When it comes to making your own fruit or vegetable juice at home, it goes without saying that in order to maximize the nutritional value of the drink it really is important to ensure that only the freshest ingredients are used and I would recommend organic if you have the choice. You should only make juice that you are going to use straight away as leaving it stored in a fridge for instance for any length of time will degrade the juice and it will not provide you with the same level of goodness or nutrients.
If you are in the lucky position of being able to grow your own produce with which to make your juice then that really is the best possible option however, most people are not able to do this and therefore have to rely on buying their fruit and vegetables from a shop. In this case you should always do your best to avoid damaged or overripe produce. If you live in a place where it is difficult to get hold of fresh fruit and vegetables try to locate a health food shop which carries an organic, unsweetened ready made juice.
The juices I have included below will require the use of a juicer or a blender. As I am sure you are probably aware, the difference between these two items, is one removes the juice from the fruit/vegetable leaving behind the solid bits while the other liquidizes the whole lot. This being the case, if you are going to use the blender, depending on the fruit/vegetable you are using, you may need to peel and de-seed etc. If you do not have a juicer you can get round this by adding a glass of water then blending the ingredients together, after which you can pour the juice through a piece of muslin or a sieve to remove the solids. Juice is usually nicer when served cold so it is a good idea to pour it into a glass which has had crushed ice added to it. With vegetable juice it is always nice to add a bit of salt and pepper for a little extra zing.
I have included four juicing recipes, two fruit and two vegetable, for you to consider. They are all really quite simple and easy to make so I hope you will enjoy trying them out. My first recipe is for mango juice, this is my favourite as I was born and grew up in the West Indies and mangoes were almost part of my daily diet. This juice always brings back wonderful memories of sun, sea and sand and a carefree childhood spent mostly on the beach.
Mango Juice Frappe
2 Medium sized mangoes
2Tbs of orange blossom water
Ice cubes made with chamomile tea
Remove the skin with a knife and then cut the flesh away from the seed/stone of the mango. Blend together the mango flesh, the orange blossom water and the ice cubes until the ice is thoroughly crushed then serve.
Pineapple Panacea
50ml Pineapple Juice
100ml Soya Milk
1Tsp Grated Coconut
Sweetener/Sugar to taste
Blend the pineapple, soya and coconut together once well blended add the sweetener, pour into glass containing ice and serve.
The Triple C Blast Off
1/2 Red or White Cabbage
4 Roughly Chopped Carrots
5 Roughly Chopped Celery Sticks
1/2 Red Onion
Water
Season with Salt and Pepper
1Tsp Lemon Juice
Juice the vegetables then add a little water to reduce the consistency; add salt, pepper and lemon juice. Serve this one Hot or Cold to suit the mood.
Lettuce Heart with Cucumber Combo
2 Medium Sized Cucumbers
1 Lettuce Heart
Juice the ingredients together then serve.
Note: In regard to the above recipes; due to it being hard to guess the amount of juice individual fruits will provide; you may have to adjust the number of fruit/vegetables in the recipes above, depending on their liquid content. Riper fruit often yield more juice but are not always as nutrient rich as their younger counterparts.
To conclude, I would like to remind readers that juicing is an excellent way of ensuring that we get our recommended daily portions of fruit and vegetables. Especially, for those of you, who, like me, do not really enjoy eating vegetables. It seems that by turning them into juice makes them much more attractive as well as easier to consume.