I shared with you a couple of months ago that I finally bought a juicer – an Omega Vert 350. I got a great deal on it – half price! – and I was super excited to juice everything in sight as soon as it showed up on the front porch. So I did.
I juiced spring mix. Gross.
I juiced kale and ginger and lemon and apple. Not great.
I juiced carrots. Not my favorite.
I juiced apples. Good, but after I drank a pint of straight up apple juice I remembered why I don’t drink apple juice; it gives me terrible stomach cramps. I was, unfortunately, reminded as we were driving to our Fourth of July vacation get-a-way…three hours by car. Ouch.
I juiced zucchini. Not bad. Nice and mild and probably a good nutritional add to other juices.
I juiced beets. Blech. This is the second time I’ve tried raw beets. The first time, I blended one. Blech. I love, love, love cooked beets; they’re one of my favorite veggies, but when they’re raw, they taste like dirt to me. I don’t understand how people say they add them to juice and smoothies as a sweetener. I don’t get it…at all! I even tried yellow/orange beets for a milder flavor, but it didn’t make any difference in the dirt taste. Neither does peeling.
I juiced oranges. Delicious!
I juiced grapefruit. Delicious! (Word of warning: Don’t drink old citrus juice unless you want to be super friendly with your bathroom.)
I juiced oranges and grapefruits. Super delicious!
I juiced the white and leftover red part of the watermelon rind. Awesome! So refreshing! And apparently, the white part contains the hard to find amino acid citrulline.
I juiced cherries and grapes. Mmmm…Bonus, it’s a great flavor booster to homemade kombucha (more about that to come!).
Basically, I’m not sold on juicing. I know I just need more time to experiment and become accustomed to juicing veggies and greens, but the juicer clean-up, although minimal, is deterring as is the cost of produce and waste produced by the pulp. (I used some of the pulp in raw crackers and breads, but I couldn’t figure out how to use most of it. Compost fodder.)
And oh ya, adding an apple to questionable juice does not make it taste better. Maybe if I added a bushel of apples…*sigh* I need a juicing intervention.
You really tried everything! Very interesting to hear your observations about various combinations and what works and what doesn’t. I have a juicer that mostly gathers dust – for the reasons you name. The clean-up is a b**ch! For me, the Vitamix beats a juicer hands down. Looking forward to your kombucha idea, however
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Thanks for your comments, Annie
Watermelon and orange is my favourite. Mmm…
I definitely lean towards the fruits, too. Both of those are awesome
In my opinion, I like to juice 2 sort of fruits or 2 sorts of veggies together & then add a vegan yoghurt to it orso. I think you maybe love this lpost of mine. I had great succes with it, maybe you will love it too. Here is the link: http://sophiesfoodiefiles.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/energizing-good-for-you-juices-smoothies/
Thanks, Sophie! I’m always looking for tips and tricks with juicing.