Tag Archives: choosing fruits

24 Apr

Best Pomegranates for Pomegranate Juice and How to Choose Them

Pomegranates are a tree fruit that originated in the Middle East, but is now cultivated all over the world, anywhere where the climate is conducive to their growth. The seeds and the membrane that surrounds it, called arils, are the edible part of the fruit, though the membrane is where the juice is extracted from. Depending on the type of pomegranate, the flavor ranges from very sweet to quite tart. The best pomegranates for juicing are the sweeter variety and using them in a juicer is a great way to incorporate this so-called “superfood” into your diet.

Pomegranates are called a superfood because of how densely packed with vitamins and nutrients – especially phytonutrients – they are. They are also packed with Vitamin C, Vitamin B5 and potassium, as well as a lot more.

Pomegranate Types And Varieties

There are four main types of pomegranates grown for use in culinary applications. These are grown in various places around the world and are sought after for their subtle differences in flavor.

Wonderful Pomegranate: This is the post popular type of pomegranate grown for culinary purposes and is the largest of the commercially available types of pomegranate. Large and deep red, this is a sweet variety full of tasty arils.

Granada Pomegranate: This type has a very similar look and taste to the Wonderful, but it is smaller and deeper in color.

Sweet Pomegranate: As the name implies, this is the sweetest type of pomegranate cultivated commonly. Smaller than Wonderful pomegranates, this is the preferred variety for eating plain.

Angel Red Pomegranate : This pomegranate is large in size and is very deep red. It has soft seeds and produces the most juice out of all the varieties described. The Sweet Pomegranate is amongst the top choice for best pomegranates for juicing.

best pomegranates for juicing

How to Choose the Best Juicing Pomegranate

Using a juicer is a great way to quickly and easily extract this tasty and healthy juice, but knowing how to pick out the ripest, best fruit can be a bit tricky since the good stuff we are after is inside the fruit. The following rules of thumb will help you pick out the perfect pomegranate.

  • Pomegranate season is from late fall to early winter, this is when the fruit will be at its prime.
  • Look for fruits that are bright and richly red.
  • Select fruits that are heavy for their size.
  • Avoid fruits with squishy spots, bruises or puckering.

 

21 Apr

Best Papayas For Papaya Juice And How To Choose Them

How Many Kinds Of Papayas Are There

If you are making papaya juice with or without a juicer, then your choices may be limited. The best papayas for juicing are the Mexican and Hawaiian. The Mexican red papaya is the kind that you would normally see in grocery stores. They are light red in color and do not have as sweet of a taste as the Hawaiian papayas. Hawaiian papayas are very sweet and yellow in color. However, not many grocery stores sell them. You would need to search farmer’s markets and specialty stores to find them. If you like a juice that is sweet, then the Hawaiian fruits are the best papayas for juicing.

Picking the Right Fruit

When you are looking for a papaya, you need to pay attention to the color. Avoid getting fruits that are green because these have been freshly picked and are not ripe yet. Choose a fruit that is bright with little to no brown spots. Make sure the outside of the fruit is hard and smooth. You can use the papayas to make juice by hand or in a juicer.

best papayas for juicing

20 Apr

Best Mulberries for Mulberry Juice and How to Choose Them

Mulberry trees are native to the eastern part of North America, making mulberries easy to find and use for people who live in this region. Cultivated varieties are widespread, though, making the fruit of the mulberry tree available in many places. Mulberry juice is highly nutritious and is said to have some medicinal properties. Many people who have mulberry trees in their back yard make mulberry juice in their home kitchens with the use of juicers every year when the fruit becomes ripe.

How to Pick Mulberries

Mulberries grow in clusters and are fairly easy to pick. When selecting the best mulberries for juicing, you should pay attention to the ripeness of the berries. Most mulberry species have dark fruit, although there is a variety of white mulberry that is native to Asia and has become naturalized in the United States. Fruit from the white mulberry tree is said to be not nearly as flavorful as varieties with darker fruit. The best mulberries for juicing will be dark purple to black. While picking mulberries, it’s best to wear old clothing because the berries can easily cause stains on anything that they touch. Mulberry fruit has a short lifespan and are a favorite snack of birds, so be sure to get the berries while you can.

Making Mulberry Juice

When making mulberry juice with a juicer in your home kitchen, be sure to wear old clothing or clothing that you wouldn’t mind a lot of dark stains on. Mulberries are a very juicy fruit, and it’s almost impossible to work with them in such a way that some of the juice won’t splatter. It only takes about a dozen good sized mulberries to make one cup of juice. so that should give you an indication of how juicy they are.

Uses of Mulberry Juice

Mulberry juice is great when simply consumed straight, but there are many other delicious uses for the juice. Mulberry syrup can be made from mulberry juice. Sharab el Toot is a traditional drink in the country of Lebanon, and it’s basically mulberry syrup that is served chilled. Many people can mulberry juice to use during the winter.

Mulberries have often been neglected as a food source, but many people are rediscovering them these days. Interest in urban agriculture and home food preservation is growing among city-dwellers, and those lucky enough to have a backyard mulberry tree are finding many delicious uses for the fruit of these trees.

19 Apr

Best Oranges For Orange Juice And How To Choose Them

Say what you will about Florida, it has continued through hurricanes and even the Great Recession to provide Americans with our delicious breakfast juice of choice; orange juice. Sticky sweet, brightly acidic, and full of vitamin-packed pulp, fresh squeezed OJ is about the closest thing to waking up on the right side of the bed that you can get to on a typical weekday morning. Of course, pre-packaged, commercialized juices like Florida’s Natural and Tropicana will always be easier to make, but will also never be tastier than juicer made fresh squeezed OJ. But what are the best oranges for juicing at home? Thankfully, there are several easily identifiable varieties of oranges that come as close to making ambrosia as humans can get.

The Best Oranges for Juicing

Valencia oranges, also known as juicing oranges, are one of the most widely consumed oranges in the world. Mostly grown in Florida and Mexico, Valencia oranges usually come with several seeds, but have also been cultivated in a juicer-friendly seedless variety. Known and prized for their very sweet, yet smooth, juice, Valencia oranges are easy to find year-round in grocery stores around the US. The easiest way to identify a Valencia orange is to look for a nice light orange exterior rind, a full circular shape and little or no indentation marking where the core of the orange is.

Much like other oranges, Valencia oranges are best juiced when ripe to slightly over-ripe, as this stage of the fruit’s life provides the most juice. The easiest way to tell if a Valencia orange is ripe is to look at and feel the skin and smell the core of the fruit. If the orange’s skin has a uniform, light-golden orange color devoid of dark spots, and the rind feels smooth to the touch, it is most likely a good fruit. If the core then also smells sweet with a slight burst of acid at the end of your prolonged sniff, it is a ripe fruit.

best oranges for juicing

Outside of the commercial United States, blood oranges are the most popular type of orange. Grown mostly in Spain and Italy, these slightly “discolored” fruits and even sweeter than Valencia oranges, and provide similar amounts of juice. Blood oranges are named and noted for their red-orange interior flesh, and their highly sweet and acidic taste. Blood oranges are easily identifiable, as their smaller shape and very rough and pitted exterior stand out among a crowd.

Of course, these characteristics make ripe blood oranges tougher to tell when they become ripe. The best way to see if your blood orange is ripe is to squeeze it first, as a ripe orange should give some, yet bounce back after being squeezed. Then, scratch the core and smell it. If it has a nice sweet smell with little bitterness to it, the blood orange is ripe and ready to put into your juicer.

18 Apr

Best Mangosteen For Mangosteen Juice And How To Choose Them

A tropical evergreen, the mangosteen comes in several varieties but purple mangosteens are the most common for eating and juicing. These fruits have a very thick outer skin that cannot be eaten; this must be removed before you run the fruit through your juicer. Mangosteens are popular with juicers due to their anti-inflammatory properties and have been used in Chinese medicine for years. They may be difficult to find in American supermarkets, but should be available in an Asian market in most areas.

What are the Best Mangosteen for Juicing?

Mangosteens are extremely sweet and juicy, and are the only fruits where glucose can be readily harvested from the raw fruit. They grow throughout the tropics of Asia and are most popular in Vietnam and Malaysia. There are very few sub-types or varieties of mangosteen as the plant is asexual, making it very difficult to hybridize. The purple mangosteen available today is essentially the same fruit that has been eaten since they were first cultivated.

It may be difficult to find a mangosteen in America due to laws against its importation from Asia. Domestic-grown fruits are cultivated only in some areas of Florida and California as most of America is not tropical enough to sustain them. They are also becoming more popular throughout the Caribbean and Puerto Rico, so they will become easier to obtain in the US.

best mangosteens for juicing

How to Choose a Mangosteen at Market

Mangosteens will be roughly the size of a billiard ball and have a hard dark purple skin. Once the skin has been opened, the actual flesh of the mangosteen is bright white in color and is divided into segments somewhat like garlic cloves.

The best mangosteen for juicing will be somewhat soft to the touch without feeling squishy. Fruit that is very hard is not yet ripe and will not have a full flavor. The bottom of the fruit will have the impression of leaves where the stem was removed; the number of leaves will correspond to the number of white segments inside.

You can cut open a mangosteen along its equator or simply squeeze it until the skin bursts open. The fruit can then be peeled and eaten as-is or run through the juicer.

17 Apr

Best Melons For Melon Juice And How To Choose Them

When you’re new to juicing one melon looks just as good as the next. But once you develop the juicing habit, you’ll notice that some of your batches taste better than others. The culprit is the type of melons that you use. Veteran juicers know how to pick the best melons for juicing.

Melon Season

In today’s global market you can buy almost any type of melon at almost any time of year. But for the most flavorful juices with the highest vitamin content, you should concentrate your melon juicing during the season for the type of melon that you want to use. Buying in season means accessing melons from California, Arizona and Texas that come to you relatively fresh and full of vitamins.

Honeydew, cantaloupe and watermelon are the best melons for juicing in the U.S. because they’re available fresh and have sweet, crisp flavor and lots of juice. Honeydew melons are a late summer fruit and the prime season is between August and October. Cantaloupes are sweetest between June and September but are available until December. The watermelon season is longer, from April to November but the best time to buy is in the summer.

How to Pick a Melon

Thump the melon. Hold the melon close to your ear in one hand and thump it with the other. You are listening for a hollow “thunk” that means that the melon is ripe and full of juice, not hard and underripe.

Look at the color. Ripe honeydew melons vary in color from pale green to pale yellow. Avoid white honeydews. These are underripe. Watermelon skin should be green, striped and smooth. Avoid watermelons with overly shiny or overly dull skin. One side of the watermelon should be yellow or cream colored. Watermelons without these markings were harvested prematurely. Cantaloupes should have golden color. You can pick greener cantaloupes and leave them in a shady spot to develop golden color.

best melons for juicing

Next, feel the weight. A melon, no matter the species, should feel heavy for its size. While you hold it, look at the melon’s surface. Avoid buying melons with scars or other signs of damage or decay. Feel the surface of the melon. Avoid buying any melons with soft mushy spots. Honeydew melons should have a waxy, not fuzzy surface. Look for cantaloupes with tight netting on the skin.

The Best Place to Shop

The best places to shop for melons are farmer’s markets. What makes farmer’s markets the best? Melons from farmer’s markets are local. This means that they end up in the stall soon after they are picked from the plant. As soon as the melon leaves the plant the vitamin content begins to degrade. Head their early on market day and you can pick up a melon that was picked hours before it ended up in your basket. Look for organic melons and you won’t have to worry about chemicals on the surface of your fruit.

Use these techniques to pick the best melons for juicing and you’ll get the most out of your juicer and your favorite juicing recipes.

15 Apr

Best Lemons for Lemon Juice and How to Choose Them

A tall glass of lemonade on a hot summer’s day can be so refreshing, especially when it was made in your kitchen. Producing a whole pitcher of lemonade is going to require a significant amount of juice from those lemons. By outfitting your collection of small kitchen appliances with a juicer and then buying the best lemons for juicing, squeezing out fresh lemon juice will become a quick and easy task.

A Lemon By Any Other Name

Originating in Southeast Asia, lemons are now cultivated in warm climates around the globe. California is the leading producer in the United States of this acidic fruit. The Lisbon, Eureka and Meyer are the three most commonly found varieties of lemons. The Lisbon and Eureka are very similar, the Eureka being the more abundant of the two in our nation’s supermarkets. Both have bright yellow skins with a slight texture of pores; that of the Eureka tends to be thicker. Both contain seeds; the Lisbon is juicier than its Eureka counterpart. The Meyer lemon is rounder; it’s thinner skin is a darker hue of yellow, slightly orange tinged. Meyers contain more seeds; however they are the juiciest of the three and are less acidic.

best lemons for juicing

Let’s Go Shopping For Lemons

When selecting lemons, seek those with skin that is not so thick. They should be plump and firm, but yield slightly when you apply pressure with your thumb. The skin should be smooth and bright, shiny yellow. Skin bearing traces of green indicates fruit that has not fully matured and contains less juice that will be more acidic. Opt for lemons that seem heavy for their size; these will be the juiciest. Lemons that feel very light have begun to dry out and will contain more bitter pith than juice. Lemons should also be slightly aromatic when the skin is rubbed with your thumb.

Lemons In the Kitchen

When stocking up on lemons for future use, they may be stored in the refrigerator for two to three weeks. If their date with the juicer is within a few days, however, you may display them decoratively on the kitchen counter. Lemons should always be at room temperature when used; they will yield more juice. Before halving, firmly roll the lemons on the counter with your hand for several seconds, as this will free more juice from the pulp.

By buying the best lemons for juicing, fewer fruits will yield the required amount of juice for your recipe, thus saving money. You will also save time and effort with the helping hand of your juicer, inspiration for you to conjure up some lemonade, marinades for fish or meat, salad dressings and decadent desserts.

14 Apr

Best Elderberries For Elderberry Juice And How To Choose Them

Elderberries juice contains many important nutrients and is quite delicious to drink. It is also said to have medicinal properties such as being beneficial to those suffering from flu symptoms. Various cultures around the world have used elderberry juice as folk remedies for centuries. Elderberries commonly grow in moist soil along rivers and streams, and they are a favorite berry of foragers who collect them in order to use juicers to produce fresh juice. However, caution is advised when selecting the best elderberries for juicing.

Avoid Red Elderberries

Elderberries with black or purple fruit are recommended over those with red fruit. Many reports of illness have surfaced throughout the years involving the drinking of juice produced from red elderberries. Red elderberries grow in the cooler regions of North America and the fruit is a very bright red when ripe. Some experts say that if the seeds are carefully removed from them after they are picked, there is no danger of ingesting toxins from consuming them. However, the beginner should err on the side of caution and avoid them.

Harvesting Elderberries From the Wild

Elderberries resemble small bunches of grapes, and they are most often found growing wild in rich soil near water sources. Depending on geographical location, they ripen between the months of August and October. Elderberry bushes are quite prolific, so the proceeds of the harvest of just one bush may be enough to provide an average family with several glasses of fresh juice. Elderberries are easy to pick because they grow in clusters, but after they are picked, the stems will need to be removed before they are put through a juicer. This is best done at the kitchen table after returning home from a berry-picking excursion.

best elderberries for juicing

Making Elderberry Juice

After the berries are taken home and the best elderberries for juicing are selected, it’s easy to make them into juice using a juicer in the home kitchen. Elderberry juice produces a light and slightly floral taste that almost everyone enjoys. Many people use the juice to make elderberry syrup to use as a home remedy for coughs, cold and flu.

13 Apr

Best Limes For Lime Juice And How To Choose Them

With spring and summer on the horizon, it’s time to bust out that juicer and get ready for some fresh-squeezed lime juice. Limes are a key ingredient in many warm weather beverages and food recipes. To prepare for the season, take a look at the varieties of limes that are on the market, learn which are best for juicing and how to tell when a lime is ready for juicing.

What limes are the best for juicing?

There are two kinds of limes that are commonly found in supermarkets and are categorized as the best limes for juicing. Each offers something slightly different from the other. The first is the Persian, or otherwise known as the Tahitian, lime. Seedless Persian limes are larger than other limes, generally about the size of your fist. They have a thick skin and juice that is slightly tart, but overall less potent than other varieties. Key limes, or Mexican limes, are smaller, more aromatic limes. Although key limes are only about the size of a golf ball, they are loaded with juice that is distinguishable by its acidic, bitter flavor.

best limes for juicing

How to select the best limes for juicing?

Limes are extremely sour until they are mature, so it is important to understand when a lime is ready to be juiced. The first thing you want to look for is a nice light green color. Limes turn yellow once they are ripe, and the juice becomes bitter and undesirable. Check the skin of the lime. You want limes with a smooth, unwrinkled skin. Limes that have a wrinkled surface have already begun drying out and will not be able to provide you with a sufficient amount of lime juice. Surface blemishes on the skin are no problem, as you will not be using the skin. Limes should feel heavy or have a plumpness, as they will be full of juice. If limes are ready for juicing, they should feel slightly soft when pressure is applied.

Now you have selected the best limes for juicing. The next part relies completely on your juicer. With minimal effort, you can have the most refreshing, best tasting lime juice for all of your spring and summer delights.

12 Apr

Best Kiwis For Kiwi Juice And How To Choose Them

Kiwifruit, most often times shortened to kiwi, is one of the most nutritionally dense fruits known thus far. These small, round, fuzzy fruits are in fact berries!

What are the best kiwis for juicing?

There are actually 400 varieties of kiwifruit. The most commonly sold kiwi is called A.deliciosa, this is the fruit with green flesh and a tart fruity flavor. The sweetest of the varieties is called A.chinensis. This form of the fruit looks similar to it’s green variety but once sliced open, has a yellow flesh inside. The A.chinensis or Golden Kiwi has a much sweeter flavor with less acid than the green kind. This makes the Golden Kiwi the most sought after for juicing because of it’s potent fruity flavor.

How to Choose the Best Kiwis for Juicing:

  • Find a fruit that is undamaged, do not worry about the size of the fruit as that does not matter
  • Be sure the kiwi is firm but not hard, a hard fruit will produce as little flavor as a mushy fruit
  • Look for roundness of the fruit, if it is flat on one side is has been sitting for quite some time and is therefore undesirable for juicing
  • Smell the kiwi’s outer surface, if ripe it should have a sweet smell to it
  • If there are no fully ripened kiwis, buy the most ripe and place them in a paper bag on the counter
  • Placing an apple in the paper bag with the kiwis will promote a faster ripening time

best kiwis for juicing

Putting Your Kiwis Through Your Juicer

  • Cleanse kiwis completely with warm water and a produce soap
  • You may remove the skin but your juicer should take it off anyway so this step is not mandatory
  • Cut the fruit into smaller pieces so it is easier to process
  • Pass fruit through processor
  • Add other ingredients you wish to make the juice more flavorful
  • Stir fruit juice to make sure it is fully incorporated
  • You may wish to strain the juice to remove the kiwi’s small black seeds
  • Enjoy!

This fruit juice is high in vitamin C, actually containing four times the amount of the vitamin in a similarly sized orange! The health benefits of this small fruit are tremendous and most readily available to the consumer when passed through a juicer. The juice may be mixed with several other fruits or vegetables to maximize the potential for vitamins and minerals. Instead of eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, juice them!