Fit Fare

 

This morning my brother, Ajai, insisted I open my new juicing machine I received as a wedding gift. It had been sitting and collecting dust for three years. I had always been inclined to start using it, but I simply never could find an opportune time to break it open and figure it out. I calculated that with my expert juicing brother though now was the best time to start. 

Ajai and I stood side by side as we pulled apart the packaging and plastic. Once each piece had been taken out, properly rinsed, and put together, Ajai headed straight to the fridge.

“You got any carrots?” he asked wistfully. As I handed him the baby carrots in the bottom of the fruit drawer he continued asking for other fruits.

We geared up with all of the ingredients we needed. I had a bowl of freshly rinsed strawberries, a few sliced apples, and a bunch of baby carrots. To add a little distinctiveness, I also cut about a teaspoon of fresh ginger.

Next, I followed Ajai’s lead in dropping each piece of fruit through the top of the juicing machine. The juicing machine emitted a whirring and stirring sound, then soon afterward a squashing sound. To one side of the machine I could see juice trickling into my glass cup. To the other side I could view the chunks of fruit sewage, with all the liquid sucked out. The peel, the fiber, the seeds all rolled through into the garbage pit. Meanwhile, a delicious aroma of fresh fruit filled my nostrils.

Finally, once all of ingredients had been added, I imagined that Ajai and I would sit back and enjoyed a luscious homemade glass of juice. I was wrong.

Ajai quickly grabbed all of the exterior pieces of the now sullied machine and began rinsing it out. When I asked why he was in a rush to rinse it, he replied, “You have got to make sure to clean it really well, if any fruit remnants remain it can get pretty nasty.” He continued telling me expertly that the machine he had at his house ended up staining because of not cleaning it promptly.

As he rinsed the appliance parts, I leaned against my kitchen countertop and decided to ask a few follow-up questions to the juicing expert.

“What type of fruits and vegetables do you suggest?”

“Very water filled fruits work the best,” he replied as he wiped down another part over the sink. “Bananas do not work well because they can get mushy.”

I decided later to find a good source that listed the best variety and types of ingredients you could use and I ended up finding a wonderful list on website called Happy Juicer.

Juicing Ingredients
Alfalfa sprouts
Apple
Beetroot
Blackberry
Blueberry
Brocolli
Cabbage
Carrot
Celery
Cherry
Cucumber
Fennel
Garlic
Ginger
Grapefruit
Grapes
Kiwi
Lemon
Lettuce
Lime
Melon
Nectarine
Noni
Orange
Parsnip
Peach
Pear
Pepper
Pineapple
Plum
Pomegranate
Radish
Strawberry
Tomato
Watermelon

Source: Happy Juicer.com

I did more research and found out some other things I hadn’t considered. Using a juicer cuts out the added preservatives that are added to keep the shelf life of store bought juices. There are no artificial flavors added since you are the one in control. In fact, even the color is completely natural, with no dyes added to create a pinker or redder look.

The remaining part of the fruit that is filtered away as the juice is sucked out can be useful as well. My brother told me that if you core the fruits, take out the seeds, and peel the exterior before juicing it, you can use the remaining parts as a fruit paste. Fruit paste has many uses including as a meat glaze, on sandwiches, in stuffing, and in desserts.

With this extra knowledge, I feel compelled to use the juicer not just for myself, but for my family as well.

Finally, I had one more question for Ajai. “Why not make an abundance of juice and enjoy it all week long?”

Ajai turned to me, looked me square in the eyes and said, “You could, but you would lose what you were looking for, freshness, and that’s the whole point of using the juicing machine.”

After Ajai had completed the cleaning routine, we finally did sit back and enjoy that fresh glass of juice. It was absolutely delicious!