Juicing can be a fun and exciting way to provide the body lots of nutrients in a very condensed package. Many people like to do a ‘juice-cleanse’ as winter turns into spring as a way of jump starting a healthy live transition. In a previous post, we told you how to prepare fruits and vegetables for juicing.
Most people forget that we can juice a lot more that just vegetables and fruits. In fact, there are many herbs and spices that can take juice from the bland to the extraordinary. Here’s are some great ideas on how you can ‘spice’ up your juices:
Herbs & Spices |
How to Prepare |
| Basil | Carefully wash the leaves, removing any grit. If your basil seems very gritty, submerge in a bowl of cold water and swish around. Remove and rinse. To juice, tear the leaves off the stems and roll up. Push through with firmer produce. |
| Chinese 5-spice powder | Don’t put this through your juicer!! Just sprinkle into your juice. |
| Cilantro (Coriander) | Wash thoroughly. You can juice the stems and the leaves. |
| Cinnamon | Don’t juice this either! Sprinkle ground cinnamon on juices with apple, pear and sweet potato. |
| Dill | Rinse and pull the delicate fronds off the stem to juice. |
| Garlic | The flavor is strong, and so are the benefits. Use fresh garlic and peel before running through juicer. Start with a small amount and taste your juice before adding more. Better to start small and add more than the other way around! |
| Ginger | Peel your piece of ginger by cutting the size that you need for the juice and then take a spoon to peel the skin back. You can also use a knife to cut it but a spoon does the trick. Ginger doesn’t produce much juice but it does add a rich flavor so be careful not to go overboard. |
| Jalapeno (Chili pepper) | Wash and juice. As you probably know, these are pretty spicy, so use with care! |
| Mint | Wash thoroughly and remove leaves from stem before juicing. Goes great with pineapple, grapes, watermelon or strawberries. |
| Tarragon | Gives a nice herbal flavor to vegetable juices. Wash and tear leaves off their woody stems before juicing. |
| Parsley | Carefully wash the leaves, removing any grit. If it seems very gritty, submerge in a bowl of cold water and swish around. Remove and rinse. To juice, tear the leaves off the stems and roll up. Push through with firmer produce. |