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Produce Prep

TypeHow To Prepare
ApplesCore your apples and remove the seeds before pushing through your juicer.
ApricotsRinse and slice in half to remove the pit.
AsparagusRinse the stalks carefully and push through juicer, putting the bottom of the stalk through first.
AvocadoYou can blend your juices in a blender with an avocado to thicken it up, but never put an avocado in a juicer.
BananasSimilar to the avocado, never juice bananas! But feel free to blend your juices in a blender with a banana to thicken it up.
Beets (Beetroot)Peel your beets before juicing them! This will avoid the “earthy” taste that many people complain about after juicing an unpeeled beet. Depending on the size of your beets, slice to fit your juicer shoot. Juice your beet greens, too!
Bell peppersRinse and remove the stem, but you can save time and forget removing the seeds – it’s fine to juice them. Cut to size and juice.
BlackberriesRinse in a strainer. They don’t keep well after being rinsed, so best to wash them the day you plan to juice them.
BlueberriesRinse in a strainer.
BroccoliAfter rinsing, juice it all. From the stalk to the head, you can receive many nutritional benefits from juicing broccoli.
Butter lettuceRinse leaves individually, checking for dirt and sand. No need to remove the stems. Roll the leaves up and run through your juicer. Leafy greens move best through your juicer when followed by a harder fruit or vegetable, like apples, celery, or cucumbers.
CabbageGreen and red cabbage are great for juicing. Be sure to select a cabbage head that is firm with crisp leaves. Cut the cabbage in quarters, or smaller if needed, so it easily fits into the juicer shoot. If you don’t like the taste of beets, you can substitute red cabbage in any juice recipe that calls for beets.
Cactus pearsPeel and cut to size if needed.
Cantaloupe (Rockmelon)Remove the rind, flesh and seeds before juicing this orange melon.
CarrotsRinse thoroughly before passing through the juicer and that’s it! You can juice your carrots with the greens and skins still on.
Celeriacn (Celery root)Wash carefully, as grit can get stuck in the nooks and crannies of this hearty root vegetable. As with beets, if you don’t prefer an earthy taste, peel the celeriac first. Cut to fit your juicer.
CeleryRinse thoroughly and add entire celery stalk through the juicer (even the leafy tops).
Chard (Silverbeet)Rinse leaves individually, checking for dirt and sand. No need to remove the stems. Roll the leaves up and run through your juicer. Leafy greens move best through your juicer when followed by a harder fruit or vegetable, like apples, celery, or cucumbers.
CherriesRinse and use a small paring knife to remove the small pits before juicing. Add a handful to your juicer at one time.
ChayotestWash and chop to fit your juicer, then juice!
Collard greensThese are a great leafy green, and can be used if kale (Tuscan cabbage) isn’t available. Wash the large leaves and roll up before juicing.
CranberriesRinse and run through juicer. Make sure you juice them with something sweet because these are really tart…not like the commercial cranberry juice you buy in the store!
CucumbersCut the cucumber in half and use it to help push leafy greens through your juicer. No need to peel.
DandelionJuice as you would any other leafy green – wash leaves and roll up. Push through with firmer produce. These have some bite to them, so use sparingly, or round off with a sweet and juicy fruit, like pineapple.
EggplantI’ve never juiced eggplant and I don’t think I ever will! I think eggplant is best for eating.
Fennel bulbsRinse and cut them to fit through your juicer and you’ll notice a slight flavor that might remind you of black licorice.
GrapefruitPeel and try to keep as much of the white pith on as possible since the pith contains nutrients that help your body absorb the vitamin C and other amazing antioxidants found in citrus fruits. Cut to fit your juicer and juice. You can keep the seeds in as they contain excellent nutrients too.
GrapesWash your grapes, remove them from their stems, and add them through your juicer. Experiment with all color grapes.
JicamaWash, slice, but don’t peel jicama before adding it to your vegetable juicer. The jicama juice will contain nutrients that were near the skin even after the skin’s been pulped away.
Kale (Tuscan cabbage)Use any kind – lacinato, red, green, purple, curly, etc. – and add the leafy green through your juicer after rinsing. It’s best to add 3 – 4 leaves at a time.
Kiwi (Kiwifruit)Peel and run through your juicer, seeds and all.
LeeksKeep the root and the green part on the leek, and slice in half the long way. Gently separate and rinse between the layers. Check for dirt or sand hiding between the layers.
LemonsPeel and try to keep as much of the white pith on as possible since the pith contains nutrients that help your body absorb the vitamin C and other amazing antioxidants found in citrus fruits. Cut to fit your juicer and juice. You can keep the seeds in as they contain excellent nutrients too.
LimesPeel, and try to keep as much as the white pith on as possible (you can use a peeler for that), since the pith contains nutrients that help your body absorb the vitamin C and amazing antioxidants found in citrus fruits. Cut to fit your juicer, and remove the seeds. If you have a centrifugal juicer, you can keep the seeds in. They contain excellent nutrients too.
MangosPeel and cut spears of mango from the core. Makes a great tropical juice when mixed with pineapple! Also lends a great creamy texture to your juice.
MelonsCut into wedges and remove outer skin with a knife or peeler. You can juice these with seeds.
Mustard greensJuice these like you would any leafy green but definitely choose a small amount of mustard greens. This potent green will give a very strong taste and adds lots of spice. It will literally warm your insides.
OnionsGo easy on these, as they can give your juices a super strong flavor. Some people prefer not to juice these at all. Peel papery skin and slice to fit your juicer, if needed. Onions are another one to start with a small amount, taste your juice, and add more if you like it. If eating raw onions bothers your stomach, you probably want to skip juicing them.
OrangesPeel and try to keep as much of the white pith on as possible since the pith contains nutrients that help your body absorb the vitamin C and other amazing antioxidants found in citrus fruits. Cut to fit your juicer and juice. You can keep the seeds in as they contain excellent nutrients too.
PapayasCut in half and peel the skin. You can leave the seeds in to juice them.
ParsnipsThese are super easy, like carrots, especially if you have smaller or skinny ones. Just rinse and run through your juicer! If they’re larger, you may need to slice in half lengthwise. Use these to run leafy greens through your juicer.
PeachesCut in half to remove the pit and juice.
PearsThese can be juiced whole. Just wash and slice to fit your juicer, if needed.
PineapplesThe heavier a pineapple is, the riper it is. Grab hold of the top and twist off. Slice into quarters, cut out the woody core, peel the skin, and juice.
PlumsWash and slice in half to remove the pit. These give your juice a gorgeous color with an antioxidant punch.
PomegranateHere’s a trick for this tricky fruit: Fill a bowl up with water. Slice pomegranate in half without pulling the halves apart, and then submerge in the bowl of water to break it apart. This keeps the juice from squirting everywhere. Then, keeping it in the water, break the pomegranate into chunks and tease the seeds out. The white parts will float and the seeds will sink. Remove all the skin and the white parts from the top of the water and use a slotted spoon to remove the seeds. Then juice the seeds!
RadishesJust rinse and run through your juicer. Leave the root and stem on, but remove the leaves if they have any. Watch out! These can spice up your juice in a flash, so add small amounts at a time. If you’re feeling cold, adding these to your juice will warm you right up.
RaspberriesJust rinse and juice. Add a little bit of lemon to a juice made with raspberries, or combine them with fresh peaches for a peach melba juice.
Romaine lettuce (Cos)Rinse leaves individually, checking for dirt and sand. Roll the leaves up and run through your juicer. Leafy greens move best through your juicer when followed by a harder fruit or vegetable, like apples, celery or cucumbers.
ScallionsJust rinse and juice! No need to remove the roots or dark green parts because you can juice it all. These have a strong flavor, like onions, so start small.
SpinachWash well because some bunches can have a lot of grit on them. Roll into a ball and run through your juicer using firm produce, like apples or carrots to help push the leaves through.
SquashesThis goes for all squashes, including pumpkin and summer squashes: scrub and remove stem. If the skin is really tough and thick, you might want to peel it. Otherwise, slice and keep the seeds in (you get those extra cancer-fighting chemicals by keeping in the seeds), and juice.
StrawberriesDelicious and sweet, they have a powerful flavor when you juice them – so just mix them with other berries, or maybe one or two other fruits. Just rinse and pop right in the juicer.
Sugar snap peastRinse and run through juicer. These don’t have very high water content, so they’re not going to yield a lot of juice. Juice along with carrots to drink your peas and carrots!
Sweet potatoesScrub and cut into chunks. Sweet potatoes make a delicious dessert juice.
TangerinesPeel and try to keep as much of the white pith on as possible since the pith contains nutrients that help your body absorb the vitamin C and other amazing antioxidants found in citrus fruits. Cut to fit your juicer and juice. You can keep the seeds in as they contain excellent nutrients too.
TomatoesWash and remove stem and any leaves. If they’re large, you may need to slice to fit your juicer. No need to take out the seeds. Fresh tomato juice is worlds away from that canned stuff!
TurnipsScrub and chop in chunks to fit your juicer. Turnips in a juice make a great drink for cooler weather when those tropical fruits aren’t in season!
WatermelonMakes an amazingly refreshing juice, especially in hot weather. Cut into wedges and remove the skin and rind. You can keep the seeds in.
WheatgrassSome juicers are better at doing wheatgrass then others. If you’re just doing a small amount, any kind of juicer should be able to handle it. Rinse the wheatgrass, twist or roll into a ball, and push through with something juicy and firm, like apples. Gives a nice and strong green flavor to your juice, and provides lots of great green chlorophyll energy.
ZucchinisScrub and cut off stem, but leave the other end on. These are great for pushing through greens.
TypeHow To Prepare
BasilCarefully 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 powderDon’t put this through your juicer!! Just sprinkle into your juice.
Cilantro (Coriander)Wash thoroughly. You can juice the stems and the leaves.
CinnamonDon’t juice this either! Sprinkle ground cinnamon on juices with apple, pear and sweet potato.
DilltRinse and pull the delicate fronds off the stem to juice.
GarlicThe 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!
GingerPeel 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!
MintWash thoroughly and remove leaves from stem before juicing. Goes great with pineapple, grapes, watermelon or strawberries.
ParsleyCarefully 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.
TarragonGives a nice herbal flavor to vegetable juices. Wash and tear leaves off their woody stems before juicing.