10 Tips to Clean your Fruits and Vegetables

Hello,

I decide to go further in depth on how to clean fruits and vegetables so that we can enjoy clean, fresh and pure juice.

1. Rinse the vegetables thoroughly for about 2-4 minutes under running warm water or soak it in water for 14 minutes. This removes any residues or pesticides
2. Do not soak vegetables and fruits in salt water as it will cause pesticides to seep and penetrate to the fruits
3. Vegetables with roots may contain remnants of pesticides, therefore it is wise to remove them and rinse these vegetables several more times.
4. Fruits with rough surfaces, such as guavas, strawberries and star fruits can be cleaned with a brush with soft bristles or a cloth to ensure the dirt dislodged in hard to reach areas of the fruit can be removed
5. Pesticides can be broken down easier in room temperature than in the refrigerator, therefore fresh fruits should be kept in room temperature for 1-2 days before being placed in the refrigerator so pesticide content on fruits would be lower.

Hope this helps!

Tips For Making Fruit and Vegetable Juices

 

Tip 1 - Do I use a Fruit Blender or a Fruit Juicer?




A blender would be recommended if most of the fruits and vegetables blended to juice are of the fibrous type. Such fruits and vegetables would include celery and pineapple. A blender would separate the fruit residue from the juice after blending, which would save you the trouble of straining your fruit juice.

A juicer on the other hand is more suitable for soft fruits and vegetables such as cucumbers and kiwis. Take note that straining has to done if one wants to enjoy their juice without residue when using a juicer


Tip 2 - Use only fresh ingredients

Fruits and vegetables tend to lose their nutrients once they are left uneaten after a long period, especially after being exposed to heat. This will cause fruits and vegetables to turn bad easily, and lose their flavour and nutritive value. Also, since fruits are eaten raw, it is even more important that fresh and clean fruits are used so the juices made can be safe for consumption.

Tip 3- Prepare the juices quickly

The longer time you take to prepare your juice, the more nutrients you lose. Once the juice is blended, pour out immediately and serve. Refrain from over blending as juice becomes bitter after awhile

Tip 4- Add ice for better tasting juice  



Trust me on this one. Ice added to juice makes the drink more refreshing. It also helps make thick juices easier for consumption as it dilutes the juice slightly. Crushed ice can be added together with the fruits during blending. This not only helps the juice taste better, but also reduces bubbling and prevents the fruit juices from oxidizing. Thus, the colour of the fruit juice would look more appealing and less vitamins will be lost along the way.

Tip 5- Add lemon juice at the last stage of juice preparation

This make the juice much more delicious and gives your juice a nice fragrance as you serve the drink to yourself, family and friends!

Before Making your Delicious Juice

*Before you begin 


One must have the knowledge that fruits and vegetable juices are consumed in raw form. Therefore all fruits and vegetables must be thoroughly washed and cleaned before being placed in the blender.

I suggest fruits and vegetables meant for juicing to be first soaked in salt water to remove any chemical residues coming from pesticides. After that, rinse the vegetables under running water for about 2-4 minutes or scrub them clean in warm water to ensure they are safe for consumption.

Lastly, when making juices, avoid having too much or too many varieties of fruits and vegetables in a single day as this may force our body to secrete complex gastric juices that may lead to indigestion instead.

The combinations of fruits and vegetables for you too blend is entirely up to you to decide, or you can use the ideas in the following recipes that i shall post later on. So unless there is any food item you should avoid, you can mix any combinations of fruits to your liking. However try not to over indulge in juices that are too sweet or too sour! :)