choosing fruits – Juice Health Benefits & Recipes

07 May

Best Lychees For Lychee Juice And How To Choose Them

Lychees are members of the soapberry family and are native to southeast Asia and southern China. These delicate sweet fruits used to be hard to find in Western markets. Now it’s available occasionally in specialty stores. Not every lychee you see is in good condition, though. The best lychees for juicing or eating fresh are plump, ripe and unspoiled, but many supermarket fruits haven’t fared well on their trip from Asia. Choosing good quality lychees can help you get great tasting juices.

Appearance

Fresh lychee fruits should have a rosy blush to their shells. This kind of fruit doesn’t get any riper after it’s picked, so green lychees will always taste sour and under-ripe. Avoid lychees that have soft areas or brown spots on their shells, since this indicates spoilage. The fruit should feel heavy for its size. Ideally, the shell will be relatively soft and pliable, with a little spring to it. Hard, brittle shells indicate that the fruit has dried out. Shells that are too malleable or that feel mushy can indicate a spoiled lychee inside.

Lychee Fruit Quality

Inside the shell, the best lychees for juicing are moist and large. The fruit should be white to cream in color and slightly translucent. Fresh lychee pulp fills out its shell well. Any lychee that seems to rattle when shaken or that has a lot of air under the shell is old and may be dried out. Avoid these fruits. If you encounter a lychee that seems brownish or that has opaque flesh, discard it. Discolored lychees are often spoiled and will affect the flavor of your juices.

Fruits Similar To Lychee

Lychees are often mistaken for the similar longan fruit. Longans are often sold on the branch just like lychees. They also have a pale, sweet pulp inside a flexible shell. Longans are smooth-skinned with a brownish shell, however, where lychees tend to be pebbled and reddish. Longans also often have a musky flavor that’s considered an acquired flavor. They can change the taste of a batch of lychee juice and could be an unpleasant surprise for people who expected the fresh, sweet taste of lychees.

How To Store Lychees

Storing lychees incorrectly can affect their suitability for use in your juicer. Ideally, fresh lychee fruit should be placed in a plastic bag and kept in the refrigerator. You can store lychees for up to about ten days, but any fruit more than about a week old starts to decrease in quality.

If you purchase lychees, make sure to juice them quickly. When that’s not possible, consider freezing the fruit for later use in the juicer. You can freeze these fruits by washing them and placing them in individual containers or by removing the shells and packing the pulp in a sugar syrup at about 50 percent solution. Frozen lychees will store for up to a year and can be juiced immediately after thawing.

04 May

Best Bananas for Banana Juice and How to Choose Them

By choosing the best bananas for juicing, a smoothie made fresh in your kitchen from any combination of other additional fruits can be a refreshing and nutritious treat, especially on a warm day.

Banana Varieties

Usually harvested and shipped while green, the potassium-rich tropical fruit is one of the few in which better flavor develops when ripened off of the bush. There are hundreds of varieties of bananas, the Cavendish being the ever-popular yellow specimen on display in our supermarkets. Other bananas that have made their appearance in some United States markets include the red banana, which is shorter and sweeter than the Cavendish, and the large, firm plantain, favored for cooking in Latin American cuisine.

How To Pick A Ripe Banana

When browsing the produce aisle, look for plump bananas and consider how soon you will be using them. Peak ripeness is evidenced by yellow skin flecked with brown specks. If you do not intend to use the bananas in the next couple of days, opt for those that still bear green tints at the ends and along the edges. These still require further ripening to yield optimum flavor and texture. While ripening, keep bananas stored at room temperature, uncovered. Once ripening is complete, bananas may be stored in the refrigerator. Cool temperatures will cause the peel to turn dark brown, however the flesh will remain unchanged for several days.

Avoid any fruits with dark, soft blemishes that are indicative of bruising. Once bananas are cut and exposed to air, they will begin to brown immediately. You can retard this process by brushing the exposed banana with lemon juice.

Making Banana Juice?

Bananas actually do not yield any significant amount of juice; attempts to juice one will likely result in a blob of mush which can clog some juicers. This makes bananas ideal thickening agents for combination fruit juices or smoothies, and they provide enough sweetness that adding sugar becomes unnecessary. Juice other fruits in along with the banana and you will be rewarded with a smooth, refreshing and flavorful beverage. Pineapples, oranges, strawberries, melons, grapes, blueberries, papaya and kiwi all marry well with bananas, use any combination that your creativity conjures up. You can add a little zip by throwing a lime into the mix.

If you have an abundance of ripened bananas, you can freeze them to try another trick. Place frozen bananas into a juicer that has a blank plate or a homogenizing function. The pulp tube will present the purest, smoothest and healthiest banana ice cream that is free of added fat and sugar.

Choosing the best bananas for juicing and combining them with other fruits in your juicer is the perfect way to enjoy the luscious flavors, bright colors and healthy benefits of fruit.

02 May

Best Passion Fruits for Juicing and How to Choose Them

Passion fruit can be used in many different ways when cooking or canning. One of the most popular is juicing. For veteran juicers, the answers to common questions regarding passion fruits either spring to mind or else already have answers. But for someone looking to just enter the realm of juicing at home with this fruit type, it can be more difficult. Look no farther for answers regarding the best passion fruits for juicing.

Passion Fruit Varieties

Not every passion fruit is the same. Originally, there were two types: the purple and the yellow granadilla, named such due to having been cultivated in South America. Typically, the yellow fruit has a very tart taste that could be termed “acidic.” The purple form can be much sweeter and “subacidic.” Crosses (called hybrids) between the two have been ongoing for quite a number of years and have resulted in some fine varieties, such as the Frederick, Kahuna, Red Rover, Pratt Hybrid, Sevcik Selection, and several others. When it comes down to it, however, the two best passions fruits for juicing are the purple Frederick and the Kahuna. The Frederick tends toward a tart, borderline sour taste that can be citrusy while the Kahuna’s flavor is quite sweet. The final choice is up to the juicer’s taste.

Finding the Perfect Fruit

Now that you have a choice between the best fruits for juicing, it’s time to actually find and buy them. Thankfully, some standard grocery stores will have them for sale, as well as specialty stores. They can be ordered online for shipping from producers in the U.S. as well. These fruits can grow year-round in some parts of the world, so finding them is not the issue. Peak harvesting periods come twice a year: once between August and December, and the second time between March and May. The fruit should be round or possibly egg-shaped, 1.5 to 3 inches wide, with a smooth, waxy rind. There should be no weak places or discolored spots in the rind (it can have white spots naturally), as it should remain tough even after it has wrinkled. Because they are the best for juicers to use, they can be expensive. Often spending more for a better product will yield better results.

When Is It Ready?

No matter what type you choose or how much you spend, both purple and yellow granadilla types start out green when they’re first growing. They mature to take on their purple or yellow (or in some cases maroon or mixed) coloration. When the skin darkens and wrinkles, the fruit is ripe and ready to use. It will last in the refrigerator for up to a week once ripened.

01 May

Best Peaches For Peach Juice And How To Choose Them

There are few things more refreshing on a hot summer afternoon than a tall glass of homemade peach juice. This sweet and aromatic treat can easily be made at home using a juicer and fresh fruit. Not all peaches are suitable for juicing, but the following list of the best peaches for juicing can help you choose the right fruits to create this refreshing drink.

Clingstone Peaches

Grown throughout the Northern hemisphere, these peaches are in season from early May to late August. Unfortunately, they may be difficult to find outside of farmer’s markets. Clingstones are aptly named because the flesh clings to the pit, or stone. With soft flesh and a delectably sweet flavor, these juicy gems are perfect for making juice. Just remember to remove the pit before tossing them in a juicer!

Freestone Peaches

More readily available at grocery stores, freestone peaches are so named because the pit is easy to remove from the flesh. Available from late May to mid-October, these peaches are less juicy than their clingstone counterparts but still yield a fair amount of juice. They also are generally the largest type of peach and still have a very sweet flavor that makes a delicious juice.

Choosing Peaches for Juicing

The best peaches for juicing are ripe, aromatic and slightly tender. A ripe peach has large patches of reddish-blue color with only a little yellow showing. Ripe peaches are also more rounded in shape and feel heavy. Choose the heaviest peaches you can find for juicing, as heavier fruits produce more juice.

30 Apr

Best Pears For Pear Juice And How To Choose Them

Pears are rich in vitamins and antioxidants, but most people aren’t aware that they are also a diuretic, which can be beneficial to those with digestive problems. Pears also contain pectin, which reduces levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. For those who own a juicer, fresh pear juice is an excellent way to enjoy newly harvested pears, and it can also be frozen for later use.

How to Choose Pears for Juicing

The best pears for juicing will be those that are fully ripe. Pears that haven’t yet ripened won’t yield much juice at all. If you’re going to be making juice from fruit from the grocery store, select pears that are soft but not squishy. If you’re fortunate enough to have a home orchard that includes a pear tree, pick the pears for juicing while they are still slightly immature. To ripen them quickly, place them in a paper bag with an apple or a ripe banana. These fruits give off a substance called ethylene that aids in the ripening process of fruits and vegetables.

Most people consider bartlett pears or bosc pears varieties to be the best pears for juicing. Asian types don’t seem to taste as well.

Making Fresh Juice From Your Pears

It isn’t at all difficult to make pear juice using a juicer. Wash the pears thoroughly and cut into small pieces, leaving out the stems and seeds. Put the pieces through the juicer, discard the pulp, and strain the juice through cheesecloth if you want it to be a bit thinner. Many people include a bit of apple juice when making pear juice to give it a slightly sweeter and full-bodied flavor.

30 Apr

Best Pineapples For Pineapple Juice And How To Choose Them

Pineapple is a tropical fruit with an exotic appearance and sweet, tangy taste. Not only do these fruits taste delicious, but they also are loaded with nutrients and vitamins that are an essential part of a healthy diet. The fruit has a high concentration of manganese, a vitamin that is not produced by the body but is important for the regulation of blood sugar levels, wound healing and healthy skin. Pineapples are also an excellent source of vitamin C, which contributes to the formation of collagen and a healthy immune system. The vitamin B1 in pineapple helps the body develop energy from carbohydrates. Pineapples are also a great source of bromelain, an enzyme that helps the digestive system break down foods and removes toxins from the bloodstream.

One of the best ways to reap these benefits is to enjoy a refreshing glass of pineapple juice. The following guide will help you select the best pineapples for juicing.

Types of Pineapple

Smooth Cayenne Pineapple is one of the best pineapples for juicing. Luckily, it is also one of the most commonly available types of pineapple in the United States. The fruit’s outer shell tends to be light yellow-green, and the interior flesh is a light yellow shade. This type of pineapple has a high concentration of both sugar and acid, which gives it a sweet but tangy taste that is ideal for juices.

Natal Queen Pineapples are bright yellow inside and may be almost orange when ripe. These pineapples have an exceptionally sweet taste with less of the tanginess found in other pineapples.

Sugar Loaf Pineapples are another one of the best pineapples for juicing, but they may be difficult to find in the United States. These pineapples are more narrow and smooth than other types and are characterized by their juiciness and light taste.

Choosing the Best Pineapples

When selecting a pineapple for juicing, look for ripeness and deterioration. The skin should be a vibrant yellow, especially around the fruit’s base. Smell the base after examining it. A light pineapple scent should be detected if the fruit is ripe. The pineapple should feel firm and yield only slightly upon touching.

A deteriorated pineapple should never be used for juicing. If the pineapple is wrinkled, soft or smells fermented, throw it out immediately.

How Long Does A Pineapple Last

A ripe pineapple will last between three and five days, but it is best to get the fruit in the juicer as soon as it is ripe. Using a juicer immediately after the fruit is ripened will create a glass of fresh, flavorful and tangy juice.

29 Apr

The Best Pumpkins for Pumpkin Juice and How to Choose Them

The best pumpkins for juicing are easy to identify. They’re the same pumpkins you use to make pumpkin pie. Small pie pumpkins and sweet pumpkins are ideal for juicing because they contain less water than larger varieties. The more water a pumpkin contains, the less flavorful it will be.

Shopping for Pumpkins

When shopping for pumpkins, pay attention to their size, color and ripeness. Choose only small orange pumpkins with long stems and no soft spots. Pumpkins with stems shorter than 1 inch will not stay fresh as long as those with longer stems, and pumpkins with soft spots have already begun to rot. This is true of all pumpkins, regardless of where they’re grown. Since a pumpkin’s shape doesn’t affect its flavor, you don’t need to take this into account.

While the best pumpkins for juicing are small, their density should make them fairly weighty. This makes choosing the right juicer as important as choosing the right pumpkin. Be sure to choose a juicer that can handle dense pumpkins.

28 Apr

Best Raspberries for Raspberry Juice And How to Choose Them

Making your own fruit juices at home is easy, and it can be a great way to have something that is not only delicious, but a great source of antioxidants as well. Berries of all types are known to be among the most nutrient-dense foods in the world, and they have the added benefit of tasting incredibly good. Raspberries are one of the best tasting berries available, and fresh raspberry juice can brighten anyone’s summer day. Investing in a juicer is well worth it if you want to add nutrient-packed berry juice to you everyday diet.

Different Types of Raspberries

Several different types of raspberries are cultivated in the United States, and raspberries can often be found growing in the wild as well. All types of raspberries can be turned into excellent juice, although the wild varieties will yield slightly less juice than the cultivated ones. The best raspberries for juicing are going to depend highly on individual preference. Black raspberries make extremely good juice, though some people prefer the more delicate taste of juice made from red raspberries.

Where to Get Berries

U-Pick farms are a good source for berries if you don’t already have some growing in your home garden. You can pick as much as you like at these places and only pay a relatively small amount for your fruit. Picking berries for juice from the wild is another option if you live in a rural area where you have access to wild fruits.

How to Pick the Raspberries

If a raspberry doesn’t look fresh, feel firm and have good color, it’s probably past its prime, so leave it on the bush and let the birds have it. The best raspberries for juicing are plump, fresh berries that have just reached ripeness. Raspberries don’t have a long period of time in which they’re at their peak. Morning is the best time to go raspberry picking because you’ll be able to get the berries before the heat of the day causes them to begin to go bad. If you’re picking in the wild or in a home garden, always pick the fruits that are high enough off of the ground where roaming animals haven’t been able to relive themselves on them.

How to Make Raspberry Juice

With the right juicer, making raspberry juice in your home kitchen is easy. One of the most important things that you need to remember is to make the juice quickly after picking the berries, since raspberries tend to spoil very quickly. Be sure to choose a juicer with a fine screen so that the seeds are trapped in it. With proper equipment, you’ll soon be enjoying fresh raspberry juice on summer mornings.

27 Apr

Best Redcurrants for Redcurrant Juice And How to Choose Them

Redcurrants are quite tart, which is why many people have trouble simply eating them off of the bush. If you select the best redcurrants for juicing, the juice can be made into juice with the use of a juicer, which in turn can be used to create several different culinary delights such as red currant jelly or red current pie. The juice can also be sweetened with sugar or honey and enjoyed as a refreshing beverage that’s exceptionally rich in Vitamin C.

How to Choose Red Currants for Juice

Redcurrants can grow almost anywhere, and are easy to pick because they grow in strings rather than as individual berries. Harvesting red currants for juicing is most efficiently done with just a pair of small garden scissors. Selecting the best redcurrants for juicing is simply a matter of picking out the plumpest and juiciest of the berries after the strings are cut from the branches. Redcurrants are very prolific as well as quite long-lived, and they will grow in soil that many types of plants will not grow in. Just one or two bushes can supply a family with all the redcurrant juice that they need.

Making Juice From Redcurrants

Making juice from redcurrants is easy if you’ve got a juicer. Freezing the juice to use in winter is a good idea too, because redcurrant juice freezes very well. Some people ad a bit of orange juice to redcurrant juice for an interesting variation in flavor.

25 Apr

Best Strawberries For Strawberry Juice And How To Choose Them

Strawberries, one of the richest fruits in terms of antioxidants and nutrients. Many people do not realize there are over 600 different cultivars of these delicious berries in existence. These strawberries are either organically grow pure forms, wild strawberries, or cultivated hybrids. Most of the berries you encounter at the grocery store are genetically altered hybrid versions of the former two.

What do people do with these strawberries? Most people purchase strawberries from the store to eat them plain or with sugar. A small section of the population cooks or bakes with them. A rapidly growing number of consumers have chosen to reap the benefits of this super fruit by juicing them.

Juicing the berries gives the drinker a super packed punch of the nutrients you would normally get from eating the berries. This concentrated version of the berry packs a ton of anti-cancer health benefits. These berries also contain a large dose of vitamin C which is linked to reducing bad cholesterol.

How do you know which are the best strawberries for juicing?

It is a well-known concept that most of the strawberries and other produce at the grocery store has been sprayed with pesticides to keep away bugs, wax to make it look more presentable, and/or coloring to make it appear riper. Some of these procedures are dangerous to the consumer and the environment. The easiest way to sidestep these unwanted additives is to buy berries that are locally grown and organic.

How To Pick Fresh Strawberries

-Pick only the strawberries that are a full and deep red.
-Be sure to test the berries for firmness: a ripe berry is firm and not mushy
-Check for damage to the berry from vines, twigs, and insects
-Ask where these berries were grown

Storing Strawberries

These berries will be much quicker to mold and go rotten than other berries bought from the store because of the lack of dangerous preservatives. Because of this, it is important to only pick enough berries to use in your juicer in a week unless you plan on freezing them. The very best strawberries for juicing are fresh picked strawberries that have been washed and hulled.

Juicing Strawberries

-Be sure to full wash the berries with produce soap
-Remove the hull from the berries
-Cut strawberries in smaller sections to better fit them in your juicer
-Add other fruits/vegetables to make up for the soluble fiber you are missing out on by juicing them
-Clean your juicer thoroughly to make sure it functions properly every time and does not get stained by the strawberry’s pigment

So what are you waiting for? Pop a few of these strawberries in your juice-maker and enjoy the health benefits.