A Lesson in Juicing

By far, my favorite juice combo is carrot, grapefruit, ginger. I use 2 ruby red grapefruit, 2-3 carrots, and an inch of ginger. When I first heard of this combo, I wasn’t at all intrigued, but honestly, it is a wakeup call for your tastebuds. The grapefruit can be as tart as ever, and the carrots sweeten and mellow them intensely. Then there is the ginger kick. Divine. I do find that the ruby red variety makes a difference.

Hi Heidi! I am new to your blog and the entire blogging community for that matter. I love food and I love cooking even more so I decided to start my own blog about my experiences in the kitchen. Anyway, I loved this post about juicers and I just bought one as well. I have been mystified about how to use it and this helped immensely! Thank you so much for inspiring me!

Great post! We have a Breville, and love it. My favorite is Broccoli + Grapefruit. Those two make a magical combination!

Your ideas are great!
We were given a Jack LaLanne juicer years ago and it is a pain to clean. My hubby is the juicer. He makes apple juice and carrot/ginger juice. Very tasty stuff.

Thanks for this post! I’m just reading it now, and I’m so glad I came across it. I received a juicer for Christmas, and was wondering about some other ways to use it. So far carrots and kale have been whirling through it most days – perfect juices to add to smoothies and soups!

Hi Heidi! I do not own a juicer, but I do juice all the time. I use my vitamix to blend everything and then I use a jelly straining bag to get rid of all the pulp and strain out the juice. It’s super easy, and way easier to clean up than a regular old juicer. I make the ever so popular mean green juice, but throw a thumb sized piece of ginger in there and it gives it a nice pop of flavor and adds some spiciness to the juice. I also make a similar one with fresh beets and it’s so vibrant in color that I sometimes don’t want to drink it because it’s to pretty. I am loving the pictures of all your juice concoctions in their little mason jars. I am going to give that pomegranate and almond juice as try as well as the cucumber and celery. Thanks for all of the great tips as well. Xoxo, Jackie

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the post and the ingenius combinations you have experimented with. I have had a juicer for 7 years. It says professional too and I might have used it a total of 5 times. I have no idea why! maybe lack of time :-(. I do use my cranky 10 year old blender for all my juicing needs, strain the fibre and use the fibre for baking mostly (as seen in my last few posts). Right now I am doing colour coded juices. Red and green done. 🙂

Loved this post. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. I have been juicing for a while with the Breville Juice Fountain. It was a gift and works well!
I find that juicing isn’t very cost effective unless you only juice 1-2 times a week or have access to buying produce in bulk. It is fun though and the health benefits are incredible. I buy a lot of my juice pressed locally here in LA.
Gorgeous photos too!

This is hilariously obsessive, Heidi! I so didn’t expect this of you. I love you.

Love juicing every day. Very excited about the idea of pistachios, but need to know if they need to be raw nuts, or how do you get them ?

We got our juicer 10 days ago and am on a juice and raw foods fast. Love it! My fav is kale, spinach, cukes, celery, apples and ginger. Awesome!

I just got my first juicer! Love it! I especially like juicing carrots with apples and any citrus.

Hi Hidi Thank you so much for sharing these juicing advices. The vegetable milk suggestions are really interesting to me. I’ll definitely have a try.
I have a juicer myself but I don’t use it as often as I should… Vegetable and fruit combos are my favourites so far.

Whoa…so many comments, but I have to say this is one of my favorite posts of yours. And…I just tried making almond milk in my juicer and I clearly do not have the right juicer! The water just pours out of it, and the almond are almost full in the pulp bin. But then I transferred everything into my nutriblender and now have lovely vanilla cinnamon homemade almond milk. Thanks for the inspiration!

I have had my juicer for almost 3 years now. I honestly thought I would use it for a few months and it would then collect dust! I love it…I pretty much just juice whatever I have on hand – but always start with leafy greens and carrots. Today was apple, clementine, dark spinach, rainbow carrots, and strawberries. A little sweet for my taste but everyone else in my house loved it!

We got a new juicer on arrival of our baby. Like you trying all kinds of combinations in order to develop his tastebuds. One combination that worked really well for feeding carrots to a 5+ month old baby was carrot juice, pomegranate juice and lemon zest sprinkled on top. Glowing colours and the lemon and pomegranate helped to get rid of the carroty smell/taste which he took in dislike!

Recently visited a raw and 100% organic cold pressed juice shop in Venice Beach and it was incredible (Moon Juice). I drink a lot of home made juice, and their juices totally blew me away like never before. Some of the most delicious, nutritious and creative combinations. Especially love how much they use turmeric root and their own almond milk (Golden Milk was the best drink I have ever tasted!).

I’ve wanted a juicer for years, and I think that your post just inspired me to finally look for one. You’ve got ideas I would never have considered, and they all sound incredible. You had me at almond milk.

Wow. Here I am at the bottom of 277 comments, relating to someone who saves as many jars as I do, because they’re so interesting-looking and have so many possibilities. I agree with Tiamara, that what you juice you should use quickly. As much as we would love to recreate these photos, we must consume quickly or the whole juicer opine is out the window. And I agree with other people that having a juicer is a rather large pain in the ass. I inherited one I quickly donated because it took up about 2 SF of counter space; so nice to see recent models reduce that footprint! Recipes? Let’s make a book. It took me 5 minutes to get to the end of this page to write my own opine!

I am a juice addict! I have not tried juicing seeds or oats… A little trick I’ve found for making any (veggie) juice taste good is to add a lemon. It brings out the sweetness!

Heidi – your pictures are beatiful. Your juice looks like little pots of paint, ready to be brushed onto a canvas. 🙂

I recently bought my first juicer and my husband and I have been having a great time as a juicing couple. One of new favorite combinations, which I just wrote about, is Granny Smith apples, celery, ginger, cucumber and beets, which I normally otherwise never eat in a million years! Also love kale.

I love all of your experiments and to see all those juices together, such vibrance. There’s nothing like fresh juice. A word on your herb experiments, try those as additions to juices you drink. Like fennel and grapefruit, or dill, with celery, cucumber, lemon and even a bit of kale. Green juice meaning leafy greens with lots of lemon – especially meyer and some Himalayn salt or other high mineral sea salt is like salad in a cup.
Yesterday I made an Orange/Parsley combination that was pure HEAVEN. I’m not talking mostly orange with a dash of parsley, but mainly parsley juice with orange to sweeten. It was aromatic, fresh, tart and really energizing not to mention delicious. A new favorite for me and my 2.5 year old son. He doesn’t love all my green juice combo’s but this one he did!

I got my general recipe from the juice cart I used to stop at in the morning!
2 handfuls spinach
2kale stalks
1 chunk of broccoli (approx a small fist size)
2 celery stalks
2 peeled cucumbers
1-2 green apples
1/2 bunch or handful of parsley
1 lime (optional)
Usually makes me 2 drinks, depending on how wild i’m feeling

I love pomegranate, pear, jalapeno and tangerine…
cilantro, pineapple, kale, ginger, lime is also divine!!! Have fun!!

My husband bought me a juicer for Christmas. We really use it for carrots, spinach, kale, apple and an occasional pear or orange. Ours is different than yours, so making the milks would have to be done differently, but tempting. Thanks for the ideas. Always fun to try new things.

Looks like you found the ACME juicer. I also had one that belonged to my mother who passed away over 10 years ago. My daughter starting juicing, so I brought out “grandma’s” old juicer. It still works, but my daughter’s juicer burnt out. Haven’t read all of the suggestions, but I hate throwing away the pulp, any suggestions what to do wtih it?

I used to juice everyday for years and now I am looking into buying another juicer. I never thought to make but milks! I will definitely be dabbling with that. I also use mason jars for everything. There is one thing though; from my understanding when you juice the majority of live enzymes you get from the juice are lost after a half an hour. So, by storing your juices that way is limiting the amount of nutrients you could be getting. On the other hand, with life being so fast paces sometimes we don’t have time to juice every morning and can fall off track and your method is great for that. Thanks!

So creative! I own a slow juicer (Hurom) and use it daily. I usually just juice whatever veggies I have in my fridge and drink it in the afternoon as a snack. My go-to combo is Kale, Carrots, Apple, Ginger, Lemon. I’ve wanted to try making almond milk in the juicer (I usually do this in my Vitamix) but haven’t yet. Thanks for all of the great ideas! Ginger/Grapefruit juice sounds so yummy!

i am very very intrigued now! and i want to get a juicer!! do you love your waring juice extractor???

I recently started using the juicer my mother bought me ten years ago! It sat alone and dusty in the bottom cabinet all that time. It moved with me 3 times and one afternoon I took it out and my 2 little girls and I went wild. We juiced everything we could find. Now after a new years resolution, I make one juice a day – kale, cucumber, beets, celery, apple, carrot – whatever is in season. The clean up is really not that bad and its worth it when I get my girls to have a glass! Now if only I could get my husband into the mix!

You can use the by product for cooking and baking. Carrot for carrot cake, squash for soup thickning, appple and ginger for bread, etc. etc. I have a jacklalane which comes with a recipe book.

I don’t have a juicer of my own, but I am lucky to live around the corner from a lovely vegan juice cafe.
My favorite juice there – especially in winter when I feel as if I may be coming down with a cold – is called the “thermal bunny”; it’s just apple + carrot + ginger. Refreshing, spicy, and delicious.

I am stealing a lot of ideas from everybody, thank you! To do the almond milk, I understand that I have to soak the almonds overnight and then I can juice them; never tried to do it….is there a possibility that I can damage my juicer?

HS: Hi Mariel – I would definitely suggest reading the specific instructions for your juicer. They all have different capabilities and I wouldn’t want you to damage yours if it wasn’t meant to deal with something as substantial as nuts. Good luck. -h

We have a lot of pumpkins from last year’s harvest, and I’ve found that pure pumpkin juice isn’t that good, but adding carrots and/or red apples makes it really yummy!

LOVE the idea of the almond/oat etc milks, that had never crossed my mind but I’m definitely going to try it!
Our juicer sees fairly regular action for breakfast juices on the weekend. Generally we go to the market on a Saturday & buy whatever looks good & is cheap. Leicester market has amazing variety, & you can always find bowls of end of life fruit & veg for £1 each, so we generally take advantage of those prices.

Next time you’re in Turkey, or anywhere in the Middle East, find a hand cranked heavy duty juicer at the flea markets. They work absolutely best with pomegranates.
By the way, by juicing only the seeds of a pomegranate, you lose most of the nutrition they carry. Like an orange, all the good stuff is in the bitter peel. So actually juicing like an orange is the way to go anyway. 🙂

I am not a juicer (yet), but found this post very interesting and creative. I hope our CSA members will look at this when they say they can’t eat everything in their farm box. Here in the SE we grow a lot of squash. Do you ever juice patty pans or other summer squash?
The photos are amazing!

I have that same juicer! I bought mine about 20 years ago at a garage sale. Been tempted to purchase a newer one, but why? I love your ideas! and all the comments! I usually juice carrot, cucumber, tomato and apples for an afternoon snack.

My favorite fresh juice was juiced for me at a bookstore/cafe in Boston. I told the person behind the counter I felt like I might be getting a sore throat and was attending a conference and would like her to juice me whatever she thought might help. She juiced carrots, lemon and ginger; it was perfect. A cold was averted.
~Brenda

Where s the pineapple? Wow, that’s the cats meow when it comes to juices.

Great juice combos! Grapefruit is my all time fave 🙂

We’re on our second Breville after wearing out the first one. My favorite in the morning I call green lemonade: 3-4 kale leaves (or small head of romaine), 1 whole lemon, 2 whole apples, 3-4 ribs celery, and 2 inch piece of ginger. I also make a juice that we use whenever we start to feel a cold coming on: whole bag of organic lemons, 1-2 inches of ginger per lemon. This makes a large batch which I freeze in ice cube trays and then keep in the freezer. Then I use one cube with hot water and honey to make tea.

Have you tried replacing the water component in homemade bread with fresh juice? Jim Lahey has a fantastic recipe in “My Bread” for a Carrot Cumin bread using fresh carrot juice. I believe he’s adapted it to make a Fennel Anise bread as well.

I am another that favors a Vitamix (or Blendtec) blender over a juicer…fruit-veg-nuts-seeds – they all get liquified with skin and seeds so extra fiber mitigating the glucose if a lot of fruit is in the mix. I usually use rooibus tea for the liquid.
I have been making cashew cream which I am happy to find works like heavy cream in everything I’ve tried including whipping it in my c02 whipper, making caramel sauce (cashew cream and sugar being the only ingredients) and “cheese” sauces using the cashew cream with nutritional yeast: red pepper and/or other peppers work in this also to make a wonderful way to flavor soups.
Your post has inspired me to try almonds and pistachios…pistachio milk sounds particularly wonderful!
I’ve had my Vitamix for almost 7 years and use it multiple times daily. Recently purchased the ‘dry blade’ which makes making things like oat flour very easy.
Oh…Etsy has some great jar labels which reusable, i.e. mini chalkboard kind of labels that “hang” on mason jars.

I raised my babies on carrot juice, still the best, now that they are older I add celery, beetroot and ginger to the carrot, or green apples. But everything goes really :-).
have fun! Ciao Alessandra

Whoa! Nut milk in the juicer! I never thought of that, and I’ve been making mine with the stick blender, then squeezing it through cheescloth. Honestly, cleaning the juicer would be less work.
I used to work in a juice bar and my favourite concoction was 1 orange (peeled), 1/2 to 1 apple, 1 carrot, 1 lemon (not peeled), a bunch of ginger, 1/4 pear and some cucumber. Sometimes I’d add some beet for a fun murky pink colour, or spinach if I could manage to sneak some from the salad bar side. Yeah, I made swamp water using most of the ingredients we had for juices, and I loved it. 🙂

Love your juice jar photos- so very Morandi.

I have been juicing off and on for 6 years. I love my juicer and have turned many friends on to the juicing frenzy. One of my fav picker uppers in the afternoon is a beet/lg red apple/ small cuke/and a small amt of greens of some sort. . . kale works good in this concoction and your body will love you for it! (not too much though, it is very bitter) spinach works nicely too. This juice tastes delightful but the way I feel afterwards. . . Whoa. . .so refreshed! For those who are skeptical of the veggie juice, try an apple; it really sweetens it up.

You are so Awesome! I don’t have a juicer because I saw it as a slight waste of space because I didn’t think I’d use it very often, but you’ve just opened the door to a whole new possibility for its uses! Excited to see some more recipes you come up with using the juice.

This is fantastic – I have been looking for new inspiration and the nut options found scrumptious. One question for the people who are recommending beet-based recipes – do you cook the beet first? Seems like uncooked it could hurt the juicer.

As someone who is actively avoiding dairy these days and looking for alternatives, I am so glad I came across your site! I have been using store bought almond butter but the ingredient list always made me wonder what else I am ingesting. i will be trying the recipes you mentioned and can’t wait to try pistachio milk, sounds yummy! Thank you!

I am a green juice junkie. I truly believe this is the magic elixir of life. I use my juicer many times a day and my blendtec. Love making up 48 ounces and using it as a base for smoothies adding more greens, herbs, sunflower spouts. Frozen mangos, almond butter, tahinin, handful of goji berries…..Yum. Loads of lemon makes it all come together. My body craves this more than anything else. I love using carrot juice for the liquid while preparing brown rice. My favourite being short grain topped with a little ghee I also use young Thai coconut water with coconut milk , lemongrass and ginger. So good.

Do you know how many watts your model has? Or what would be a minimum needed for a quality machine?

I actually bought a juicer in autumn last year because my local noodle joint was selling these amazing apple, kiwi, mint and lime juices but charging sky high prices for them. My inner pragmatist said, ‘Buy it and make them every day, it’ll save you money!’. So far it’s working well as a way of getting carrot juice and green juices into my daily life and turned me off some of the sweeter shop-bought options so it’s been a good investment. 🙂

Very inspiring post, thank you. My personal favorite is: 1 part carrots, 1 part apples and 1 part red cabbage. The color is stunning and it is a true energizer.

I’m using an older Champion juicer. It’s great but does tend to have issues with celery strings. My favorite fruit-based juice so far is pear/seedless black grape/cucumber/lime. It’s the one juice I keep coming back to – so refreshing! Another keeper is apple/carrot/ginger/lemon. I’m having trouble finding veggie-based combos I like, so the comments are quite helpful!

Awesome post! I’ve been into juicing for about 3 months and right now my favorite juice combo is carrot, orange, cantaloupe. I use 3-4 carrots depending on size, 1 large orange, and 1/4 of a cantaloupe. Bright orange goodness!

This site is great! I have a question is there any juices you can do the night before and it be benificial to drink the next day? I need to make mine in advance as to not wake everyone up at 5:30 in the morning.

I’ve been juicing a few times a week for a while. My kids love fresh apple juice! My two favorites right now are Cantaloupe/Cucumber/Ginger (not that pretty, but tastes wonderful) and Purple Kale/Lemon/Apple/Ginger (it’s a gorgeous deep purple pink color if you use red apples). Adding ginger to anything gives a wonderful zing!

Oh woww you really got down and dirty with juicing these didn’t ya?! 😉 My favorite juice combos are composed of apple, carrot, beet, lemon, ginger, and some kind of green like kale, celery, or even fennel. The fennel gives it a really fragrant taste/smell. I use the Breville juicer and it’s a trooper!

I’m in the vitamix camp, love my vitamix for all the nutritional reasons (fibre, extra nutrients otherwise lost in the pulp) and generally begin my day with a veggie based smoothie, adding extra green powder and something like chia seeds for their nurtritional value. Add in lemon for alkalinity and flavour, and/or ginger, chilli, herbs for zing and variety etc Have a look at wellnesswarrior for great smoothie/juice ideas ~ she’s an amazing example of their nutritional value, having beaten cancer using juices etc. Inspiring!

Parsley, parsnip, apple juice is a favorite

I’m really interested in trying to make the pistachio milk. I’ve never heard of that before!

carrot + pomgranate + tuscan kale (Cavolo Nero) = heavenly!
PS: you need to drink it immediately, otherwise the pomgranate sets.

Love the idea of making Almond Milk, it’s really quite expensive here in the UK, where as Almonds themselves are still relatively cheap. Thank you

We have found that radish is the most incredible rounder of flavor in a juice. You need only one to add to a carot, apple etc juice but it brings all the flavones together. Also capsicum is delicious for a little click. Thanks for the ideas on milk, I will definitely try.

Loved the blog on juicing…while I am not a fan of the juicer (I do own a Champion), I use my VitaMix constantly (easier clean-up and keeps ALL the nutrients) I tried the pistatio butter in my VitaMix (I usually see a recipe and then adapt!) and added dried cranberries and sunflower seeds whole to the butter and it was awesome! Thanks for a wonderful list of things you juiced! xo Misha

Heidi, you never cease to amaze and inspire me with your recipes and posts. Thank-you from a long time reader. 🙂

I try to juice every weekday morning for breakfast. It’s a great way to start the day and I have noticed my skin looks 100% better since I started. I am pretty heavy into the standard green juice of Kale (lacinato preferably), Cucumber, Celery, Lemon, Apple. I may switch it up a bit and use a lime instead of a lemon, swap spinach or chard for Kale, and I’ll use whatever apples are in season. But my favorite juice that I’ve made to date is what I call my Sunrise Surprise, which consists of Cucumber, Papaya, lemon balm or mint leaves, grapefruit, jicama, and carrots. Great summer morning juice. I also have an auger type juicer, which I think produces more juice from less produce than the high RPM centrifugal juicers.

The perfect post for me, just unpacked my first juicer yesterday, and had orange-celery-carrot-apple-ginger juice for breakfast, lovely!
I have a centrifugal juicer, have to do some research regarding the nuts/grains…
And pomegranate, want to make jelly with the juice.

L-O-V-E your blog! Just stumbled on it the other day and then this post popped up. I have a centrifugal juicer, so I’m not sure nut juices / milks would work in mine, but I swear by it for veggies / fruit! Definitely make a carrot ginger soup / elixir with the juicer. It’s heavenly.

LOVE love LOVE my juicer. I love this combo so much its hard for me to stray:
lots o carrots, 1/2 a yam, 1/2 an apple, kale kale kale, handful of cilantro, a few inches of ginger, couple cloves of garlic, a lil bit of beet, and a squeeze of lemon. (broccoli makes its way in there too sometimes).
when i need an extra punch of nutrition i put in some dashes of spirulina, chlorella, and wheatgrass powders and blend it up.
YUM!
Also, give red peppers a try- you’d be amazed at how much juice you get.

I’m with Monika. I got a Vitamix years ago, and it stays on my counter and gets daily use-it keeps all the fiber and I also make vegetable soups with it. I also have the dry container that allows me to grind fresh flour as I need it.
And most importantly, making my Puerto Rican sofrito with it is a breeze. If it did nothing else that alone would justify the investment.

Great post. I borrowed a friend’s juicer for a week, and though the juice is great, I felt guilty about throwing out all the dejuiced fruits and veg. I’d love to hear ideas on how to repurpose the leftovers aside from the nut butters!

I used to have a juicer, but it disappeared on one of my moves. I might have to buy another one just so I can try some of these combos…

Thanks for this post. I’ve been thinking about trying some less-obvious things to juice. One question: I haven’t been able to juice my soaked almonds to make almond milk. I have a Breville and it requires me to start the motor before adding stuff – which has a huge splattering effect all over my kitchen. Does your juicer allow you to add the water and almonds before you turn the motor on? Just curious since I would much prefer to make almond milk with my juicer than my nut milk bag.

After spending some time with my VitaMix, I “moved up” to an Omega juicer and really love it – love making nut milks as well as fruit and vegetable juices. I mostly use it for green juices to drink, but have made some really exquisite compound vegetable sauces by cooking any particularly succulent, seasonal vegetable in it’s own juice and then pureeing.
In this Wisconsin winter, I’m also enjoying an everyday version of the hot toddy: juicing ginger and lemon and keeping that on hand to add to a big mug of hot water after a cold day of skiing or snowshoeing.
Thanks for your site!!

We started juicing on the recommendation of a holistic medicine specialist. after treatment for prostate cancer – that said some of the juicing is a bit medicinal – ie Broccoli and Kale and Spinach. BUT – there are some really delicious combinations that we have explored. My new favorite is carrot, red pepper, green pepper , tomato and cucumber – add some salt and pepper – tasted like V-8 without the canning and industrial stuff. Would probably make a great bloody mary mixer with some hot sauce or Jalapeno juiced into it.

I just love juicing, mainly for my breakfast juice. I especially love to add celery, beets and carrots to the fruits. I would love to make grape-juice with my juicer, but the grapes just seem to bounce off and end up not juiced at all. Can anyone give me advice?

My husband and I have been juicing for over 2 years now. Our favorite is beet juice with other veggies and fruits or just on its own. Kale and Cucumber with carrots another beautiful drink. We mix it up in the summer with fresh apples and lemons. The juicer is also great for juicing your own lemon juice and freezing in ice tray cubes for when you need fresh lemon juice for grilled fish.

Welcome to juicing world and thanks for your post! My top three favorites are:
Green Juice Extravaganza:
Kale-Spinach-Cucumber-Celery-Green Pepper-Ginger-Lemon-Green Apple-Kiwi-Cilantro (adding wheatgrass juice or a shot of aloe juice pumps it up even more!)
Pineapple-ginger-lemon-green apple
Beet-ginger-lemon-green apple
These are great for cleansing your system and eliminating food cravings.
(as all fresh juices are, actually)

I purchased a juicer last July and have been in love ever since. My husband has even gotten in on the action and enjoys experimenting with different ingredients and combinations. We have created everything from juices, to milks, and extracts. I am now starting to use the off casts/pulps as an addition to salads and have just started trying different combinations to (pulps, seed, fresh ground nut meals) try and formulate a good, homemade gluten-free healthful cracker. Such a great addition to any kitchen!

My husband & I started juicing about 2 years ago with great results; I actually “craved” the carrot mix we created. I lost roughly 40 pounds since (& actually have kept it off since) but recently have found the quicker item of Nutri-bullet, which creates ‘smoothies’ – not “juice” specifically. This gadget is about 1/2 the size & we use about 1/3 of the quantity of fruits/veggies. I still miss some of our “juice” blends but for those wanting a quicker option, here ya go.

I’ve been juicing for years. I prep all the produce ahead of time and keep it chopped in baggies in the fridge – my husband makes our juice in the morning and I clean the juicer afterward.
I’ve never done as you suggest and froze the juices but I think I may try that tonight.

Keep the sink ready with warm soapy water and toss the components of the juicer there until you’re juiced up, full of energy, and ready to clean!
Keeping the devices wet helps the debris slide off. The only thing I don’t soak is my mesh thingy … I scrub that immediately.
Just let the thing aid dry and it will be all set when you put it away or juice again .
Love the broth and soup ideas! Great and timely post!

Like most others, had never thought of juicing nuts – will give it a go! Living in Australia, I have to say, nothing beats watermelon, pineapple, & ginger in summer for a good thirst quencher!

I bought a juicer last fall after reading the Crazy Sexy Diet. I know the name sounds silly but it’s a very resourceful, easy, and fun read about the health benefits of juicing and eating raw. There are some recipes in the back and the author, Kris Carr, has a pretty inspiring story. She has a juicing e-cookbook.

I love that you are juicing everything. I actually bought a juicer, a very basic one, for Christmas as my gift to myself and my husband and we are primarily juicing fruit and veggie with lots of leafy greens combos. My kids love the green juices. I am pretty much throwing in whatever. Didn’t think to try making almond milk in it – I was thinking since mine is a pretty bare bones juicer and not heavier duty that juicing any nuts might break it. I will save those for my vitamix.

Pistachio Milk! Fantastic. My Mum and Me were wondering what to do with all the pistachio that’s we were gifted by friends this winter. This seems like a recipe to try! Thanks 🙂

I’ve had my juicer for about a year now, but never thought about making nut milks in it! Brilliant! Here’s a few of my favorite combinations:
-grapefruit/carrot/ginger (awesome for in the morning)
-apple/lemon/ginger (great for steeping with some tea)
-beet greens/spinach/beets/lemon/apple/ginger
-kale/pineapple (this is lovely with a bit of coconut water added in)

I have a juicer that looks exactly like that, but mine is ACME brand. I got it for free at a neighborhood swap.
It weights about a million pounds, and only gets drug out of the garage to juice pomegranates. Never thought of doing almond milk, though!

My favorite is kale, pineapple and lots of ginger.

I have had my juicer for a little over a year now. The winter months aren’t as exciting as summer was when fresh garden produce was readily accessible. My favorite thing to juice was Bloody Mary mixes using fresh tomatoes, onion, serrano pepper, and garlic. So Yum!

I’m torn on juicing. My juicer throws the pulp out the back which I’m sure is loaded with nutrients and fiber. However, I’m sure there are some nutrients left over in the pure juice. My favorite is to juice a few carrots, knob of ginger and 1 apple. Here’s where I’m torn- I wouldn’t eat all those fruits/ veggies in a setting so I feel like my pancreas has to work overtime when I drink basically a big, strong shot of juiced nutrients & natural sugar. Anyone else torn like me and/or have decided fresh juice is better than no juice at all?

I really enjoyed this post! My dad and I have been “juicing” for the past couple of months. We make two cups every morning. We usually use about 7 carrots (peeled), 5 pieces of celery, 2 applies, 2-3 oranges, and a couple pieces of pineapple. It tastes great, and along with a simple breakfast keeps us really full all morning.

I love your blog, have read it for a few years and enjoyed trying some of your recipes at home..you got me back into quinoa after bad experiences with both overcooked and uncooked quinoa which put me off this fantastic grain for quite a while. Could not live without it now!
Like some other comments, I have a juicer and I never thought about making nut butters and milks with it, I am dairy-intolerant so I am buying these non-dairy milks all the time!
Like a lot of others I don’t use my juicer fully. I have an all singing, all dancing monster of a juicer, a Matstone 6-in-1, that not only juices but also has attachments that make pasta, gnocchi, can grind flour and can puree instead of juice and barring I think the grinding attachment, I have not tried any of the other attachments!
The clean up is one thing definitely but as we now have a dishwasher and all the parts clean very well in the dishwasher, I can no longer use this excuse.
Personally, I make veggie juices with my juicer. Beetroot, carrot and kale..quite hardcore, but sugar is also a no-no for me, so I need to be careful with the amount of fructose I consume as well as other processed and unprocessed sugars. I tend to use vacuum-packed pre-roasted beetroot, as it is easier and slightly sweeter. Carrot and ginger with a small apple, or beetroot neat (love beetroot!). Some things like berries and kiwi, it is a shame to juice as you get very little juice out of them, you are better blending or pureeing them separately and adding them into a prepared juice I have found. Juiced herbs are interesting, and have found tomato juice (usually blended rather than juiced unless I have lots of leftover and squishy tomatoes which I somehow do not need for a tomato pasta sauce–which never happens!) with juiced herbs is quite nice, especially with a good pinch of salt, pepper and paprika or any other savoury spice you would like.
One thing that is a nightmare in the juicer is anything that is both sticky and high water content..do not, whatever you do juice watermelon..nightmare to clean, messy and sticky and the watermelon bits stuck in all the hard to reach places! Also it does not really taste of much, the flavour is in the flesh, the juice does not taste as much like watermelon as you might think. I would imagine sharon fruit and any other melons would be the same.
I am now inspired, thanks! Plan to try hazelnut milk, which is divine and may also try coconut milk as cannot at present find one on the market that has not been sweetened-not for cooking but for consuming in the same way as you would almond milk.

My fiance makes the mean green juice as a meal replacement during the week; I join him on weekend lunches. It’s 1 cucumbers, 2 celery stalks, 2 green apples, a thumb of ginger, 1/2 a lemon and 2-4 leaves of kale. It’s really good; I also add half a serrano pepper for a kick. This recipe was featured on Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, and I’m going to join the clamoring commenters in urging you to watch it right away! 🙂

I have been juicing for a few months and I mainly stick to a simple green juice: green apples, cucumber, Kale, and Celery. I never enjoyed eating Kale and this combination is pretty tasty and hides the kale flavor. I sometime leave out the apples altogether and let the cucumber take over the flavor.

Great post! I bought a juicer a couple of months ago – use it every day but never considered the milks you made – have only done veg. Thanks for the ideas!

I just use my 30 year-old blender and add coconut water to make it east to drink. That way I get all the fibre too!

My personal fave. I call it a digestive cocktail. It tastes like heaven.
– Half pineapple – peeled and chopped
– 1 Fennel bulb – cut into large pieces
– 1 organic green apple – large pieces
– 1 handful mint (from my garden)
– 1 bag of spinach or 3-4 large handfuls
– 2 large cucumbers (organic & unpeeled)
Makes 32 ounces of emerald-green deliciousness.

I like to add lemon to fruit/vegetable juice combos, adding an entire quarter, rind and all into the juicer. You get the delicious zesty lemon oil in addition to the tart juice of the flesh.

oh definitely a new cookbook from you on this!
I love my juicer but don’t bring it out often enough. My favorite thing to make is green lemonade– lemons, romaine lettuce, kale, apples & ginger. YUM and refreshing.

I have a Jack LaLane juicer that will juice a “rock” Love it!
Favorite am juice: fresh spinach, carrot, oranges, apple or pineapple.
When i juice out mixed fruits I save and freeze the pulp to put in cakes or muffins.

I am a big fan of the kale, spinach, pineapple, cilantro and lime combo as a drink.

I have a juicer too. There aren’t any “juice bars” where I live so I use it, but not too regularly. Its pretty expensive to juice veggies and I feel like I throw away ALOT when I do—I’d love to see you incorporate some juice pulp in future recipes 🙂
I like it for wheatgrass once in a while. It’s not usually happy with the wheat grass. I love carrot grapefruit with a bit of ginger. I never thought about the nuts and grains, guess I’ll actually have to read the manual 🙂
I use my Vitamix daily for green smoothies, and sometimes to make nut butters, puree soups, make fresh coconut milk.

If you take a day to batch individual juices like this do you fully clean the juicer between? I would think the flavors would mix into each other if you don’t. But it would be much easier to just clean at the end 🙂

You have many comments here and I’ll admit to not reading them before making my own a out the sesame seeds being difficult. As kitchen savvy as you are I hesitate to even say this (as you may have tried it & it may have been suggested) but :
would a brief pulse in the food processor be enough to create an “in” to the seeds and render them juice-able? Or an old fashioned crank handled nut grinder? Mine was my grandmother’s, screws onto small jar as its lid. Simply ideas- helpful, I hope.

Most interesting to read all the comments on your post. After being diagnosed with advanced breast cancer nearly nine years ago, went on a juice diet for three months, then another three months mainly juice until I was eating three meals a day again. Best cancer fighter beetroot, carrot, green apple and ginger. I had this twice a day, a green juice and a fruit juice. We still have our favourite beetroot, carrot, green apple and ginger every day. My husband likes garlic as well. If I am having this as a complete meal now, I will whisk in a good glug of coconut cream and an egg. Make sure you don’t discard the froth when juicing, as this also has heaps of nutrients. To stop gout in its tracks juice potato and green apple – twice the quantity of potato to apple. Had never thought to make nut milk, will try it out. Usually use my Froothie. By the way, the cancer is gone, no surgery or modern medicine, only detox, good nutrition and supplements.

Yay for Juicing. I had my favorite cleansing Green Juice this AM (Celery, Kale, Parsley, Lemon, Cucumber, and Pear). Its so good for you. A few tricks I’ve learned, if you wrap you greens around the fruit it helps get more fluid from the greens. Also, Juice should be drunk soon after processing. As the juice sits, the raw enzyemes start to break down and turn to sugar.

Heidi, that looks amazing. I got your lovely newsletter about Juicing just the same week when I started gluten/dairy free diet and intend on juicing. I am looking for a juicer and your recipes really excite me and I cannot wait to get one now!! Just a question, do you use a centrifugal juicer (it looks like it) or a masticating one? Thanks for all your great posts!

I wonder if anyone can advise about the best kind of sturdy juicer to buy. I read an article about the differences between a centrifugal juicer and a masticating juicer. Do you all have the more expensive masticating juicers? My goal is to drink more vegetables, and I want something sturdy. I’m so confused by all the brands and makes on the market. Any information would help. Thanks for the GREAT recipe ideas.

Really interested in the fact that you are doing single ingredient juices and then thinking about how to use that juice in cooking. I am more inclined to drink the juice immediately. Currently favorite is fennel, green apple, 1/2 lemon (peeled), 1/2 cucumber – very detoxifying. You MUST try juicing beets. Stunning color, would be great in a soup. Also mix with celery, green apple and lemon juice. Zingy and great for the morning after. Supports liver cleansing.

I’ve gone through juicing phases, but currently favoring a high speed blender as it retains the fiber from fruits/veges. Still, apple-lemon-kale-romaine-ginger juice makes me really happy:-).
I have one of those crank down citrus juicers and find that the best for pomegranate (so amazing). Glad you’re having fun!

I have a Vitamix and I find myself using it every day, multiple times per day. Thanks for the ideas … here are a few of my faves:
Strawberry banana smoothie:
1 cup frozen organic strawberries
1 banana
2 cups milk or almond milk
Orange carrot smoothie:
2 carrots
2 oranges (or 4 clementines)
2 cups of water
ice
Cucumber melon juice:
2 cups sliced melon
1/2 cucumber
2 T flax seeds
2 cups water
ice

love your blog. love juicing. love this post. so interesting. so creative. so innovative.
[a combination i like: 1 carrot + 1 celery + 1/4 fennel + 1 or 2 kale leaves + ginger, cilantro & lemon according to your taste]

THANK YOU THANK YOU! what a fantastic article! Seriously, juice combinations are such a tricky thing to get good at, takes lots of trial and error for sure! Any and all help is greatly appreciated!
xx

I like the juicer, don’t use it all that often. When I do, I make muffins or a quick bread out of the juiced veggie matter. I don’t have the most high quality juicer so this stuff comes out still pretty wet and brings a nice moistness to the breads.
Carrot orange ginger juice pulp makes great muffins.

I like the juicer! And like you said, it’s something to be made in batches. I do a big batch on a Sunday afternoon with the rest of my food prep for the week. I have had the best luck with beets in the juicer. They yeild so much juice. And a couple people mention the fiber issue.. I’ll juice some veggies (beets, carrots, cucumbers, wheat grass) and mix it in the blender with berries or other fruits and add spinach or kale and take a couple spoonfuls of the pulp from the juicer. This will make a thicker smoothie, which is great first thing in the morning.

Yaayyy. I got a juicer in September after a few months of using my mums (the test to see if I’d use it consistently or if it was just a fad). I use mine a few times a week and it always appears to be the same combo:
1/4 beetroot
2 stalks kale
1 apple
2 stalks celery
1 carrot
1 x whatever other fruit I have in the house – yesterday it was kiwi fruit

I mostly use my juicer to make carrot/celery juice to use as a base for my vegetable soup. It always receives raves, and I think the fresh juice is the reason. The ‘broth’ is made with 2 cups of carrot/celery juice plus water, plus a can of crushed tomatoes. Of course the onions sauteed in EVOO with lots of garlic doesn’t hurt this dish at all. Add shredded cabbage, carrot rounds, celery chunks and anything else in the fridge, like broccoli, brussels spouts, string beans, squash… Add a cup of cooked navy beans… To thicken, I throw in some millet or quinoa. When serving, top it with a heavy sprinkle of parmigiano.

I own a small cafe and we do a lot of juicing. Some of the more medicinal veggies we juice are Burdock root and fresh turmeric. The Burdock is a mineral rich blood cleanser and adds an earthy taste. The turmeric has a strong pine flavor and vibrant color, as I’m sure you can imagine. A fun fact about fennel is that it increases endorphins to the brain and actually elevates your mood! Happy juicing!

I have a pint of grapefruit every morning and like to add a half of lime and pomegranate as well I do not use my juicer for this recipe however. Just my electric orange juicer.. so wish I had a orange juice press… how cool that would be… thanks so much for the great tips… I am so happy you have found this great tool… been juicing for years.. It is so refreshing

A favorite juice blend is cherries, plums, apple and a little pineapple. Thank you for this post! So inspiring.

Want celery flavour in your red/yellow/orange soup but don’t want to muddy the colour? Try adding the juice of a celeraic root

I am so jealous Heidi! 🙂
You know what, I have been wanting a real juicer kind of like yours for long time but my husband job doesn’t really let us stay at one place. we stay in rented apartments so we think it will be a headache when we move. Though I am so super excited for you 🙂

Love juicing! I feed the pulp to my dogs,pigs,and chickens. All love it.

Wow. I can’t believe you juiced all those things. Looks like a lot of work. I have made almond milk in my vitamin but not a juice before. Interesting.

Really liking all the new suggestions here. Have mainly been an apple/carrot/ginger juicer myself, but this post (and the comments) are likely to inspire some new attempts!
Thanks!

We’ve had our juicer for about 4 months. Similar to others, it was fascinating at first, but I got tired of the clean up. But my favourite was always carrot, apple, and ginger. Surprisingly, raw beets also make great juice! If you don’t too much earthy flavour, just use 1/2 a small raw beet, a carrot, and maybe 2 apples, and a bit of ginger.

Well, that’s got me deciding to get the juicer out again after leaving it fallow for a while. Some great ideas there. Thanks!

Hi Heidi,
Great post! Regarding pomegranate juicing, my parents have a huge pomegranate tree which produces a gazillion poms every fall. My mom juices most of them. The fastest way is to cut them in half horizontally, and put them in an orange press. This is what we do when we are overwhelmed with the number of pomegranates to juice. What my mom usually does however, is to carefully extract the seeds from the pomegranate, and place them in a blender. Pulse a couple times, just enough to break through the arils, but not enough to pulverize the hard tips of them. Those harder pieces tend to sink to the bottom of the blender. She pours out the juice through a strainer to catch any remaining hard bits. Works great!

glad you’ve got a juicer to hand and are loving it!
don’t you just love the photos in nigel slater’s “thirst”? amazing, strong and brave imagery.
do you ever braise bulbs of fennel? with that juice you mention up above, add some of it to the braising liquid…unbelieveable fennel-y deliciousness. mind you, i am something of a fennel freak.
aaand, i am sure that molly of orangette has a soup of carrot juice blended with avocadoes in her archive (apologies if these ideas have already been mentioned – so many comments!!)

I LOVE my juicer. Here are some of my favorites….
Pear, Granny Smith Apple, Lemon, Lime and Cilantro.
Carrot, Apple, Ginger, Lemon.
Beet, Carrot, Apple, Lemon, Ginger, Cucumber, Thai Basil.
Granny Smith Apple and Lemon (goes great with my homemade Vegan Pho)

Clean up :
place a small plastic bag in the container where the pulp/fiber goes. when u are done juicing, simply remove this bag and vualá, no messy clean up!

OMG you are a juicing Queen! I just started the Clean program and have been on the fence about getting a juicer or a Vitamix. You have convinced me to invest in the juicer, especially for making my own nut milk–how neat is that. Wish I had asked Santa to bring me one. Officiall day one on the Clean and I am so excited–twenty more days to go!

great post! i can’t believe i never thought of any of those grains in a juicer- will definitely have to try that in mine. we have an omega brand juicer (looks quite different from yours) that we bought last summer to help use up excess produce from our csa. it was great- our standard juice is something like this: carrot, beet, spinach/kale, apple, ginger. if you’re not into bitter juices (which i am not at all), i find a little bit of apple or pear goes a long way. over the summer, we made a killer cucumber/apple/lemon/parsley for the most refreshing, cooling juice i’ve ever had. can’t wait to try the almond and oat milk idea!

I don’t have a juicer, but my mom does and loves it very much. So we drink plenty when visiting their house. She has mentioned a couple of things that perhaps someone else has mentioned in the comments. She learned that juices should be drank within 15 minutes or they lose a lot of their nutritional value and vitality. Also, she juices her fruits, then stirs the remaining pulp into her oats when cooking them in the morning. Good luck!

Great to see you covering juices. As a cancer health educationist and nutritionist with a major cancer charity I do juicing workshops with patients as a way of showing how to get extra nutrients in when appetite, digestion and nutrient metabolism are disrupted. And for those who have to completely avoid fibre due to their cancer or obstructed bowel disease, juicing is fabulous, with juicing of herbs really great to add flavour to all the pasta, rice etc that that diet entails. Just a word though, no matter how much juice you have it only can count as one serving a day because of the lack of fibre, and in the case of fruits and starchy veg, the mainlined sugar. But those nutrients sure are welcome for many. Lovely variety of produce and grains you have been experimenting with. Inspiring to many as I see from the comments. PS i use carrot juice to cook oatmeal sometimes, adding pureed date to sweeten further and a dod of almond butter for extra creamy goodness.

Never thouhgt to make almond milk with juice maker. My favorite comination is melon with red globe grapes in the summer times

Do you know if your juicer is macerating or centrifugal? Makes a huge difference as to how much of the actual nutrients you get from your fruit/veg. If it is macerating, you can also make things like date paste by passing whole pitted dates through the juicer or frozen banana “yogurt”by passing frozen bananas through. My macerating juicer even makes pasta! Coconut butter can be made by passing coconut pieces through! I have a whole post on juicing on Butter&Yolk if you are interested. Great post!

HS: Hi Jenna – Mine is centrifugal. Thanks for the tips, maybe I can borrow someones macerating version…

Juicing is the best. I start every morning with some sort of apple + veggie combination (I don’t have much of a taste for just plain veggie juice, so I always throw in an apple). I’ve been drinking at least one juice every morning for a few months, and the thing I noticed the most is how much better my skin looks. I never had severe skin problems or anything, but now I never even get so much as a single breakout! It’s awesome. A great way to start the day. Can’t wait to try the nut milk! I always make mine in a blender.

I have a question for you regarding the oat and almond milks: When you say drain, then add water, do you mean drain the soaking water out and just add the almonds to the juicer with fresh water? I can’t wait to try it out and am a little embarrassed that I don’t “get” it, but want to be clear before I start. Thanks!!

HS: Exactly Kimberly…Drain the soaking water, replace with fresh.

I have a very old commercial grade Champion Juicer. It has various attachments that make it possible to strain out the fiber or keep it all in. I’ve used it for veggie juices as you’ve all suggested, but it’s a fixture on the counter in the summer for our favorite cool treat. I freeze fresh fruit and berries every summer and we feed them directly into the juicer to make amazing frozen desserts. No sugar, just pure decadent creamy frozen fruit. We love it! Best to include bananas or pineapples with your other fruits to give it a good texture. I freeze all kinds of berries, peaches, melons, etc. and let people make their own dessert by feeding in what they want. It’s a fun, healthy, and delicious novelty. Everyone (all ages) loves it and can’t believe it’s so delicious and healthy!
The key is having the ability to keep the solids in the end product. We also use the machine to process ice. We make our own fruit or coffee flavored icees. My kids had awesome snow cone stands in the summer using this juicer!

Whoa! Did not even think about making nut milk in the juicer…what a great idea! It took me a while to find a good combo that I liked for green juice but once I did we now drink it everyday. I was able to find a juicer on craigslist that was practically never used for only $50! Great deal, and totally worth it! Thanks for sharing all this awesome info!

Great post! I have been following your blog for years and am so excited to see you moving into juicingland. I always feel a little brighter after drinking a homemade concoction and this have given me great ideas! (And doesn’t everything look that much better in Weck jars with artistic intentional writing.)

I can’t wait to try out the Almond milk! My mum makes this amazing mint juice which is worth a try in the summer – blitz mint leaves, juice of half a lemon, a little sugar and some water. After blitzing, you can run the juice through a strainer so that you don’t get any un-blitzed leaves in your glass. I use the sediment on the strainer as a spread on whole wheat bread.

Beautiful and informative post, Heidi! I think it’s the year of juicing for me as well. Have owned one for several years and used it occasionally. Clean up is not fun. You have inspired to get juicing now. I like to use fewer ingredients in order to taste them rather than be lost among a crowd.

I, too, could live on pink grapefruit juice all winter. And in the summer: strained watermelon juice with lime and sugar. And rum after 5:00 😉
We juice quite a bit. The problem with juicing for me is that I can’t stomach raw apples, which is commonly the sweetener. I use fresh pineapple instead.
Favorite combos:
fresh pineapple + kale
ginger + lemon + kale + cayenne

Wonderful! Thanks for this great resource. If I remember correctly, Deborah Madison does a carrot risotto made with fresh carrot juice that I’ve always wanted to try. Seems like your juicer would be a great opportunity to try some fresh juices in place/with stock for a risotto….

I used one for a couple days but was just bothered by the amount of fruit “by-product” that was in the “spit out” bin. I decided to get a Vitamix because all my friends say it will blend to a juice just fine without losing all that good stuff. I’m open to any and all combinations so I’m enjoying the other comments as well as the post!

Beet + Apple is my favorite quick and easy blend!

I bought a juicer about 2 months ago and I’ve never looked back! I love it and juicing on a daily basis has changed my life for the better. It is now my breakfast every morning. It is a pain to clean up every time but taking time for my health is more important ya know? I’d recommend Kris Carr’s book “Succulent Smoothies and Juices” it has a lot of juice ideas that are great! P.s. I’ve kind of fallen in love with your blog! 🙂

I got juicer for holidays this year. I’ve stared juicing my mirepox for my vegetable soups, instead making a stock. There so much flavor and freshness that makes a soup just, pop!

Juicing is definitely mainlining nutrients and flavor! We use it for soup/sauce kickers, drinks, and sorbet bases. On the cleaning front, just do it immediately. Rinse & go…otherwise, it’s soak, scrub, soak, scrub…
savory things:
– Garlic: We use this to kick up a miso broth.
– Herbs: We juice and then freeze in the ice cube tray for later kicks of flavor
drinks:
– apple / mint / lime
– apple / mint / ginger
– apple / kale / parsley
– orange / beet / carrot / ginger
sorbet:
– anything!
– lemon / ginger / mint + zest
– orange / ginger + zest
– daiquiri ice: lime + zest & rum

There are so many beautiful things in this post, but I especially LOVE the writing on the labels! :•)

I LOVE THIS POST! That’s an awesome juicer. I’ve gone through three of that style in my life so far. Thank you so much for this informative, inspiring post — long live the juicer. We’d all be healthier if we would juice more!

I LOVE JUICING! My winter fav is beets, ginger, carrot, celery, parsley. Zest and juice (hand squeezed) of lime/lemon. Thanks for the awesome tips!!!

Trust you to juice EVERYTHING in sight, love it! I don’t have one at home but I’ve been meaning to get one for ages, maybe 2013 is the year! Gemma x
P.s. – cucumber juice is great with Gin 🙂

It was be something in the air… I was just shopping for a juicer, and a friend told me about the Hurom slow juicer. I can’t really justify another appliance in my small kitchen, but your post makes it awfully tantalizing…

I thoroughly enjoyed this post of yours today. I am a rather BIG fan of juicing and I love reading blogs or posts about it. I use my juicer daily and make a batch to fill three mason jars full. I prefer the green juices over any other. I usually juice: a handful of kale, a handful of spinach (I do those first, so that the other veggies and fruits push the remaining kale and spinach through), two cucumbers, 4-6 celery stalks, one green apple and MAGIC!!! It’s delicious! Again, I appreciate this post very much. Thank you for sharing.

Perfectly timed in order to rekindle my excitement for juicing! I received a Breville juicer for Christmas & just last week I completed my first juice cleanse which was amazing but definitely left me a bit tired of juice. But, using it in order to acquire essences to use as ingredients, oh boy…I’m definitely bringing it back out much sooner than my love of chewing expected!
To share recipe ideas with you, one of my favorite juices that I was making on my cleanse was a green, almost gazpacho juice that I would have for dinner: Half a bunch of spinach, half a head cilantro, 1 cucumber, 2 stalks of celery, half a jalapeno (seeds/most seeds removed), 1 clove garlic, half a small onion, half a lemon, small piece of ginger.
I plan to revisit this one in the summer during tomato season & see what type of gazpacho (or bloody mary mix!) I can make with it. Also, to ease back into solid food I was making a cashew milk using pre-soaked raw cashews but making it in the blender. It made a deliciously rich milk with tiny chewy bits, which I know sounds a bit odd, but was really good. I added a little sea salt, cinnamon, & fresh vanilla bean before I blended for optimal deliciousness. I’m definitely going to try the juicer method…never even thought of it, thank you!

I LOVE my juicer. My favorite is Beet, Orange and Carrot juice. Add the beet greens in too (but on a lighter setting than the beet bulbs). For extra zinger put in a quarter of a orange pepper and a half lemon. Its delish!

Ohh my, these are quite some lovely colours. I know that my parents still have their old juicer (which they never used) somewhere in the attic. Lucky me, they will come visit next week and I will have to force them to bring it.
I’m quite anxious to try almond-juice.

I love adding cayenne to juices! My husband and I grow cucumbers in the summer too, which are wonderful for juicing by themselves (or with beets, celery, pineapple, etc.). I usually add sage leaves or basil when we serve cucumber juice (slap the leaves a few times between your hands to release their oils – float ’em on top…yum!). Super refreshing!

I will never (ever) turn down freshly pressed orange juice – brings me back to my childhood big time 🙂 I never thought of juicing nuts and grains – genius! I’ve only blended them before.
However, I do love my juice but try not to have too much of it — as you said it removes the fiber – and gives my body blood sugar spikes that I am sensitive to. I prefer to eat my fruit and veggies whole.

I recently got a juicer for Christmas and LOVE it! Grapefruit is my favorite as well (I like it with fresh mint – so refreshing). I try to use a variety of fruits/vegetables together – Beet, carrot, apple, celery, ginger, and lemon go really nice together.
I haven’t made any milks yet, but can’t wait to try the almond and pistachio versions soon. Thanks for sharing!

I don’t have a juicer, but my mum does, and when I still lived at home she would use it twice a week to make a wonderful juice: Beet Carrot Ginger. She would also juice spinach and make some Carrot Spinach juice as well!

I love my Hurom Slow Juicer. It does an excellent job of extracting juice from fruits and veggies, leaving behind very dry pulp, especially compared to the Jack LaLanne juicer that I had prior to investing in the Hurom. One of the best things is that nothing ever goes to waste in my produce drawer. I use everything now! Thanks for sharing! And please keep up the juice combos – nice to have some new ideas.

Watch the movie: “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead”. You just have to. It’s about juicing, and you’ll love it. (It’s on Netflix.)

Yeah!!!! I asked for a juicer for christmas…and got it! I love it so far. My little guy loves helping me come up with all sorts of ideas. We too have tried just about everything. Our favorite is pineapple, apple, strawberries & blueberries. Make sure to check your machine before putting in the pineapple as the pineapple is stringy. my other favorite is carrot, pineapple, green apple & cucumber…sounds odd but was delish!

i always try my damdest to make our juices heavy on the veggies, but here’s my fave combos:
(1) apple, (1) beet, (1) 2″ nub of ginger, (1) lemon
or
(1) bunch spinach, (1) bunch kale, (2) green apples, (1) lemon, (6) kiwis, (1) 3″ nub of ginger

LOOOOOOOVE juicing! And those jars make me weepy.

Jerry Traunfeld’s Unami Carrot Soup with Mint is made with fresh carrot juice and is amazing!

I recently got into juicing (well, a few month ago), and now I make a juice every morning. It has truly made a great impact to my health, skin, hair. I am so happy you just made me realise that is even possible to make nut milk through a juicer! Will try it out tomorrow for myself.
Here is what I use every morning:
1 handful spinach
1/2 bunch of parsley
1 handful of other greens I have at home (kale/romane etc)
1 carrot
1 small beet
1 slice of ginger
1/3 cucumber
1 red or green apple
(and sometimes I add 1 pear or 1 small orange)

I’m doing cartwheels, I’m so very, very excited about this latest post. I’m a bit “spazzy” about juicing and love the suggestions you’ve noted and will certainly try. Ah, excited! Happy reader, as usual! : )

My favorite juice is 2 tomatoes, 1 Celary, 1 cucumber, one whole lemon, handful of Parsley, 2 cloves of garlic, and a large carrot, with 3 sprigs of kale. I sometimes add some beet if I am feeling sweet. I know many juice fruits, but that is way too sweet for me.
I will have to look at my directions to see if the nuts can be done! What a yummy idea!

The old Acme juicer is a great juicer. I have the same one but the top parts are all stainless. They make paper filters that go inside for it and I think I have the address where you can still them, it makes clean up a breeze. I’ve had mine for 30+ yrs and still works great. Wile E. Coyote always bought Acme products so I figured it was good enough for me. Good choice!

Big fan of both of your sites and cookbooks (my go to gift now). I have taken much inspiration from your culinary point of view, but have never posted before. Had to let you know that I ordered a Breville on Friday and opened this post on Monday. Wow. Something is in the air, or the big unconscious! Happy to be on the same wave length.

Like a lot of folks, I ran out and got a juicer after watching the documentary film, “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead”. I have an Omega VRT and I love it. It’s very much like the Hurom juicer. Super easy to clean, I leave it on the counter and use it at least once or twice a day. I was also wary of the waste of all the pulp. But you can use it as a filling for wraps, etc. if you add a little nut mayo and seasonings. You can wrap it in a raw cabbage or collard leaf. It’s delicious! Just google Ani Phyo’s “Mock Tuna Salad” and you will find it. Love your blog!

I have an Omega 8006 juicer. Love it to death. We also have a Vitamix 5200. Love it to death. Had a breville. Don’t use it anymore. Its not very efficient and the high rpm destroys the enzymes of the juice. A special trick from a doctor’s advice. When you juice you will lose the pulp. The pulp protects the juice from oxidizing faster, so she recommends adding organic honey to the juice so it stores longer. If you blend (Vitamix) you can store it a bit longer because the pulp is there. But I usually just juice and drink. I use the pulp from the Omega 8006 to make baby food. Here’s to your health.

I received a Breville juicer for Christmas, so I’ve been reading various pages. In my reading, someone mentioned that you can use the left over pulp in breads (e.g. zucchini bread), soups, and scrambled eggs. You can also dehydrate the scraps further for longer preservation and use them for the same.

I have had a juicer stored in back of pantry for several years (it was a gift) but you’ve inspired me to drag it out. If for no other reason than to try and use it and re-gift if we don’t like it.
ps your soda bread is a staple in our lives, my husband loves making it, and I love having it for toast! thanks and happy 2013!

ps. Green apple and fennel is a lovely favorite, too.

Heidi, I’d be happy to let you have a spin with my Champion juicer for a couple days. Right now I am recovering from surgery, so I’m all about the anti-inflammatories, and a lot of San Francisco stores are carrying fresh turmeric root these days. My sweet anti-inflammatory juice is half a pineapple, several carrots, and an inch or so each of ginger and turmeric. The savory varies more, but generally aims at half a large or one small cucumber, a tomato, a leaf or two of kale, some parsley, a celery stalk or two, an inch or so each of ginger and turmeric, and the juice of a hand-squeezed lemon or lime. One friend who was tending to me during healing misunderstood and whipped up the savory one in my vitamix, which was surprisingly enjoyable as well!

I’ve always wanted a juicer and now I want one even more! These photos are stunning and the juices are such beautiful colors. LOVE that you made ginger juice!

I make a green juice everyday for my husband and myself:
All organic:
1/3 cucumber
1-2 green apples
Handful of spinach
Handful of kale
handful of cilantro
5 carrots
3 stalks of celery
small chuck of beet
Piece of ginger
1/2 of a small lemon
I then put it all in a blender with a large banana. Perfect!
I’ve been doing this for about 2 years since going vegan. If I miss a day (when traveling), my body knows it. We have an Omega Vert masticating juicer. I just bought a Breville for my goddaughter for Christmas.

I just got a juicer as well. It is great fun to come up with different combinations!
This weekend, I experimented with using the pulp from the juicer to cook and bake. I used carrot and beet pulp to make a chocolate pecan muffin, black bean patties, and soup. They all came out great except the I need to work on the consistency of the soup. The pulpy-ness is not very appetizing to me.
It’s a whole new world of experimenting! Will try the almond milk next. Thanks!

I love juicing. I’ve been using my mom’s juicer which she has neglected for the past couple years and although it is a hassle co clean, I love how simple and fun it is. it’s so much easier to just juice an entire kale than cook them and eat less than half. I love how it really fills you up and there’s tons of different ways to make your juice. I once added onion bc I was being brave and it was so horrible. I had onion breath the entire day and it burned!

I was given an old Champion juicer from a friend who never used it. I like to use it but it’s such a beast on the countertop that I can’t leave it out taking up so much space. If I ever get a bigger kitchen I will hopefully have a place for it to stay out and I will use it more regularly. I like a pineapple cilantro combo.

Juicing in 12 minutes, includes clean up: plastic bag line the pulp container for quick clean up, rinse everything immediately, use a hand held scrubbing brush under water to rinse the blade and filter, turn upside down on a towel, let dry. Time it, you will be amazed! Yes to all these recipes, and yes to watching the sugar intake: beets, apples, pears, carrots. I drink 1 cup of my green juice immediately, and then turn the remainder into a smoothie: whole banana, protien powder, Udo oil, Aloe Vera, cinnamon, 1/4 cup of frozen fruit, balance of coconut milk. This becomes my breakfast and 10am meal. Vary your greens 😉

Heidi, I’ve heard stories of people using their juice pulp in baking for extra flavor/fiber. Haven’t done it myself, but thought you’d be interested. The pulp from my juicer (Omega J8004 ) is very dry, so I can see it’d be perfect.
Also, the Omega masticating juicer is a breeze to clean. I can cut veggies, juice AND cleanup in 15 minutes.

HS: Oh! Love that idea.

carrot, apple, ginger juice. babbam! my juicer looks a lot like yours. different brand but from the same era. it seems to work best when you alternate the items you are juicing, juice a couple carrots, then a big piece of apple, then some ginger, etc. i do find the cleaning up to be a big enough pain in the ass that I almost never juice anymore though. sad.

I’m feeling like I need to move to a new neighborhood, as I’ve never been offered someone’s old juicer – or even have seen one at a yard sale. Since my parents died years ago, perhaps I’m supposed to buy one to offer to my son/DIL at some time in the future. Love the comments, recommendations and ideas here, though, as I truly have been thinking about getting a juicer. Such beautiful juice photos makes me thirsty…

I just started juicing too! So far my favorite is apple/carrot/beet/orange, sometimes I add cucumber too. I’m really happy to read about freezing the juice – I have to get up early for work and juicing is usually the last thing I want to do when I’m barely awake! I will definitely try freezing it, thanks for the idea!

I love our juicer! We just got the Breville one over the holidays and we’re obsessed. Ours is really quite easy to clean up as well. I don’t mind it at all! I’m really liking juice better than smoothies… no seeds and no jammed blender anymore! We’ve juiced everything in site, including shots of kiwi and pear to try out recently, lol. So good (although pear needs to be consumed asap, as it goes brown quickly).

I love juicing (favorite combo is: 1 green apple or peeled grapefruit, 2 large handfuls of spinach, 1 big celery stalk, and a chunk of ginger). I have a centrifugal, so the juice oxidizes quickly — meaning, I drink them immediately. I juice for the health benefits mostly. I also drink a smoothie almost every day for the fiber and additional veggie goodness.

My wife and I use the Hurom slow juicer and it is amazing. It has approximately 5 parts and is super easy to clean. From chopping to cleaning its altogether 15-20 mins. It has become part of our day and a great energy shot in the mornings. We do green juices with spinach, parsley, carrots, apple or even citrus blast with the current season in ca.
Thanks for these new ideas, will give them a go soon!

I have an inexpensive juicer and it is super easy to clean. I love it, and use it mostly in the fall and winter when I start missing the light and fresh. We use our juices as tonics and use a lot of ginger, and lemon (throw in a quarter with it’s peel…so good!) Also, try making a carrot curry butter sauce with carrot juice. My favorite sauce in the world!

Never done juicing before, but after trying a purchased juice cleanse, my boyfriend and I decided to give it a try. I got a refurbished Breville Elite from Amazon for $199. Its somewhat of a pain for clean up, but I agree with some of the other posters, just make a ton once a week, freeze half, and then you only have clean up once. I cannot seem to get full off juice, so with the main one we make, we add back in some of the pulp, run it all through the blender, and am then able to retain some filling properties of fiber! A few of our recipes we like:
-1/2 bunch kale, 1 cucumber, few stalks of celery, 2 granny smith apples, 1 peeled lemon. We keep all but the apple and lemon pulp to add back in and run all through the blender-otherwise its quite chunky with kale stalk!
-1 apple, 1 orange, 1 peeled beet=absolutely amazing, so smooth and creamy and delicious!
We double/triple these and just separate them out into individual servings (~15 oz) for fridge or freezer.
Be careful with the kale and beets-they seem to fly out and get in random spots, and both are such deep colors they can stain any vulnerable surfaces nearby.

Thank you so much for this post and for all the new idea from everyone’s comments! Very timely as I jumped on the wagon to start off the new year with my juicer arriving tomorrow! Thank you again!

got a freeby…and old one, works great. can’t get enough beet juice! with a pile of greens, and lemon and ginger. so delicous. we juice, we do smoothies, and lots of whole foods. we do it all!

i found out today from Marc, owner of Bob’s Juice Bar in Paris, that the best way to make pomegranate juice is to use an electronic citrus press. just slice it in half and treat it like an orange.
i prefer to drink my juice the moment it’s made as it really begins to break down rapidly with standard juicers unless you have a cold press.
finally, my preferred machine for nut milks/creams is the wondrous Vitamix.
Genius!

I love juicing (favorite combo is: 1 green apple or peeled grapefruit, 2 large handfuls of spinach, 1 big celery stalk, and a chunk of ginger). I have a centrifugal, so the juice oxidizes quickly — meaning, I drink them immediately. I juice for the health benefits mostly. I also drink a smoothie almost every day for the fiber and additional veggie goodness.

Can you recommend a good small/compact juicer for travel.

I’ve been eying juicers for a while, but I keep putting off buying one. However, this post has me finally convinced. Pistachio milk with honey, Spicy carrot juice, I think I’m obsessed.
You’ve really put that juicer to work and have come up with some brilliant ideas.
Pomegranate juice is a true gem. How would you recommend juicing it, if not with a juicer?

I can’t possible picture my life without a juicer. Everyday I make myself at least a green juice and a grape + beetroot juice.
The cleaning part is painful, I know.
On top of that, I find wasting all those fibers daily a bit upsetting.
In a an ideal world I would like to have a few chickens/hens to feed all those juice scraps!

I agree with the awesomeness of juices, but I prefer the concept of the Vitamix! Try the recipes in that and gain the benefit of the whole food!

You all are such a great resource! So many great suggestions, and techniques/combinations that would have never occurred to me. Keep the inspiration coming! xoxo

One of my favorite uses for my juicer is juicing mire poix, then cooking lentils in that juice.

Heidi, As an integrative nutrition RD, I love your books and blog and have recommended them over and over to my clients (your cookbooks were a bday gift to my niece this year). Juicing is a great way to incorporate concentrated sources of nutrients specifically antioxidants. So important for those who struggle eating enough veggies. Juicing lowers cholesterol and blood pressure by providing natural nitrates, carotenoids , Vit c and so many other nutrients. So glad to see you include juicing in your repertoire! Try a little beet with some parsley ginger spinach and a bit of pineapple. Gorgeous color and delish!

What a wonderful post! I got “Modernist Cuisine At Home” for Christmas this year, and they devote several pages to juicing. Particularly using juices as a base for soups and stocks… I had a flashback when you mentioned carrot juice as a base for carrot soup.

This must be the year of juicing! I have wanted one for months, and over the holidays I got a breville. I’m obsessed! my favorite combinations are:
– beet, apple, carrot, kale, and a touch of ginger
– apple, pear, lemon, cucumber, parsley, celery, spinach
I am really looking forward to trying out the nut combinations you suggest, because I’m trying to find a way to work some real protein into the mix. I’ve been having a fruit combo for breakfast and a veggie juice for an afternoon snack. I think the juicer has already paid for itself and it’s only been 3 weeks!! 🙂

I have a Breville Compact Juicer that I LOVE – though at time wish I would’ve splurged for a larger one. That said, beet juices are my favorite as of late. My recipe is:
2 beets (greens too if I don’t have another use for them)
2 carrots
1 green apple
1 orange
decent sized chunk of ginger (depends on your taste for ginger).

My also expensive juicer from parent has made a good toe stubbing device in a dark pantry closet. Then I lent it to a prospective girlfriend. I want it back now and it shall occupy a place of honor and esteem in my household when I do get it.

I’ve never owned a juicer but I’ve worked a couple of places that had them. One of my bosses would use the carrot pulp to thicken hot sauces and I would use the pulp to thicken soups.

I started juicing a few years ago for health and it was the best decision I ever made. Yes, it is time consuming but well worth it. I only juice organic since the juice goes directly to your cells etc. Don’t want any harmful chemicals in my body. I go to Whole Foods, walk down the produce isle and pick something new each time. I always keep my standard ingredients and ALWAYS add a lemon becuase most of the time I don’t like the green juices and the lemon helps anything go down. When I stop juicing and then start again, I hear my body say “thanks, I needed that”. So healthy. Thanks for your post. By the way, I have the Champion 2000 and it takes up a lot of counter space.

I don’t have a juicer, but I do know that my Vitamix has changed my life! We use it every. single. morning. It has doubled (tripled?) our produce intake, and I can’t believe how much energy we have after a big glass of fruity/citrusy/gingery/kale-y goodness.
Kale coconut smoothies are our favorite (kale/apple/ginger is a close second)… would work great as a juice as well!

Love your post! I just got a juicer recently too!
Here are a few juices that I’ve made:
– carrot, apple, ginger (have also added celery and orange)
– carrot, apple, ginger, beet, 1/2 lemon
here’s Dr Oz’s green drink — which I havent made because I never buy parsley because I never known what to do with it.
Dr Oz Green Drink
2 cups spinach; 2 cups cucumber;
1 head of celery; 1/2 inch or teaspoon ginger root; 1 bunch parsley; 2 apples
Juice of 1 lime; Juice of 1/2 lemon
Thanks for your post, I’ll have to try your juicing ideas along with almond milk and pistachio milk too!

Pineapple, kale, and mint is really refreshing!

I juice every day, My fave is a combo of celery, beets, cucumber, red pepper, carrots, apple, lemon,and ginger! Clean up is easy if you do it right away.

I got a Breville Juicer for Christmas and I LOVE it! I drink a big mostly-veggie juice for breakfast pretty much every morning now, and my energy and mood have never been better. My current favorite is cucumber-pineapple-mint (or cilantro if I’m out of mint) with a few kale leaves/stems tossed in. Kale-apple-mint is another combo I like. Really, anything with kale! I also like beet-orange-carrot-ginger, though that one’s a bit sweet for me.

I’ll add to the mix of things to try:
meyer lemons (with skins)
mangel beets
watercress — peppery goodness. Great with carrot. But start slow and I don’t recommend drinking it straight. It’s potent.

I recently was given a VitaMix as a birthday gift and I juice with it everyday. Dates, Bananas, Apple and Beet Greens w. fresh ginger and a teaspoon each cinnamon and all spice… yum! the thing I like better about the VitaMix is that it keeps all the nutritious fiber rich pulp in there but still has the consistency of juice (I add water). However, my sister has an actual juicer and saves all her “pulp” to make to most amazing veggie burger patties! they are sooo good and nothing goes to waste. I guess if you have chickens or a great compost those are perfect uses for the pulp too.

I love my juicer and use it every day. My most recent favorite is “green lemonade,” which I had at Oranya Natural Foods Market while visiting family near Traverse City, MI. Juice one bunch of kale, a granny smith apple, one Eureka (or two Meyer) lemons, four celery stalks, and a knob of fresh ginger. So delicious!

We bought a juicer a few months ago and I love it. I’ve read that juicing gets more of the nutrients into your body due to removing the fiber. Not sure how true that is, but juicing is an easy way to get some extra veggie servings into the kids. A couple times a week I will juice two carrots, one cucumber, one apple, one stalk of celery, and 3 or 4 big handfuls of spinach and kale. I also like juice with beets, it is as energizing as a cup of coffee!

Hello Heidi,
Love your blog. A favorite I make is
1 beet
2 carrots
1/2 tart apple
1/2 lemon
piece of fresh ginger, as much as you like

Heidi, Thanks for writing about juice extraction. I had to talk my editors (at Cook’s Illustrated) into letting me review juicers, but then they crowded around me whenever I was working on them. We became addicted to kale with fresh pineapple. I think it kept us healthy last spring.

I JUST GOT A JUICER TOO!!! I got the breville compact juicer – it was pretty cheap (like $99) and had fabulous reviews…
I was wondering if i could do nut milks in it!
Also I was practically dying laughing over here with your 239482423 jars of random juices, my kitchen looked the EXACT SAME this weekend as I juiced practically every fruit and veggie we had in the house…
i did notice that fresh IS SUPER IMPORTANT. the green juice i made with fresh celery the boyfriend loved, but the one i made using the same celery that I chopped up 5 days ago he could taste a total difference in (of course I didn’t say “oh its because i used old celery) … i just said “HM THAT’S SO WEIRD!”
I want to try cashew milk in mine now… LOVE THE POST!!!
I’m sitting here sipping some kale/green apple/pineapple/cucumber juice right now actually!

I had started a juice fast using my juicer a while back, but I don’t have a gall bladder and it just didn’t work for me. I spent two days in the bathroom, unable to leave the house. I was miserable. I got a Blendtec blender for Christmas and have blended my produce into juice with it and it really does make it into a juice. It was much easier on my digestion having the fiber still intact, so if anyone else has that issue, there are options. Watching “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” was what spurred me on. One more thing- If you are wanting to wean off of coffee, juice a grapefruit, or even half of one, drink that first, then your coffee. I guarantee that’s all the coffee you’ll need!

Carrot Juice on it’s own is my long standing favorite, you just cant beat the fresh juiced taste. Store bought seems too blaah now.
But my next favorite is Carrot (1 lb) with Apples (2 small ones) , Lemon (1) and Ginger (1″ knob). Refreshing!

yeah! Like some of your new ideas. I’ve been juicing for 20+ years. I juice almost 400 pint jars in late Aug/Sep when the garden is loaded & freeze in glass mason/bell jars in a freezer full of nothing but “green drinks” – Then drink one everyday all year – share now & again. I believe the quality of the vegetables in A/S is so much higher than in Jan/Feb that ANY value lost to the freeze is gained back. If and when you get one, you’ll LOVE the modern juicers – much easier to use and clean!

Juice 1 cup beet bell pepper zucchini or any other brightly colored veg reduce by half and mix with olive oil makes a great drizzle for soup or base for salad dressing (:

Please do share more of what you learn and try along the way! For many reasons, it is great to hear more about juicing from a culinary standpoint – rather than just from a “health guru” standpoint. Thanks! 🙂

Except when writing about the nuts, you do not mention what you’ve done, or will do with all the pulp left behind .. curious, that’s all

My children gave me my juicer for mothers day. I must have been complaining about something food related. Anyway we went on a family juicing spree-so much fun. Lots of pineapple and jalapenos. But my favorite which produces the most lovely soft apple green color is celery, ginger, lemon and green apple. Its tart and sweet and what a pick me up.
Thank you for sharing such an inspired plunge into a new relationship, an such beautiful photo’s as always.

Juicers are awesome for making soft serve sorbets. The one I know works is banana. Just freeze the bananas and send them through. I would guess it work with many fruits and veggies. I could imagine mixing flavors in a blender then freezing and sending through.

HS: Absolutely trying this.

I had started a juice fast using my juicer a while back, but I don’t have a gall bladder and it just didn’t work for me. I spent two days in the bathroom, unable to leave the house. I was miserable. I got a Blendtec blender for Christmas and have blended my produce into juice with it and it really does make it into a juice. It was much easier on my digestion having the fiber still intact, so if anyone else has that issue, there are options. Watching “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” was what spurred me on. One more thing- If you are wanting to wean off of coffee, juice a grapefruit, or even half of one, drink that first, then your coffee. I guarantee that’s all the coffee you’ll need!

When we load up on farmers’ market veggies we always save some for the juicer to test different combos. Carrots, ginger and beets are staples though.
My favorite was during the summer. We’d juice tomatoes, assorted garden veggies, a clove of garlic, hot pepper, and mix in a homemade spice blend for raw bloody marys – straight from the garden. Such a treat!

I love adding cayenne to juices! My husband and I grow cucumbers in the summer too, which are wonderful for juicing by themselves (or with beets, celery, pineapple, etc.). I usually add sage leaves or basil when we serve cucumber juice (slap the leaves a few times between your hands to release their oils – float ’em on top…yum!). Super refreshing!

I love my new Hurom juicer! It is a slow juicing type of juicer so I am not sure it will be able to handle the pistachios, but I can do that in the blender and strain. It sounds so delicious!! My favorite morning juice is ginger, apple, lemon, kale juice…sweet, green and spicy!

Pomegranate juice is best drunk straight out of the fruit. Gently squeeze and massage the whole pom until it feels softened. Avoid breaking the skin. Cut a 1″ hole in the blossom end and just suck out the juice. I grew up in Florida also doing this with oranges.

Here is one of my most favorite POWER BOOSTER recipes. I have a very powerful juicer that doesn’t leave ANY juice behind.
RECIPE:
*3-4 cups of wheat grass (which will amount to very little, it takes a lot of the magical wheat grass to make a few ounces). Wheat grass is said to be one of the most enzyme rich cancer fighting things on the planet. Research this.
*1 golden beet (the flavor of golden beets is unmatchable, and so different from the reds)
*1-2 carrots
*1 apple (for sweetness and generous amount of live enzyme activity as well)
*1-2 cups of fresh kale, any kind.
Every time I drink this mix of veggies I am flying around like super woman. You will mentally feel the benefits within 20-30 minutes. It is very important to drink the juice within 20 minutes of juicing. There has been a lot of research on this. It’s ok to refrigerate and save your juices, but a lot of beneficial enzymes will die within the first 20-30 minutes. Seems to be a heavily agreed upon concept by hardcore juicers out there who follow the rules like the bible.
Hope some great folks out there try out my recipe. YOU WILL LOVE IT!!

Wow! What timing, I just got a juicer! My friend bought a big powerful one and gave me his to see if juicing is something I want to do. And after reading your post, I definitely want to start juicing! Thanks!

Beautiful photos as always, Heidi. And thanks for the thoughts on juicing. I also inherited a juicer from someone who never used it. I LOVE it for ginger juice which I use to make ginger beer using a recipe you posted on a favorites list back in 2011. Some people have mentioned using beets and beet greens…while I love the flavor and color of the juice they produce, I recommend using it in small amounts. It makes my throat sore which is apparently a common side effect. I don’t juice regularly because it makes my heart heavy when I see all the wasted fiber and food that goes into the compost. I am curious if anyone has a creative use for it. I have considered using it to make veggie stock but am wondering if a lot of the nutrients and flavor have been juiced out. Any thoughts?

I am a photographer and I also love to cook as well. I really do love your blog and it’s recipies. Thanks again for sharing.

I’m new to your blog (and to juicing) and greatly enjoying both. I’m curious about how you juice and then freeze. Is the frozen juice soft enough that you can scoop out small portions to add to recipes or do you freeze in small portions?

My favorite is Melonaide – juice watermelon and lemons. Usually 1/4 watermelon with a few lemons is good. To me it tastes just like lemonade without all the white sugar. Ginger ends up in almost any juice I make. Mint is another great juice addition.

My favorite every morning is:
1 large apple
4 carrots
1 orange (peeled)
3/4 inch ginger
1/4 lemon
Medium size beet
So delicious and a great way to start my day!

that is a beautiful pic of the juices – the subdued colors & your handwriting especially makes it all look soothing.

My favorite juice combo is kale and pineapple! Lots of calcium, and delicious!

i never thought i would be a juice person, until i got food poisoning and couldn’t eat solids for a few days. i got hooked at the local juice spot, and like you & most your readers, took matters into my own hands and bought a juicer.
i have a $99 compact breville juicer that i use EVERYDAY and it is a dream. small, a CINCH to clean, and has never let me down. the best part is, i make about 20 oz which i share with my beloved. just a small glass to get the day going — but not the enormous bottles you commit to at juice places.
we buy a bunch of “juice stuff” every week and throw everything in daily. anything goes! even zucchini and sweet potatoes at are “on the edge”.
my favorite: plenty of kale, celery, carrot, lemon, cucumber, lemon, ginger, pear
it is enlivening to drink — better than coffee (which comes right after)!
for those of you looking for a juicer, i HIGHLY recommend the compact breville juicer. it’s so easy, user-friendly, and effective. love.

Our family loves our juicer. I’ve been trying to juice every day since the new Year began. My three children love carrot, apple, and orange juice. My personal favorite is grapefruit, lime, fennel stalks, parsley, beet, kale, and apple. I also give the pulp to my chickens, which inspires them to get outside in the snowy VT winter. We all love the benefits of juicing.

We LOVE our juicer. It gets almost daily use. Our go to morning juice is spinach, carrots, a beet and some apples. This morning we juiced spinach, apples, cucumber and a lemon – green lemonade! YUMMY! We try to juice more veggies than fruit simply because of the sugars in fruits. Have fun!
Sounds like you know this because you freeze the juice, but make sure you consume freshly juiced items immediately….they break down and go rancid REALLY quickly. (found out my MIL was juicing a large batch and saving for the week in her fridge – YUCK)

I’ve had a Breville for about 7 years now and use it all the time. I juice kale stems and broccoli stalks to add to green smoothies, carrots and celery to make soup base, apples+lemon+ginger to heat gently for when one of my kids is under the weather. I make the same apple one for myself, but add a kolhrabi to get the extra cruciferous immune boost. Clean up is quick if you do it immediately. If you let it sit on the counter, it dries and becomes a chore.

I haven’t used my juicer in awhile (same PITA cleanup issues) but when I did use it I loved juiced strawberries and adding cocoa powder and a ripe banana. Almost like a chocolate shake without the fat.

Hi Heidi, for wonderful juicing ideas you should check out chaud’s juice therapy on youtube. I have been following her on instagram ( same name on there if you have it ) and she comes up with amazing blends of juices. Yours look delicious as well!!

We have a juicer (and old school Champion brand that I bought used from a neighbor), and I tend to use it when we’re getting sick. I love a combination of beets, beet greens, kale or chard, ginger and lemon, though if I’m really sick, I throw in a few cloves of garlic as well.

I bought a juicer a few years back. I juice in phases. Mostly to get my greens in. Not a salad girl. Love the idea of juicing in batches. I hate cleaning the darn thing.

When I lived in Africa and had both a juicer AND a gardener, my favourite combinations were:
carrot, apple, ginger
beet, carrot
kale, chard, pear (or apple), cucumber, parsley, lime (AWESOME)

You can do nut milks in a juicer? Interesting. I have a feeling mine isn’t quite robust enough to handle that.
My juicer came to much the same way as yours – my aunt was moving, had a barely used juicer, and I said I would take it. I use it every so often. My favourite juice combinations are apple/carrot/beet/cranberry, and cucumber/celery/apple/lime/kale or spinach.

I don’t use my juicer much, but I do love freshly-made apple and carrot juice, and maybe peach juice in season.

I ADORE my juicer and don’t know how I lived without it. Fresh juice is nature’s Red Bull, I swear by it.

oh my gosh, BEETS! if you like beets they are amazing juiced, you can throw in the entire beet, including the greens. awesome with ginger+orange, even can toss in some kale. the brilliant color though of the beets just blows me away. i don’t have a juicer but would love to get one to be able to do my own almond milks; the pistachio milk sounds delicious. i’ve also had nettles in a juice, definitely a zingy taste, but maybe something you’d like to try. great for you, high in iron. thanks for the post!

I had a juicer… and then I got a Vitamix. So much better! You don’t loose any of the fiber. And cleanup is beyond easy. Would highly recommend going that route instead for anyone looking to invest in juicing equipment.

I make a green juice everyday:
All organic:
1 cucumber
1 green apple
Handful of spinach
Handful of kale
1 carrot
Handful of blueberries
Piece of ginger
1/4-1/6 of a lemon (depending on size)
DELICIOUS! and HEALTHY!
* I also sometimes add a tablespoon of chia powder and goji powder at the end.

This is perfect timing (for me) and so great. I was just thinking tonight I’d love to break out the juicer a friend gave me months ago. Thanks for your tips.

Well this cracks me up. I just received Juicing for Dummies in the mail on Friday, flipped through it and had an ‘aaaahhh, I get it moment’ (which makes me a bit uncomfortable, given the title). So all weekend I’ve been revved up about trying a juicer. Stopped by your site for something totally unrelated and find this post here. You rock. Thank you! I’ll circle back after experimenting … curious to read everyone’s comments for tips too!

I actually work on the juicebar at a vegetarian restaurant and while I LOVE juice (and can drink all i want for free at work!) I try to balance it by using the juice in smoothies where I blend whole pieces of fruit/veggies – it’s true that juice is great for you, but you’re also losing a ton of the fibre and other nutritional content, and it becomes kind of just like sugar water in the end. So I try to blend some stuff as well! Probably the most popular juice at our restaurant is kale, celery, parsley, and apple, blended with spinach. I’m also partial to carrot and orange blended with a banana. Yum!

I never even thought of juicing nuts and grains! I have a juicer just like yours that has been sitting on top of my refrigerator unused for months (or years, maybe!). Now I’ll have to get it down and try making some almond milk.

Haven’t tried it myself, but I seem to remember that quite a few juicing recipes included sweet potatoes. FYI.

I have a Breville juicer that I love. It juices whole apples, cucumber etc., so no peeling beforehand. It’s easy to use and easy to clean. I think many people don’t juice bc they think it’s messy and time-consuming.
My go-to recipe is 1 apple. 1/2 cucumber, slice of ginger, touch of lemon juice. Sometimes I’ll add kale or celery to it to change it up a bit.
Thx for the recipes!
Juice on!

We are newly juicers and I never even thought of juicing nuts and grains! My easy as pie go-to juice is gala apples and ginger. Once made, add cinnamon to your glass and then pour in the juice. Very warm and yummy.

My very favorite juice recipe is carrot-bell pepper-orange-ginger – such a tonic during the winter!
I also inherited a juicer, and I have to say, it never occurred to me to juice things separately and mix later – I always juiced the recipe together. I’m a bit surprised you didn’t experiment with beet and apple juices; those are my favorites for mixing.

I love the luxury of juices, but it does amuse me that the people who swear by juices are also the ones who bang on about fibre!

personally, I LOVE fruit juice. Here are some of my favorites:
3 mandarins, 1/2 a lime (unpeeled), 2 peeled carrots, 1/4 of a beet, 1 fuji apple
1/2 a pineapple (peeled, not cored), 1/2 a mango (peeled), 1 pink lady apple, 1/2 a lime (unpeeled), 1″ piece of ginger
1 pint blackberries, 1 granny apple, 1 fuiji/gala/braeburn apple, 1/2 meyer lemon
1/4 of a honeydew melon, 1 granny smith apple, 1/4 of a bunch of mint (VERY cooling!)

Thank you so much for this post! I too just inherited a juicer through my parent’s cleaning binge. Excited to have it but where to start? Now I have a whole list of tips… happy juicing {oh and new year}

Whoa. Never thought to make nut milks with the juicer. Amazing!! I hope my is up to it! Absolutely beautiful photos. I just love the jars all lined up + labeled.

I wonder if you couldn’t whizz the sesame seeds in the food processor, soak them, and then juice them?

We got our juicer about a year ago. Like you, we juiced damn near everything in our kitchen as soon as we got it. We were serious about it for a good month or more … and then it sat on the counter, staring me down. But now we use it a couple mornings a week and our stand by is an orange, apple, carrot and kale blend – mostly because we usually have these things on hand. We often take out a glassful of it for the kiddo before the kale, although I love it most when it’s heavy on the kale and bright, bright green.

This looks like the beginning of the next cookbook of yours on my shelf. I’m not an appliance person, but this encourages me to rethink a juicer.

Heidi, have you seen Michel Nischan’s 2003 cookbook “Taste Pure and Simple”? He makes extensive use of root vegetable juices for his sauces. The idea is to juice sweet potatoes, butternut etc, in the morning / night before and let stand so that they thicken in time for dinner. When I had the book, I didn’t have a juicer, and now that I’ve got the juicer, I no longer have the book, so I haven’t been able to test-drive his approach, but it was intriguing. Happy experimenting!

HS: Thanks for the tip Jocelyn, I’ll have to dig it out – I know I have it somewhere!

Heidi, this is awesome! I had a juicing phase, but after juicing up some really gnarly concoctions, I couldn’t stomach it. You’ve definitely rekindled my interest. Love the idea of pistachio milk.

Yes, I have a juicer – a cheap model that can at least process a carrot. I have heard great things about the vitamix blender though and I would recommend anything that leaves more of the plant fibers in the juice. Also jealous of the posters above who own Brevills. From reading many-a product reviews, I hear this is worth every penny.
Nonetheless, because I work with bare-bones staples in a teeny, tiny kitchen, here are some of my favorites (all 3-ingredients)
-Parsley, apple, cucumber (1 apple, 1/2 large cucumber, 1/2 bunch parsley or to your liking – SO refreshing!)
-apple, carrot, ginger (2, 1, 1/4 inch or to your taste for spicy-ness)
-carrot, apple, beet
-carrot, cucumber, ginger
I use apples often because once they go meal-y, I don’t want to eat them so they’re great for juicing.
Also, I prefer those small, short cucumbers for salads, but the large ones I think are perfect for juicing.
Apples and cucumbers give a great “base” because of their high water content.
I also want to add, I use mine to juice grapefruit to make your delicious grapefruit-gin rosemary cocktail – Heidi, it’s just AWESOME! 🙂

What an awesome post and thanks for the report on what you tried and what worked and didnt. I just recently sold one juicer (still have 2 others!) because of said P.I.T.A. cleanup issues. Just takes me forever compared to Vita or even my food processor. But seeing your juice makes me want to start juicing again!
Mainlining the essences. YES! that’s a perfect way of saying it!

1 cucumber, 1 large red bell, 1 pint cherry tomatoes, 2 large handfuls of spinach and/or 1/2 a bunch kale, 1 stalk celery, 1/4 of a lemon. I actually make 1 or sometimes 2 quarts of this at a time, and drink it as a meal – so deeply delicious! The Hurom is my juicer of choice, after using virtually every type of juicer out there. Expensive – they all are – but the quality of the juice is noticeable and the clean-up and ease of use is so much better for a daily juicer.

i just did an 8 day juice fast, i tried lots of different things during the fast, purple cabbage in a veggies juice was great, such a good colour and a bit of a tang to the taste. also kiwi, parsley, spinach, pineapple, lime, , even potatoe!

Pineapple – grapefruit – mint: instant breeze!
Also – one of the favorites here so it seems – carrots, celery, grapefruit/mandarin/orange, lemon, ginger, beets, kale/parsley: instant detox!
Endless combinations 🙂
Nuts: I’ll have to think about that, not sure if my juicer would be up to it…

I got a juicer for a wedding present 13 years ago and have used it consistently/ish since. I just recently got a Breville and laid my old juicer to rest. And boy I’m lovin it. I juice for my family of 4 most morning I try yo make enough for 8oz each every morning for a couple days worth .I call it it our multi vitamin. I’ve learned a bit about combinations, its important to juice melons by themselves due to how our body processes them. Drink the fresh juice on an empty stomach so all those vitamins and minerals can bypass the digestive system and go straight into your blood stream. Also juice mainly veggies (organic local preferred) and eat fruit whole with the fiber. My go to morning 8 oz vitamin shot juice is carrot, celery, beet, kale, swiss chard, lemon, apple and ginger. supper delicious.
I 30 min or so later have a green smoothy for breakfast I believe in having a juicer for instant energy (don’t drink them to late at night or it will keep you up) and a fantastic blender for everything else.

I am addicted to juicing. I’ve even worn a juicer out. My favorite juice is… Two large handfuls of spinach, handful of parsley, kale stalks, cucumber, 1-2 apples (love a Fuji) and 1-2 limes (best peeled). You can increase greens, apple, lime to taste. Yum!

I bought a juicer about 6 months ago. I thought I had juiced everything but never thought of nut milks. I like fresh juice but don’t have the time to juice every day. The past couple of weeks I have experimented with freezing juice in ice cube trays. I have a pretty good assortment of fruit and veg cubes. In the morning I fill my insulated cup with a combination of cubes, a splash of lite coconut milk and some crushed ice. The combinations are endless. I’m going to give the nut milk a try as an alternative to the coconut milk.

What are you labeling your jars with? I found some wonderful dissolving labels one time at Target, but they haven’t carried them since the fall, and I’m looking for a replacement (other than post-its). 🙂

HS: I’ve been using Japanese washi tape Jenn – easy on, easy off.

Long-time reader here. Yes, yes YES I adore my juicer. I have a Hurom and the cleanup is really quite simple. This morning I did a cucumber/asian pear/celery/ginger and it was just lovely-cooling, green, uplifting. I have Nigel Slater’s book “Thirst” and it’s proven to be wonderful inspiration, without too much power-juicer-hardcore-health-overzealousness.

HS: Brilliant suggestion – I have Nigel’s book from when I visited the UK.

This is such a helpful post!! I’ve done a bit of juicing before, but I stuck to traditional combinations (carrot-ginger), etc. LOVE the idea of making almond and oat milk in the juicer – cannot wait to make that at home!

You’ve given me some wonderful new things to try with my juicer. Personally, I love to make a liver detox juice, particularly after the hefty overindulgence of the holidays – beet, carrot, celery, ginger and parsley. Great first thing in the morning. Sometimes I add an orange or an apple as well for another layer. Zingy and deliciously refreshing and the beet adds a lovely earthy-sweet undertone.