Juicing

I am on another kick. Juicing. My medical massage therapist shared a beet and lime juice she made and I was immediately hooked. And the timing was right. The previous week my grandson reminded me that we made apple juice and orange juice when he was young. I was surprised that he remembered that from so long ago, when we would have sleepovers at Oohma’s while his mom and dad had an evening off.

Having spent quite a lot of time researching juicers, I settled on an inexpensive, cold press version. I decided that I would buy a less pricey one to ensure I would actually use it.  In one of the videos I watched about “which kind of juicer is the best” the author suggested the best one is the one you will use. Ah! Common sense.

I had forgotten the vast amount of fruit and vegetables it takes to make a glass of juice. I made an approximately 6-8 ounce glass of citrus juice using two very large oranges, three large lemons, and about an inch of fresh ginger. It was delicious. Refreshing.  And a lot of work for a single glass of 100 percent juice. For citrus, you have to remove the outer “shell”, although it is okay to leave the pith as it is separated during the pressing process.

I made a beet and carrot juice with ginger which used three beets, two carrots, and an inch of ginger. I think I got about four ounces of juice!

The apple juice was easier. I still had to cut the four apples into small enough wedges to fit through the hole in the top.  One of my criteria for selecting a juicer was a large hole, but I failed to ensure the final selection had one. Mine did not. Sigh.

Another criteria was ease of clean up. Mine is relatively easy to clean. The only challenge is getting all of the “waste” out of the rubber-sealed extractor. The juicer comes with a tool which is necessary to clean that orifice. All-in-all, it is not too hard. It’s the price I have to pay to ensure I am getting a healthy juice – one that I know exactly what ingredients are included.

So I am thinking I’m doing something great for myself. I started researching Mediterranean diet (for real, not the Americanized version) and learned juice is not part of that cuisine. Other than olive oil, which is the juice from olives. But this discussion is for another time.

If you are willing to take the time and you enjoy juice, I recommend making the juice yourself. Less sugar, no additives, and big flavors. Cheers!