Juicing Tips & Tricks

Juicing can be a blessing or a curse. I have had so many people message me lately about how wasteful juicing seems to be. I totally understand where you are coming from because I was in your shoes a couple years ago when I first began my juicing journey.

So with trial and error I have found ways to make it work. I am by no means an expert; I just am sharing what I have learned from my experiences. I hope you find this information helpful! 

• Juicing can be expensive if done without careful planning. If you are new to juicing, pick two or three simple recipes to start and make a shopping list for the ingredients. Don't overwhelm yourself by aimlessly grocery shopping and loading up on things you may or may not need.
• Choose produce that is high in water content. You will get more "bang for your buck" with these types of foods; such as cucumbers, watermelon, apples, carrots, oranges, grapefruit, etc. Any of these foods make excellent juicing bases. Always choose a base that will provide lots of juice. Our family favorite is carrots. Organic whole carrots are cheap and delicious.
• Foods such as berries and leafy greens (spinach & kale) are great antioxidant boosters but sometimes best to just eat raw. It takes a great amount of each to produce enough juice and they're also usually the priciest. 
• Add foods such as lemon, ginger, lime, wheatgrass, aloe vera, purple cabbage, & beets as "boosters" rather than bases. These are all strong in flavors and each have their own benefits when added to juice. For example, we love to juice ginger because it is excellent for stomach issues and is anti-inflammatory. It is also very spicy, so use a small amount.
• In the summer-fall seasons, ask your gardening neighbors or friends if they have any extra produce that they need taken off their hands. For instance, last fall our backyard's apple trees produced so many apples that I was practically begging people to come pick apples for me! It saved us hundreds of dollars by using the apples from our backyard for juicing, plus I know that our tree hasn't been treated with any chemicals whatsoever. 
• Check your local grocer's policy for what they do with produce that is either expired, about to expire, or blemished in some way. Many groceries offer this produce at super low prices and it is a great way to find some excellent steals.
• Consider growing your own garden. Now is a great time to get started. If you are new at it, like I am; start small. Don't go crazy or you will likely be unsuccessful. Choose 2-3 of your family's most consumed produce and try your go at growing those. 
• If after trying these tips & tricks and you still feel like you aren't getting much juice; consider a new juicer. From my experiences in juicing, you get what you pay for. We use the Omega juicer and absolutely love it. The Omega juicers website also has so many juicing recipes so be sure to check those out!
• Pulp. Many people see how much pulp juicing extracts and think how awful it is to let it go to waste. So don't let it go to waste! We save ours for our dogs sometimes and mix it in with their dinner, you can save vegetable pulp and make soups with it, you can feed some to your baby ;) or save it for compost for your garden. My mother in law saves hers to give to her neighbors to feed their chickens. There are so many ways to use the pulp! 

Here is a great cleansing vegetable juice that is easy and is sure to produce lots of juice!

-organic whole carrots (washed)

-organic celery stalks (washed)

Juice carrots until it provides 4 oz of juice; then juice the celery until it produces 4 oz of juice. Pour into a glass and chug it down! 

Good luck guys!