pursing tartness. But in small quantities their tartness creates a yin-yang with sweeter fruits and accentuates the other fruits’ flavors.
When choosing lemons and limes, look for ones with thin skins because they’ll have more juice. The yield for both fruit is 4 ounces of juice per pound.
Fresh from the Freezer
Modern air transportation has given us a new definition of “airline food,” and we can now enjoy almost all fruits year-round thanks to air freight from other countries. But we do pay a price for this convenience, so for juicing, it’s also possible to take advantage of dry-packed frozen fruits.
If you stock up on fruits when they are either in season locally or attractively priced and then freeze them yourself, you’ll save money plus have a freezer stocked. Do keep in mind that you lose some of the nutrients when fruit is frozen, but many remain intact.
The best way to freeze fruit is to first prepare the fruit by cleaning, slicing, peeling, sectioning, etc. as appropriate. Then simply arrange ½- to 1-inch pieces on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and put them into the freezer until they’re frozen. Once frozen, transfer the fruit to a heavy, resealable plastic bag. Mark the date on the bag, and use the fruit within two months.
Liquid Lingo
Dry-packed frozen fruits are frozen in individual pieces without any syrup or additional sugar. You’ll find the fruits in plastic bags in the freezer section of your supermarket.
The Least You Need to Know
• Fruits contain both complex carbohydrates and simple sugars.
• It is not necessary to peel apples, peaches, or pears prior to juicing them.
• Papaya skin contains an enzyme that tenderizes meats, so save it for marinades.
• Dry-packed frozen foods are preferable to fruits packed in sugar syrup.
Chapter 3
Versatile Veggies
In This Chapter
• Vegetables to juice
• Picking the best produce
• Juice yields
I grew up knowing vegetables were turned into juice. After all, restaurants served tomato juice as an hors d’oeuvre, and then V-8 made a splash and declared it contained eight vegetables, although I doubt I could name them