Are you over-preparing your produce for juicing?
Sometimes we put off juicing because of the preparation involved. Slicing, peeling, removing stems - all of these things just add time that we often don't have. In reality, you might be adding unnecessary work to your juicing. Here are 5 tips that will speed up your juicing.
#1 You don't need to peel carrots, beets, cucumbers, or potatoes.
Put away the peeler with all of these, especially if they are bio. Just make sure to wash them well - we like to use special scrubbing gloves or a vegetable brush for fast cleaning. Definitely cut off the tops and bottoms of beets and carrots. Beets can have almost solid tops that can damage a juicer, and carrots are sweeter with the ends removed.
#2 You can juice the core with a slow juicer.
The core has a bit of juice in it, so your yield will be higher if you don't remove it. However, if you are using a blender or centrifugal juicer, we recommend removing the core as apple seeds contain a small amount of cyanide. Slow juicers expel the seeds, but high-speed blenders and centrifugal juicers can mix them into the juice. Studies show it would take 8-10 apples a day blended at high speed on a consistent basis to have any negative effect. Make sure to remove the stem from apples and pears with any juicer, as it is very tough and can get clogged.
#3 Don't remove the stems from strawberries or currants.
It can take a lot of time to remove the stems from strawberries and currants, but that extra time may actually be having a negative effect on your juicing. Strawberries and currants are very soft, and tend to back up in a slow juicer. Juicing them with the stems adds fiber that pushes them through the juicer more effectively. A good-quality slow juicer will expel the stems along with the pulp, and the taste is completely unaffected.
#4 Keep the skin on kiwis.
This seems counterintuitive, but surprisingly kiwi skin has no effect on the flavor of the juice - it is entirely neutral. Similar to strawberries and currants, the skin actually helps the juicing process by keeping the juicing screen clean.
#5 You can juice lemons and limes with the peel on.
If you like a bit of kick in your recipes, you can juice lemons and limes with the peel on. Just cut them in half before jucing. However, only do this with organic lemons and limes! Don't try this with oranges, mandarins, or grapefruit. The peels of these are very tough, and can clog the jucier. In addition, the peels have compounds that can really upset your stomach.