How To Start Juicing | Juicing Tips

So you want to start juicing, but you don’t know where to begin? Below are a few items and juicing tips you’ll need to know.

Juicing Machine and Juicing Equipment

To begin your green juice and juicing journey, you’ll need the right juicer, one that will process both fruits and greens effectively. Invest in a good-quality juicer. Cheaper, centrifugal juicers introduce heat and oxygen and destroy some nutrients in your fruits and vegetables. My recommendation would be to select a masticating juicer. Masticating juicers are the best juicers for processing fruits, greens and grasses such as wheatgrass. A detailed article on the differences between centrifugal vs masticating juicers can be found here. I am currently using the omega 8005 juicer, Omega makes a great line of affordable masticating juicers. Review the article and select one that best suits your need.

My top three masticating juicers: Omega 8005, Super 5500 Angel and The Norwalk.

Juicing Tips 1. If the juicer cost is too high, grab a friend or two and spilt the cost, this will also be a great support system as you all begin your green juice journey.

Juicing Tips 2. Wash your juicer right after using to prevent the formation of bad bacteria, mildew and other gross stuff.

Juicing Tips 3. Keep your juicer on your counter or a viewable location, this will increase your usage. After all you’ve made an investment in your juicer, it’s only best to use it often. I like to say get your monies worth 😉

The next items you’ll need is a sturdy cutting (chopping) board, knife, (I like to use this ceramic knife, it won’t rust, it’s easy to clean and resistant to acids, germs and oils.) 32 oz mason jars (these are airtight glass jars, that will help your juice last longer and stay fresher) and a nut milk bag for straining. A paint strainer works just as well and cost less than $2 bucks. Next we’ll move on to selecting produce.

Organic Vs Conventional Produce

You have your juicer, now you’ll need produce to juice. When selecting produce it is best to pick organic over conventional. Conventional foods are heavily sprayed with insecticides, herbicides, cancer-causing pesticides and fungicides. These are all harmful chemicals we don’t need in our bodies. When juicing convention produce, you increase the accumulation of these chemicals. Chemicals that can cause a myriad of problems when accumulated over time. Conventional produce also lacks high amounts of minerals, nutrients, trace elements, enzymes and useful microorganism due to depleted soil and the spraying of chemicals. If money is an issue there are 12 produce you must buy organic, these are known as the dirty dozen. They are known as this because of the higher amounts of pesticides and other chemical they contain. See here for the Dirty Dozen.

Juicing Tips 1. If money is an issue, seek out a local farmers market and or join a co-op. Produce is very fresh from the farmers, they are generally picked hours before hand. I often time find great bargains at the farmers market. A special tip, farms cut the price even lower when closing time approaches.

Juicing Tips 2. Buying produce in season is much affordable than out of season produce.

Juicing Tips 3. When selecting fresh produce, pick firm fruits, because soft fruits won’t juice well. Pick vibrant and crisp greens, avoid the wilted and yellowing ones.

Juicing Tips 4. Grow you own vegetables and fruits. If you’ll be juicing often, creating a small garden filled with greens and your favorite veggies to juice will save you tons of money in the long run. There are community gardens available if you don’t have the space.
I’ve gotten into the habit of growing my own produce via a square-foot garden at my dad’s house and joining a community garden as well. Not only do I save some money, but all my produce is organic and filled with life force.

Tip 5. Don’t over buy produce, it is best to buy fresh produce every 3-4 days. This prevents spoilage. You can do this by planning out which recipes you’ll juice for those days and calculating the amount of produce you will need.

Washing Your Produce

Before you juice your produce, it is best to thoroughly wash them. Bacteria and other germs get transferred between the dozens of people who come in-contact with the produce. A simple cold water bath with some vinegar or food grade hydrogen peroxide will do. You can also use a veggie wash or make your own with one part vinegar to three parts distilled water. Use a food brush to remove grit and dirt.

Storing Your Produce

You can store your produce right away in airlock bags or containers. The Evert-Fresh green bags allow your produce to stay fresher longer. I find it more effective to wash all produce, throughly dry them and then place them in airlock bags. This saves time when juicing. All you’ll have to do is grab your pre-washed produce and juice.

Now that you have the basics let begin and make our first green juice. Click here to learn how to make green juice.