MERIDIAN — Different juicing techniques



    I have to differ on the juicing techniques stated in the opinion column Thursday, Aug. 20, 2012 by Robert St. John.

    I have been juicing for over 40 years and I never mix fruits and vegetables. They have different digestive times and in the same drink may cause distress in the stomach. The only exception would be apples, which mix readily with fruits and vegetables.

    I use a Breville Juice Machine. I have used "Juiceman II" in the past, but I find that with a larger opening and larger cutting basket the Breville is better, and spare parts are available through the mail.

    I juice in the mornings as I do not eat breakfast and when I juice vegetables it is usually in the afternoon or evenings.

    Mr. St. John did not mention much of the process involved in preparation. With a heavy-duty scrub brush and a little liquid vegetable wash (in stores near the fruit counter) I scrub the pineapple clean of any pesticide and then rinse thoroughly, unscrew the top of the pineapple, cut off the bottom piece and juice the whole fruit, cutting it up and using the armor-plate skin and all.

    But I do not use the skin of grapefruit and oranges, so I peel them with a potato peeler, removing just a thin layer of skin and using the white pulp along with the fruit, seeds and all. I scrub lemons as I use them, skin and all.

    I remove the pits from apricots and peaches, but everything else I wash and use skin and all for carrots, apples, cucumbers, grapes, celery, pears, watermelons, cantaloupe and strawberries.

    And he does not mention cabbage. Ah! Cabbage is delicious. I use it alone or maybe add an apple or two. With broccoli and string beans I usually add a carrot or two for taste. I also juice tomatoes.

    To quote Jay Kordich, "The Juiceman," "Tomatoes are truly a fruit," not a vegetable.  

    For my breakfast I juice one pineapple, plus two to three each, depending on their size, grapefruit and oranges (peeled) and one lemon, skin and all. It's a great way to start the day. If I use a banana or two, I pour the juice into my blender and add bananas, which I have peeled and also add some herbs and spices, which is another story.



Russell D. Tucker, (Capt., USAF, retired)