Juicing and Smoothies For Dummies
Book image
Explore Book Buy On Amazon

The first time you try to juice cabbage or lettuce leaves, green grasses, or herbs, unless your juicer can handle grasses, you’ll find that they jam in the basket and make a mess. Cut cabbage into wedges, and it’ll pass through the juicing basket easily.

If you don’t want to add too much strong cabbage taste to a juice, but you have a few large outer leaves that you want to combine with other ingredients, the best way to get the most out of the leaves is to roll them into a tight, long cylindrical shape and guide them through the feed tube using celery stalks, carrots, or apple wedges.

Herb sprigs and cereal grasses are more delicate and more difficult to juice without the benefit of a special attachment. If you wedge a handful of green grasses or herbs in the natural groove of a celery stalk and use a slow speed, the celery will keep the grass in place long enough for the juice to be extracted.

You also can “juice” wheatgrass and herbs using a blender. This method is more efficient in extracting the essential and active elements in wheatgrass. Here’s how to do it:

  1. In the blender container, combine 1-1/2 cups water with 2 to 3 cups of fresh wheatgrass.

  2. Process the mixture on high for 30 to 40 seconds or until the grass is liquefied.

  3. Line a sieve with a layer of cheesecloth and set it over a large bowl.

  4. Pour the wheatgrass and water through the sieve into the bowl.

  5. Squeeze the cheesecloth to remove all the moisture from the wheatgrass.

  6. Blend 1/4 to 1/2 of the wheatgrass juice into fresh fruit or vegetable juice.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book author:

Pat Crocker is a professional home economist specializing in herbs and healthy foods. She has been growing, photographing, teaching, and writing about herbs, food, and healthy diets for more than two decades. Pat lectures at international conventions and is a seasoned television and radio guest.

This article can be found in the category: