Tag Archives: Juicer

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!

09 Apr

Best Guavas For Guava Juice And How To Choose Them

Guavas have been popular with juicers for a long time, and many Mexican beverages use guava juice as a base. The entire fruit can be used, so there’s no need to prepare the fruit before running it through your juicer. The skin does have a different taste from the flesh, however, so you may wish to experiment with each when you begin juicing.

What are the Best Guavas for Juicing?

Guava is a tropical fruit native to Mexico and South America; they’ve also very popular in Hawaii. There are three main types of guava tree: pineapple guava, strawberry guava and apple guava. The apple guava is the most commonly found in grocery stores and has the best flavor and texture for juicing.

Many areas will only have one variety of guava available. In areas where guava are easily grown, however, multiple types of fruits have been developed, each with a unique flavor and texture. Some of the best guavas for juicing are the Beaumont, China White and Mexican cream. All guavas make great juice, however, so don’t be discouraged by the lack of variety at the market.

best guavas for juicing

How to Choose a Guava at Market

Guavas are available for much of the year, especially in the late spring, summer, and early fall. The best variety of guava is usually available at a Mexican market, although most regular supermarkets do sell them as well. The fruits vary from pear to oval shaped and will have a firm but pliable feeling when squeezed.

Overripe guava will be very soft to the touch and will have a less pleasant flavor, while hard underripe guava will not be as good for juicing. A ripe guava will smell pungent and sweet. The skin can have a few spots, but it should not have any sign of mold or deep bruising. Guava will last up to two weeks in the refrigerator or a week at room temperature.

08 Apr

Best Gooseberries For Gooseberry Juice And How To Choose Them

Gooseberries are related to currants, although the flavor is somewhat different and the fruit is much larger. They have been cultivated since the Middle Ages and are well-known for certain medicinal qualities that make them popular with juicers today. When juicing, it’s a good idea to frequently clear the juicer to remove pulp and seeds. These fruits can can also be juiced by hand.

What are the Best Gooseberries for Juicing?

There are two main varieties of gooseberry, the small American gooseberry and large European gooseberry. Gooseberries in general are not a popular fruit in America, and it may be difficult to find them outside of New England. They’re growing in popularity among gardeners, however, so they can often be picked up at farmer’s markets. In the UK, they’re quite common and used in many local dishes.

Some of the most common varieties of fruits in the US are Pixwell, Welcome and Hinnonmaki Red. These plants are available through mail-order nurseries for people interested in growing them. Otherwise, there will likely only be one local variety of gooseberry available at the farmer’s market or grocery store. As the fruit begins to gain popularity throughout the country, more varieties may become available.

best gooseberries for juicing

How to Select a Gooseberry at Market

Gooseberries are edible at two stages of ripeness. When they’re young, they’re yellow-green in color and translucent. These have a tart taste and very firm skin. More mature berries will be deep red and will have somewhat softer flesh and a sweeter taste. Depending on your tastes, the sweeter mature berries may be best for juicing.

The best gooseberries for juicing will be firm to the touch without any soft spots or blemishes. Berries change from green to red while ripening, and become sweeter as they develop. Golden-skinned berries have a balance of tartness and sweetness that makes them especially versatile.

Berries will not continue to ripen once harvested. If you cannot find red-ripe berries, you can reduce the tartness by poaching the berries prior to juicing them. This will mellow the flavor without damaging the nutritional content of the berry too much.

07 Apr

Best Plums for Plum Juice and How to Choose Them

With over 2,000 varieties of plums to choose from, determining the best plums for juicing can be challenging. Understanding how commercial growers cultivate and ship plums to markets helps narrow down choices. As plum flavors range from sweet to tart, personal preference comes into play as well.

The growing season for plums is from mid-spring to early fall. Plums that appear in markets during this period are usually domestically grown and are more likely to be sweet and ripe. During the off-season, markets may purchase plums from other areas of the world, but these plums are typically picked too soon so that their hardness will protect them in shipping. While you can buy plums that are not quite ripe and allow them to ripen at home, they will not become any sweeter.

The best plums for juicing, then, will be those that are picked ripe, according to their season. Different varieties come to fruition throughout the season, making it possible to enjoy plums in your juicer through much of the year.

Early Season Arrivals

Red Beauts are usually the first plums available in the market each year. They are yellow with a bright red skin and have a mild flavor. Black Beauts follow, with a reddish purple skin and flesh that reddens as it matures. While Black Beauts are larger than the Reds, their skin has a tarter taste.

Mid-Season Winner

Available in the heat of summer, when you look to your juicer for a refreshing beverage, La Roda plums may just be the best plums for juicing. La Roda plums have a dark, freckled red-purple skin that is thin and delicate. The fruit is golden yellow, sweet and full of juice.

Late Season Plums

Friars have the deep, purple-black skin that many people associate with plums. Their pale yellow fruit is sweet and juicy, although the skin is quite tart. Friars have a small pit, too, which makes them a good choice for the juicer.

best plums for juicing

Shopping for Plums

Aside from picking plums in season, look for plums that are plump and that have an even color. They should feel slightly soft but never mushy. Avoid those with wrinkled skin. Plums taste sweetest when juiced at room temperature.

While it’s best to purchase ripe plums for juicing, you can help complete the ripening process by placing them in a paper bag at room temperature. Ripe plums can be refrigerated for up to three days.

06 Apr

Best Tomatoes For Tomato Juice And How To Choose Them

Tomato juice is a delicious source of many vitamins and nutrients, but choosing the best tomatoes for juicing can be difficult. With a quality juicer and fine tomatoes, you can easily create tasty and healthy juice at home. The following guide will help you choose the best tomatoes for juicing.

Porter Tomatoes

These plum-shaped tomatoes are great for juicing because they yield an incredible amount of juice. With an intensely sweet flavor, few seeds and thin skin, Porter tomatoes are ideal for using with your home juicer.

Roma Tomatoes

Easy to obtain at grocery stores throughout the year, Roma tomatoes are plum-shaped, meaty and have few seeds. These characteristics make them great for juicing.

Mountain Pride Tomatoes

Developed by North Carolina State University, this tomato variety is ideal for juicing. Mountain Pride Tomatoes are large, flavorful, firm and contain very little seeds.

best tomatoes for juicing

Choosing The Best Tomatoes for Juicing at the Market

Tomatoes are available year-round at most local grocery stores, but shop during the summer for the best and most fresh varieties. Select the reddest tomatoes available, but look for blemishes or bruises that may indicate a problem with the inner flesh. The tomatoes should be heavy and soft. Heavier tomatoes contain more juice. Smell is the best benchmark for ripeness. The tomato should smell fresh and slightly sweet.

02 Apr

Best Blackberries For Blackberry Juice And How To Choose Them

Blackberries, like other bramble fruits, are easy to grow. Some people find them too easy, for they can become invasive in a backyard that’s been allowed to go a bit wild. However, these wild blackberries are the best blackberries for juicing, for they can be harvested straight from the canes and be in the juicer minutes later, without losing any of their freshness or nutrients. You should choose blackberries that are deep purplish-black, look like they’re about to burst with juice and come away easily from the canes. You might want to wear gloves and cover up, since the thorns of blackberries are quite fierce, though there are some varieties, like the Apache, that are thornless.

Try the Farmers’ Market

Ironically, though they can become weeds in a backyard, blackberries are expensive to buy in a store or a farmers’ market. You might want to buy some from a farmers’ market before you visit a supermarket. The farmer will be able to tell you whether the blackberries are organic or not. They might be able to tell you the variety and whether they’re good for juicing, for eating out of hand, for jam and jellies, or all three. Some blackberry varieties also store better than others. The Navajo, for example, can stay firm for up to two to three weeks after they’re picked. Blackberries bought at farmers’ markets are almost certainly locally grown and might have been picked earlier that day. With the supermarket it’s possible that the blackberries were flown in from the other side of the country and have lost much of their flavor.

Blackberries can also be bought in the frozen food section. Some of these blackberries actually retain their flavor. Blackberries can stay frozen for up to two years.

Best blackberries for juicing

Some Good Juicing Varieties

Some of the best blackberries for juicing are the Triple Crown, another thornless variety with large, sweet berries. Triple Crown berries are known to ship well. Another is Hull, which ripens in the midseason and is very sweet. The Illini Hardy is another good blackberry for the juicer, for it has a medium sized and flavorful berry. Another good blackberry for juicing is the Siskiyou, which has a long and productive season and excellent flavor.

01 Apr

Best Apricots For Apricot Juice And How To Choose Them

The best apricots for juicing are the ones you grow yourself. It’s ideal if you have an orchard with an apricot tree or two in it, or if you live near an orchard where people are allowed to pick their own fruit. You’ll know to pick the fruit when all the green color is gone and the fruit yields a bit when you press your thumb into it. Pick the fruit by twisting and gently pulling upwards. Then, slice them, remove the pits and put them in the juicer. There’s no need to remove the skin.

If Apricots Are Store Bought

Whether at the store or farmers’ market, you should pick only unblemished fruits for the juicer, jams, drying, or anything else. Any blemished or bruised fruit stored with others in a container will spoil the rest of them. They should also have that delicious, apricot fragrance, and the fruit should feel heavy for its size. Frozen apricots are tricky when it comes to juicing, for their best flavor is retained after they’ve been partially dried, then frozen.

Best apricots for juicing

Best Apricot Varieties to Juice

The best apricots for juicing are the Dwarf Sungold and Dwarf Moongold, which are midseason apricots. Also good is the Goldcot, which has a sort of tangy flavor and the Royal Blenheim, a late season apricot from California. The flavor is quite intense. Another of the best apricots for juicing is the Tomcot, which is an early fruit with a sweet taste. One apricot-plum hybrid is the Aprium, whose juice has a plummy undertaste.

18 Mar

Best Carrots For Carrot Juice And How To Choose Them

The best carrots for juicing are the Nantes types, which are cylindrical and have blunt tips, but are the sweetest of the carrots, with good texture. Nantes carrots absorb more water and are both more succulent and crisp than other varieties of carrots. They also have fewer terpenoids, which is a substance that can make the juice of other carrots taste soapy and turpentine-like after they’re put through the juicer.

Harvesting and Storing Carrots

If you choose to grow your carrots in the garden, you should gently pull them out by their green tops. Newer variety carrots shouldn’t be allowed to grow fatter than one and a half inches across, or they’ll become woody and not very good for juicing. Some older varieties are still fairly succulent when they’re large.

If the carrots are grown in the garden or bought with their green tops, the green tops should be removed. The carrots shouldn’t be washed before storing. Ideally, they should be stored in sawdust or sand before they’re used. Some people do add the greens to the juicer, however, for they’re perfectly edible and give the juice the tang of parsley.

best carrots for juicing

Choosing The Best Carrots For Juice

If the carrots are store bought, it’s best to buy organic, for they won’t have to be peeled to rid them of the pesticides in their skin. The greens should be fluffy, short and bright.

Some of the Best Carrot Varieties For Juicing

Some of the best carrots for juicing are the Bolero, a bright orange Nantes type. The Ingot is another good Nantes carrot with a good flavor and texture. One of the most popular carrots that people grow in their gardens is the Nantes Half-Long, also called the Coreless and Scarlet Nantes, which is very sweet, tender and has no fibrous core, which is another plus for juicing. The Touchon is a sweet, French Nantes type and is especially good for the juicer. The Nelson is an early carrot and many gardeners claim that it’s one of the sweetest.