You start simple and you start slow. Make sure you have a plan.

You start simple and you start slow. You make sure you have a plan.
(And if you’re someone like my college daughter who doesn’t own a juicer but has a blender, it can work for you until you get a simple, inexpensive juicer.)

My earliest memory of juice was the sugarcane juice from a street fruit vendor on a busy street at Victoria station in Mumbai. I probably wasn’t more than 7 or 8 years old at the time, but I remember how deliciously sweet the cane juice was. We never owned a juicer at either of our homes but buying juice was cheap enough. I could run down to the nearest juice stand and grab my favorite mosambi, pineapple or carrot juice. Being able to do that has its own sets of benefits.

1. It’s all done for you.
2. There was no clean up.
3. You enjoy only what’s in season.

Vacations at my grandmother’s house were well and good but when I would come back to my own home with my folks, it was “be responsible for yourself” time. My Mum taught me how to be self-sufficient and organized.

Why am I telling this story about juicing? It’s my way of explaining the beauty of planning ahead—not weeks in advance but maybe a few days to a week.

To make a simple juice, you don’t need fancy equipment. An inexpensive juicer—such as a centrifugal juicer—would be perfect to make your once-in-a-while juice or a daily juice. On the other hand, the juicers that have more functions like sorbet and/or nut milk settings are pretty darn good too. However a simple Breville or Huron can work just fine too.

Something to keep in mind is when you will be drinking your juice; once you make it, drink the juice sooner than later. I usually consume it within the hour or, if it’s for later in the day, I’ll refrigerate it for the length of the day and no longer. It’s not that you won’t be able to drink it later but the whole point of juicing is to get the highest potency of vitamins and minerals.  If the whole day goes by and it’s still sitting in the fridge the next morning, the energy levels of that drink are probably on the very low end. I would say consume the juice within 12 to 14 hours after making it.

So you got your juicer. Now what?

Do:

1.    Start small! The first day after I got my juicer was spent in just recovering from the trip to the supermarket and farmers’ market. I was so excited that I must have bought enough to feed my family for a month (and, yes, I made it all fit in my fridge). But, sadly, I was so overwhelmed that when the time came to make juice I got nervous and ended up baking a lot of the produce instead of juicing it. What I will say is having an excess of lemons, limes and ginger in my fridge has always served me well. This way when I do decide what sort of juice to start with, the limes and ginger can be added to dress it up.

2.    Keep it simple! Too many different ingredients can make for a difficult transition from solid to liquid where flavor is concerned. Once you figure out what works for your personal taste, then mixing and adding becomes easier; I also find it less wasteful. My girls have taught me this very important lesson. I might love eight different ingredients in a 12 oz juice, but I’m told I’m quite unique in that way. So, if I may suggest, apples and carrots or celery and lemon juice are great beginner juices. My favorite is carrots and lime juice. To be precise 6 medium sized carrots to 1/2 a lime juiced. Mix and savor.

3.    Organize your juice for at least the first few days. That means the night before you make your first juice, you figure out what recipe you are using. Make sure you have the ingredients and set a time when you want to make the juice. Make sure you have enough time to clean up after yourself because no one is going to dive in and fight to clean that juicer! I have learnt the hard way that making juice after you have let your juicer sit in its dirty pulp is far from fun.  Give yourself some time to wash your produce, cut it up, make your juice and then clean up before you have to run to the next thing in your day. This is an important practice for me when I do my juice cleanse four times a year. I create a set of juices I will do for the full two weeks and make sure I clear out time and space in my fridge for just my food.

4.    Try to buy locally and in season. Try to pick produce that’s in season so the juice will taste fresh. Make friends with your local farmers. I have so much gratitude for my farmer dudes here in my local State. They don’t just sow seeds but big love too.

5.  Lighten up and stay positive. .Pay attention to your mood when you are preparing juice. I find it tastes way sweeter when I’m cultivating kind thoughts about everyone, everything and inparticulart the juice I’m making. The juice you make might not always taste appetizing. So what? You win some and loose some. The next time you juice, you would have had the experience of what worked and what didn’t. That is priceless.

With juicing, you are doing something quite divine for your body. It is a ritual in my everyday life now. Juicing is something I feel blessed to be able to do. That first sip after I’m done cleaning and putting away everything is the best part of my morning. It is also knowing I just made a jug full of yumminess for my family who will devour it once they wake; it is a love and energy going from me to them. What more could I ask for!