Homemade Juices

Homemade Juices

Homemade fruit and vegetable juices contain nutrients that
can enhance your diet. Turned into shakes and smoothies,
they will appeal to even the fussiest eater. Or add a little
sugar and make a fruit syrup you can add to drinks or desserts.
The vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and other nutrients contained
in juices provide energy and help strengthen your bones and immune
system, and cleanse skin. But don’t overdo it: Fruit drinks have lots of
natural sugar and calories (kilojoules).

Fresh is best

• Avoid prepackaged juices, which are pasteurized to make them last
longer. Many vitamins and minerals are lost in the process.
• Opt for fresh juices that contain no additives but include all the
nutrients of the squeezed fruit as well as enzymes and fiber, which aid digestion.
• Drink the juice freshly squeezed or keep fresh juices in dark, sealed
containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Add a little ascorbic acid (vitamin C) from the pharmacy or health
food store, to help the juice retain its color. Lemon juice works just as
well, and also helps to reduce sweetness.

Making juice

• Cold-pressing fruit in an electric juicer is the best way to make fresh

juice. Load the cleaned fruit or vegetables into the chute. A grater at

the bottom shreds it, while centrifugal force spins the juice through

strainers. The residue is collected in a basket.

Alternatively, use the juicer attachment on a food processor to

produce fast results.

• You don’t need a machine to make juice. The traditional method

involves stewing fruit in a pot with some water until it bursts or

becomes soft. At that point, strain the mixture through cheesecloth or

a sieve, capturing the juice in a bowl. Boil the juice with sugar to

sweeten, if necessary, then pour it into bottles while still hot and seal them.

Citrus fruit is easy to squeeze by hand, but a fruit

press or juicer is convenient for making larger quantities.

Tips for fruit and vegetables

To avoid the risk of contamination from chemicals and pesticides in

the skins and peels, try to use organic fruit and vegetables for juicing.

If you’re not using organic produce, it is advisable to peel all fruit and

vegetables before you juice them.

After cleaning and washing the fruit and vegetables, dry them to

avoid diluting their juice.

• When using organic fruit, only peel those with a tough skin. Soft￾skinned fruits can simply be cored and cut up. A fruit press is useful for firm fruit.

•If you find grapefruit juice too sour, mix it with pear juice to take the edge off.

• Make vegetable juice more appealing to children by mixing carrot or

tomato juice with fruit juice.

• Relieve heartburn, encourage hair and nail growth, improve your

complexion and aid vision by drinking carrot juice.

• Stimulate your immune system with the juice of peppers. They have

more vitamin C than lemons and oranges.

• Beet juice is thought to have antibacterial properties. Betaine, a

protein building block it contains, can also strengthen the liver and

help the body to flush out toxins.

• Mix together apple and pear juice to provide a gentle remedy for constipation.

Fresh apple juice soon changes color, so use it quickly.

Fruit syrup

Fruit syrups are easy to make and taste delicious added to sparkling

mineral water, poured over pancakes or crepes, and drizzled on ice

cream or angel food cake.

• Use fully ripened fruit for producing syrup—it will yield more juice

and has a much stronger flavor.

Juice the fruit in the usual way, then mix it with an equal amount of

sugar. Boil again and pour into sterilized bottles or jars.

• Fruit syrups make lovely gifts when presented in pretty bottles.

Blueberry syrup

11/3 cups (350 g) blueberries

11/2 cups (375 ml) water

11/3 cups (350 g) sugar

1/4 cup (60 ml) golden syrup

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice

1 Sort and wash fruit, pulse in a food processor or mash it; mix with the

lemon juice. Add to a large pan with the water.

2 Bring the contents to a boil, lower the temperature and simmer for 15–

20 minutes. Strain through a sieve lined with muslin. Return the berry juice

to the saucepan and add the remaining ingredients, stirring to dissolve the

sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil for 2 minutes; pour directly into sterilized

jars or bottles.

PEPPERMINT syrup

Diluted with water, peppermint syrup is often a favorite drink with children.

1 Wash one bunch of fresh peppermint leaves and place them in a pan

and cover with 43/4 cups (1.2 L) water. Bring to a boil, simmer for 10

minutes then let stand for 30 minutes before straining the juice

through a fine sieve.

2 Mix 2 cups (500 ml) juice with 11/3 cups (350 g) superfine sugar. Pour

mixture into a pan and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring until the sugar

has dissolved.

3 When cool, pour the syrup into bottles and seal.

It’s just as simple to make syrup from herbs such as lemon balm,

rosemary and lavender.

• Drink the syrup diluted with water or use it to add pizzazz to a

variety of desserts.