Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. (Juicer advice)

[camstory]

I need some quick advice. I am getting ready to juice dinner, and have apples, strawberries, figs, and raspberries. I know I should have some veggies too but all I have is some zucchini and some celery, and I just can't think that either will be very good mixed with any of the other. Maybe just apple and zucc? Please advise. Hurry, I'm hungry :lol:

 

[Diana Blake]

The celery is perfect. Lots of water content and not a huge amount of flavor. I will mention that with my juicer I find that if I juice raspberries or blackberries I need to rinse the mesh filter before juicing everything else because the tiny seeds block everything up.

 

[Nordling]

Oh, and I use a stiff vegetable brush to clean the mesh filter. Running water and a sponge alone takes too long and become annoying.

 

[camstory]

The celery is perfect. Lots of water content and not a huge amount of flavor. I will mention that with my juicer I find that if I juice raspberries or blackberries I need to rinse the mesh filter before juicing everything else because the tiny seeds block everything up.

Thanks NG, celery it is. and not a min too soon, dam I'm hungry.

 

[mynameisbob84]

There was a girl at the gym today with the nicest ass I've ever seen. Just thought I'd share that little tidbit with y'all.

 

[schlmoe]

Just had a random thought...
Does anybody live near any semi arid areas where Aloe vera or prickly pear grows ? Here it can be found many many places growing wild. Prickly pear is not bad as a jam or cooked in some things and Aloe has long been consumed as an "inner workings digestion aid".

There were Prickly pear growing all around Austin if you looked a little. My room mate a native Navaho who grew up on a reservation in NM Used to make mini pizzas, by getting a roll of biscuits, and roll the hell out of them with an old fashion rolling pin, til they were about 6" across, a smear of Ragu some cheese and what ever we could find. A lot of the time that included strips of the meat cut from the skinned cladodi ?(I think is what the leaf or hand ((No that's bananas)) part is called), but any way it had a taste like nothing else, as most everything does, (poss exceptions - chicken imitators), so it took about half a mini pizza to get used to it, but i liked it. Some time it was the only thing we had, but we always had that b/c the cacti grows year round.

Where I come from, they are called "Nopales" (same thing, though). Good with scrambled eggs, in tacos, salads. Interesting fact: research is ongoing, but there are promising results that eating/consuming nopales and prickly pear fruit have a positive impact on Type 1 & Type 2 diabetes

 

[SoTxBob]

Yes, nopales is the word I couldn't remember...

Upon further reading last night, I'm amazed more folks aren't using Aloe in daily consumption. It [the gel only and not the green] truly seems to be one of those miracle things from nature.
not only for burns and skin care, but also, infections, constipation, acid reflux, diabetes, cancer, anemia, cholesterol .... and the list goes on.
the cool thing is that its so easily grown.

http://www.liveandfeel.com/medicinalpla ... _vera.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/028239_aloe_vera_FDA.html

 

[GreatDane]

There was a girl at the gym today with the nicest ass I've ever seen. Just thought I'd share that little tidbit with y'all.

OKAY, waited patiently for the pics to show up... you need to work on your stalking skills Mister!!! :lol: :lol:

 

[JoleneBrody]

I need some quick advice. I am getting ready to juice dinner, and have apples, strawberries, figs, and raspberries. I know I should have some veggies too but all I have is some zucchini and some celery, and I just can't think that either will be very good mixed with any of the other. Maybe just apple and zucc? Please advise. Hurry, I'm hungry :lol:

I always include some veggies in my morning fruit and berry juice and It's still delish! I use carrots and kale the most, sometimes a 'mater.
No point in juice fasting if you aren't consuming more veggies.

 

[Nordling]

Exactly. Other than maybe apples, fruit doesn't need to be wrung out to create healthy, tasty beverages. The whole point of juicing is for breaking open the woody cell walls of hard vegetables like carrots, and getting at the nutrients that otherwise stay locked in unless you cook them. Personally, I like vegetable juice and rarely even add fruit to the mix, but some folks do like a sweeter, tangier drink so add fruit.

By the way, probably already known, but if, after juicing vegetables, you put the liquid in the fridge for an hour, the resulting juice will be sweeter than if drunk immediately. (enzymes in the juice breaks down starches and turn them into sugar).

 

[Lounge20K]

Exactly. Other than maybe apples, fruit doesn't need to be wrung out to create healthy, tasty beverages. The whole point of juicing is for breaking open the woody cell walls of hard vegetables like carrots, and getting at the nutrients that otherwise stay locked in unless you cook them. Personally, I like vegetable juice and rarely even add fruit to the mix, but some folks do like a sweeter, tangier drink so add fruit.

By the way, probably already known, but if, after juicing vegetables, you put the liquid in the fridge for an hour, the resulting juice will be sweeter than if drunk immediately. (enzymes in the juice breaks down starches and turn them into sugar).

Very interesting..!! Doesn't the juice lose of its vitamin nutrition if you don't drink it right away?

 

[camstory]

I need some quick advice. I am getting ready to juice dinner, and have apples, strawberries, figs, and raspberries. I know I should have some veggies too but all I have is some zucchini and some celery, and I just can't think that either will be very good mixed with any of the other. Maybe just apple and zucc? Please advise. Hurry, I'm hungry :lol:

I always include some veggies in my morning fruit and berry juice and It's still delish! I use carrots and kale the most, sometimes a 'mater.
No point in juice fasting if you aren't consuming more veggies.

Yeah, I think I added too much celery for me. The final result tasted distinctly of celery. Prior to adding it I told myself, that what I had not liked about celery was the stringy quality. It turns out that was not true, it is the taste that I don't like. I should have read my own MFC profile; Favorite food: Well I don't like celery much.

Now I have two different pitchers of liquified produce sitting in the fridge, and don't think I am going to find either one any more palatable this morning then I did last night. I will try though, b/c I'm f'in hungry.

The first is the mostly fruit partly celery batch. The second is what I thought i really wanted. You see after screwing up the fruit mix I told myself that, what I really wanted was veggie a meal anyway. I really did feel like a good veggie mix would be more like food than the fruit. At that point a buddy had shown up with two bags of onions, so I juiced a little celery, one lg zucc, (made a lot of juice), and two small onions. I had drained off the celery, zucc into a glass and tasted it and thought yukk, but with the heavy onion flavor it would be improved. I now tasted the pure onion juice and WTF, it had no taste at all? I like onions, but the taste must be in the meat that did not go into the juice. Is that even possible? I don't think so, but the sip I took last night seemed to be flavorless. I now think it is just as likely that my taste buds, repulsed with what I had been throwing at them, just shut down, and refused to have anything more to do with the night's activities.

I am hungry, yet I refuse to eat, but don't like the idea of facing either juice I have. I really need to post two PM's, but know if I do right now, my tone and attitude are going to suck, and I will likely hurt some one's feelings. If any one sees FrenshKiss, ask her to stop posting to the dup thread please.

What was here, and below this line, for some 3o4 paragraphs was a whiny explanation of what I just said in the paragraph above. I have decided to just send it to the two parties as it is an extension of problems that might have been best solved in PM's to start with.

My point for leaving any of it here is to emphasise the fact that I feel like shit right now, and need to go back to bed and try again when I wake up. Eating would be such a comfort, if only a false one, it would be so so easy. Hey, no pain, no gain, right?

 

[Lounge20K]

@Camstory. Drink water, lots of water..!!

And there.. :romance-kisscheek: (couldn't find the hug one hehe but I am french so i guess i am excused ) Feel better..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Nordling]

Exactly. Other than maybe apples, fruit doesn't need to be wrung out to create healthy, tasty beverages. The whole point of juicing is for breaking open the woody cell walls of hard vegetables like carrots, and getting at the nutrients that otherwise stay locked in unless you cook them. Personally, I like vegetable juice and rarely even add fruit to the mix, but some folks do like a sweeter, tangier drink so add fruit.

By the way, probably already known, but if, after juicing vegetables, you put the liquid in the fridge for an hour, the resulting juice will be sweeter than if drunk immediately. (enzymes in the juice breaks down starches and turn them into sugar).

Very interesting..!! Doesn't the juice lose of its vitamin nutrition if you don't drink it right away?

Not really. Non-oil based vitamins like C are somewhat unstable but it doesn't break down in a mere hour or so--lol--otherwise keeping Orange Juice and the like around would be a waste of time.

 

[Jaydenrainey]

I need some quick advice. I am getting ready to juice dinner, and have apples, strawberries, figs, and raspberries. I know I should have some veggies too but all I have is some zucchini and some celery, and I just can't think that either will be very good mixed with any of the other. Maybe just apple and zucc? Please advise. Hurry, I'm hungry :lol:

I always include some veggies in my morning fruit and berry juice and It's still delish! I use carrots and kale the most, sometimes a 'mater.
No point in juice fasting if you aren't consuming more veggies.

Yeah, I think I added too much celery for me. The final result tasted distinctly of celery. Prior to adding it I told myself, that what I had not liked about celery was the stringy quality. It turns out that was not true, it is the taste that I don't like. I should have read my own MFC profile; Favorite food: Well I don't like celery much.

Now I have two different pitchers of liquified produce sitting in the fridge, and don't think I am going to find either one any more palatable this morning then I did last night. I will try though, b/c I'm f'in hungry.

The first is the mostly fruit partly celery batch. The second is what I thought i really wanted. You see after screwing up the fruit mix I told myself that, what I really wanted was veggie a meal anyway. I really did feel like a good veggie mix would be more like food than the fruit. At that point a buddy had shown up with two bags of onions, so I juiced a little celery, one lg zucc, (made a lot of juice), and two small onions. I had drained off the celery, zucc into a glass and tasted it and thought yukk, but with the heavy onion flavor it would be improved. I now tasted the pure onion juice and WTF, it had no taste at all? I like onions, but the taste must be in the meat that did not go into the juice. Is that even possible? I don't think so, but the sip I took last night seemed to be flavorless. I now think it is just as likely that my taste buds, repulsed with what I had been throwing at them, just shut down, and refused to have anything more to do with the night's activities.

I am hungry, yet I refuse to eat, but don't like the idea of facing either juice I have. I really need to post two PM's, but know if I do right now, my tone and attitude are going to suck, and I will likely hurt some one's feelings. If any one sees FrenshKiss, ask her to stop posting to the dup thread please.

What was here, and below this line, for some 3o4 paragraphs was a whiny explanation of what I just said in the paragraph above. I have decided to just send it to the two parties as it is an extension of problems that might have been best solved in PM's to start with.

My point for leaving any of it here is to emphasise the fact that I feel like shit right now, and need to go back to bed and try again when I wake up. Eating would be such a comfort, if only a false one, it would be so so easy. Hey, no pain, no gain, right?

i know your set on a juice fast and thats great but you could also just try a raw food lifestyle for a while. there are lots of creative things you can do with raw food that make you feel indulgent while still being extremely healthy.
i would suggest trying to juice breakfast and then eat a raw lunch and raw dinner. but if your really stern on doing the juice fast then im sure you can do it
i myself plan on going raw for a month because the idea of trying to not eat for any more than three days sounds terrible for me.

 

[camstory]

i know your set on a juice fast and thats great but you could also just try a raw food lifestyle for a while. there are lots of creative things you can do with raw food that make you feel indulgent while still being extremely healthy.
i would suggest trying to juice breakfast and then eat a raw lunch and raw dinner. but if your really stern on doing the juice fast then im sure you can do it
i myself plan on going raw for a month because the idea of trying to not eat for any more than three days sounds terrible for me.

I have actually been very temped to do just that. When juicing the onions last night, and wondering how onion juice might taste, I thought I could make an onion and carrot salad that I am sure to like. But that would require some form of dressing, and even if that was just oil and vinegar it would feel like an exception. I am afraid if I made that exception, then it would be ok to use a spoonful of blue cheese next time. What difference would 2 slices of bread make, other than making a lovely onion sandwich possible, well with a smear of mao.... You see where I am going. I don't do well with moderation. It is often a personality flaw of mine that I only tend to complete things, and enjoy things when I do them to the extreme. This means that I have quite many more things in life than I have completed, for the loss of what is sometimes, a tiny bit of enthusiasm.

I hope that does not sound as if I am dismissing the idea with little thought, b/c I have thought about it a good deal, and as I said, am very temped by the thought. I also don't think it is a bad idea. In fact I would guess that the smarter, more healthy, diet would be one of a combination of juicing and un juiced raw. And I would think for most ppl easier to stick to. I just don't think it would work for me for more then a week or so.

if your really stern on doing the juice fast then im sure you can do it

I very much appreciate this, Thank you.

 

[schlmoe]

i know your set on a juice fast and thats great but you could also just try a raw food lifestyle for a while. there are lots of creative things you can do with raw food that make you feel indulgent while still being extremely healthy.
i would suggest trying to juice breakfast and then eat a raw lunch and raw dinner. but if your really stern on doing the juice fast then im sure you can do it
i myself plan on going raw for a month because the idea of trying to not eat for any more than three days sounds terrible for me.

I have actually been very temped to do just that. When juicing the onions last night, and wondering how onion juice might taste, I thought I could make an onion and carrot salad that I am sure to like. But that would require some form of dressing, and even if that was just oil and vinegar it would feel like an exception. I am afraid if I made that exception, then it would be ok to use a spoonful of blue cheese next time. What difference would 2 slices of bread make, other than making a lovely onion sandwich possible, well with a smear of mao.... You see where I am going. I don't do well with moderation. It is often a personality flaw of mine that I only tend to complete things, and enjoy things when I do them to the extreme. This means that I have quite many more things in life than I have completed, for the loss of what is sometimes, a tiny bit of enthusiasm.

I hope that does not sound as if I am dismissing the idea with little thought, b/c I have thought about it a good deal, and as I said, am very temped by the thought. I also don't think it is a bad idea. In fact I would guess that the smarter, more healthy, diet would be one of a combination of juicing and un juiced raw. And I would think for most ppl easier to stick to. I just don't think it would work for me for more then a week or so.

if your really stern on doing the juice fast then im sure you can do it

I very much appreciate this, Thank you.

Couple of thoughts on your veggie choices:

Celery, obviously use less In addition, I have found that the leaves are, or can get bitter. And I know in juicing, the idea is to throw the whole thing in. If you included the "cut" end, where that core is, I would say that added the strong flavor. I would try the tender stalks first (trimmed hearts), and go from there.

Onions: The more the onion flesh is cut (chopped, minced, etc), the more sulfur/sulfides are created and released. The more the cell walls are broken down, the more the different compounds mix to create that bad stuff. That's why chopping onions can make you cry. It releases a lachrymatory agent, which in common English is tear gas! That is also why sliced onion (or garlic) is usually milder than chopped or minced. Those compounds don't last very long, so if you want onion juice, juice that separately...let it sit for a few hours (overnite in the fridge?), then try to mix it in your latest concoction.

As far as trying a raw food lifestyle (even for a week), I think that's a great idea! You would get so many benefits off of this. Another thing: if you had more in your belly (salads, ect), it might lessen the chances that you succumb to your roomie's burger runs

I think you are getting hung up on this "all or nothing" approach. For some folks, it's better to make smaller step-by-step improvements, rather than the "cold turkey" of juice fasting. Some can do the juicing with no problem. That doesn't mean you're wrong, just different. You need to find what will work for you, and go from there.

 

[Nordling]

Got this from a Facebook Friend. Sounds like a good idea for summertime:



"Make your own vitamin water... Slice fruit very thin or cut small chunks, add water. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours and enjoy.. Yum!"

 

[Lounge20K]

Got this from a Facebook Friend. Sounds like a good idea for summertime:



"Make your own vitamin water... Slice fruit very thin or cut small chunks, add water. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours and enjoy.. Yum!"

Looks yummy indeed..!!! any sugar added? I am guessing no..! :?

 

[Nordling]

Got this from a Facebook Friend. Sounds like a good idea for summertime:



"Make your own vitamin water... Slice fruit very thin or cut small chunks, add water. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours and enjoy.. Yum!"

Looks yummy indeed..!!! any sugar added? I am guessing no..! :?

Probably an abomination, but I'd probably add a packet of Splenda to each jar. lol Just to take the edge off.

 

[mynameisbob84]

Got this from a Facebook Friend. Sounds like a good idea for summertime:



"Make your own vitamin water... Slice fruit very thin or cut small chunks, add water. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours and enjoy.. Yum!"

These look fucking bad-ass. I will make one soon, innit.

How's everyone's juice fasting/dieting going? I took a few days off from it this week and ate like a cunt (fish and chips on Monday, Papa Johns pizza on Tuesday, left-over Papa Johns pizza on Wednesday, and Wimpy today) but shall be resuming it tomorrow.

I've definitely started to lose weight (I can now fit in jeans that two months ago I could not) and I'll be making a serious go of the gym now so hopefully that weight loss will continue.

ALSO, where the plopsiclez is camstory?

 

[SoTxBob]

Made some of the 'fruit water' this past weekend and thru the 4th since it was so damned hot. .... A gallon jar isn't large enough...lol. Couldnt stop drinking it. :-D Watermelon was the fav followed by orange/lemon. Tried some apple/pear but it was ..mehh.

Cam does seem to be slightly MIA.... haven't heard from or even seen him log in for maybe 10 days or so.

 

[camstory]

This is crazy! We are all crazy people if any were, as was I, not so aware. I have not been able to eat for, I think, more than a week. Yet it has become so trivial in measure, compared to the forced fast of zero internet connection. I now seriously wonder if anyone named Gandhi ever existed, b/c, hell starving is really nothing to give a shit about if you have no internet. Mark my words, - we have given life to a monster of unimaginable power. Yes, we are all crazy, that we imagine we are still sane. Rant through! I will now try to calm myself enough to write a reasonable post, about,,, what? Oh yea, juicing, right, juicing. WTF, JUICING AT A TIME LIKE THIS? Juicing is not the answer to the end of the world!!! Wait, it’s not the end of the world for anyone but me, Right Vic, right, just remember what you said, “I'm Dorothy, - Dorothy, on a bad trip, and everything is still there, just the other side of the curtain. The Emerald City will reopen and the wizard will return right after the holiday and send me, and you Vic, and the rest of the resident trolls that lease space in your noodle, back to the interlife soon. (Call some of your old slingin' buddies, one of em's sure to have some Valium. On second thought, just sweat it out pussy!)

So, I found a simple combo that is really sort of pleasant. The ingredients are relatively inexpensive, so I might be less restricted to juices dictated by the free-be's I gather, at least early in the month whilst my money holds. The two ingredients are also two of the most common found out back on the compost pallets too, so it would probably be the case that one, if not both, might always be on hand.

Apples and carrots are not so very bad at all. In fact I would say quite good in about a 70/30 mix. Apples are only less common a pallet fruit than the ever present hands and hands of bananas. And here at least, carrots are the most common veggie on the way out. I can not find a logical reason for this, as some other more perishable veggies might make more sense?

The juice i finished just now, was the end of my Apples, which produced about 8oz of juice. Allowing the froth (put a pin in that) to settle out gained maybe 2oz more. Then starting with a clean catch pitcher I juiced the hard meat of 5 golf ball size half mature peaches I thinned from our first year peach tree. The tiny, mostly green peaches have set on in such abundance that their clusters in places threaten to break some of the younger, lower, outstretched limbs. I nibbled at one and found it much less bitter than I had expected. They made only 1.5/2 oz, but gave the whole kitchen the smell of green orchard. That smell that's a little bit moist dirt, but mostly green branch wood, like the taste of a green twig if you stick it in your mouth. To this I juiced 5or6 lg carrots. It all mixed to fill a 24oz cup when poured over 5or6 ice cubes.

Update: it is now the 5th, and still no connection here and no computer there, but I am down 11 lbs more to 226 in as many days. I think 2 or 3 of that 11 are due to dehydration though. A bit depressed, I slept most of Friday, and Saturday, and drank nothing.

Further update it is now the 13 and shortly after the last update I went shopping for produce. I experimented trying to find a combo that I liked, that was not mostly apples. I had little success, finding only those that were palatable at best every time I pushed beyond about 30 % vegetable. Knowing that I needed to take in more veggies, I started making salads with my produce. There is something very alien about only taking in liquids even if you are getting enough nourishment. It felt good to be eating again. That was about a week ago and I had to check myself today, because that salad had morphed in to, first, an English muffin with the salad, then a tomato and mayo sandwich on an English muffin, and then the consumption of a ½ gal of ice cream over two days, that I rewarded myself at the end of the day for not having eaten fast food that day. I tried to tell myself it was OK because it was actually Mandarin sherbet, not ice cream, and as everyone knows, fruit flavored sherbet, unlike ice cream, can loosely be defined as fruit. :lol:

I have started anew this morning, and still hope to have results enough worth documenting at the 60 day mark from my original start. Oh, and I have only recently been connected again, but was not so frantic to get back on after the first couple of days of withdrawal. I realized I had never left Kansas, and where I was frantic to get back to, was not home, but Oz. I had become confused about where home really was. That said, I am glad to be back with all my straw stuffed, metal clad, and fur bearing friends. (OK, yes, I missed the witches too.)

PS I saw I had been missed, that's nice. :-D

Now I'm off to declare myself a special snow flake, and dash the hopes of those who had perhaps started to believe they were once and for all rid of the king of confusion, the baron of befuddlement, the duke of delusion, the vicar of verbosity, the czar of bazaar, CamStory, I'm back bitches! :banana-linedance:

 

[SoTxBob]

lol... whilst out on walkabout, remember theres an aid station around every 3 turn in the Yellow Brick Road. :-D

 

[lexmark402003]

Just had a random thought...
Does anybody live near any semi arid areas where Aloe vera or prickly pear grows ? Here it can be found many many places growing wild. Prickly pear is not bad as a jam or cooked in some things and Aloe has long been consumed as an "inner workings digestion aid".

There were Prickly pear growing all around Austin if you looked a little. My room mate a native Navaho who grew up on a reservation in NM Used to make mini pizzas, by getting a roll of biscuits, and roll the hell out of them with an old fashion rolling pin, til they were about 6" across, a smear of Ragu some cheese and what ever we could find. A lot of the time that included strips of the meat cut from the skinned cladodi ?(I think is what the leaf or hand ((No that's bananas)) part is called), but any way it had a taste like nothing else, as most everything does, (poss exceptions - chicken imitators), so it took about half a mini pizza to get used to it, but i liked it. Some time it was the only thing we had, but we always had that b/c the cacti grows year round.

Where I come from, they are called "Nopales" (same thing, though). Good with scrambled eggs, in tacos, salads. Interesting fact: research is ongoing, but there are promising results that eating/consuming nopales and prickly pear fruit have a positive impact on Type 1 & Type 2 diabetes

I've got some cactus in my front yard. I've "harvested" a few paddles in the past, and they are pretty good with eggs, etc. But they are a PITA to prepare (always get a few needles stuck in my hand).

I wonder if they can be juiced without removing the spines/needles?

 

[schlmoe]

I've got some cactus in my front yard. I've "harvested" a few paddles in the past, and they are pretty good with eggs, etc. But they are a PITA to prepare (always get a few needles stuck in my hand).

I wonder if they can be juiced without removing the spines/needles?

They are pretty easy to prepare once you get the hang of it. You can use an open flame to burn off the spines (or the needle ends ) I will throw them on the grill for a bit on each side, or if I'm not grilling I'll use a torch (the $10 kind with a screw on propane bottle). Then, using a sharp knife, scrape against the grain to remove the spine nubs and "eyes" (like scaling a fish). Hold on to the cactus paddle with tongs, or wear those cheap leather palm gloves. After that, you're ready to prepare your dish.

You are lucky to have one in your yard. For eating, I try to select paddles no bigger than my hand (more tender). As far as juicing, it may not matter if you use the bigger (older) paddles. I bet if you blanch them first (20-30 seconds), you will get more juice. And for juicing, I doubt it would matter if you removed the spines or not.

 

[camstory]

I've got some cactus in my front yard. I've "harvested" a few paddles in the past, and they are pretty good with eggs, etc. But they are a PITA to prepare (always get a few needles stuck in my hand).

I wonder if they can be juiced without removing the spines/needles?

They are pretty easy to prepare once you get the hang of it. You can use an open flame to burn off the spines (or the needle ends ) I will throw them on the grill for a bit on each side, or if I'm not grilling I'll use a torch (the $10 kind with a screw on propane bottle). Then, using a sharp knife, scrape against the grain to remove the spine nubs and "eyes" (like scaling a fish). Hold on to the cactus paddle with tongs, or wear those cheap leather palm gloves. After that, you're ready to prepare your dish.

You are lucky to have one in your yard. For eating, I try to select paddles no bigger than my hand (more tender). As far as juicing, it may not matter if you use the bigger (older) paddles. I bet if you blanch them first (20-30 seconds), you will get more juice. And for juicing, I doubt it would matter if you removed the spines or not.

Just thought it was sort of an interesting coincidence, that shortly after reading this post I went out to do a little yard upkeep at the place where I am house sitting, and noticed this fellow looking out from some heavy under growth. Barely noticeable, it was only after I had pulled him free that I saw he was a first class guitar toting cactus juice carrying dude. Pretty cool.

(Well this post would be much cooler if I could manage to load the pic I took of the small ceramic Marathi fellow standing on a small platform with the words "cactus juice" emblazoned in gold font across the front.)

The juicing is off line for now, but I made a produce run yesterday and plan to get back wit it Sunday morning. I should be able to drop about 10 lbs right quick, as I think I gained that much acting a hog in the hospital. They should have never showed me the trick of adding, "X2, or X3" after the menu selection. Lots of everything, covered in 3X honey.

 

[SoTxBob]

"covered in 3X honey."

my smartass side has told me to say.. Oh my. She was a big one.... :lol:

 

[lexmark402003]

I've got some cactus in my front yard. I've "harvested" a few paddles in the past, and they are pretty good with eggs, etc. But they are a PITA to prepare (always get a few needles stuck in my hand).

I wonder if they can be juiced without removing the spines/needles?

They are pretty easy to prepare once you get the hang of it. You can use an open flame to burn off the spines (or the needle ends ) I will throw them on the grill for a bit on each side, or if I'm not grilling I'll use a torch (the $10 kind with a screw on propane bottle). Then, using a sharp knife, scrape against the grain to remove the spine nubs and "eyes" (like scaling a fish). Hold on to the cactus paddle with tongs, or wear those cheap leather palm gloves. After that, you're ready to prepare your dish.

You are lucky to have one in your yard. For eating, I try to select paddles no bigger than my hand (more tender). As far as juicing, it may not matter if you use the bigger (older) paddles. I bet if you blanch them first (20-30 seconds), you will get more juice. And for juicing, I doubt it would matter if you removed the spines or not.

I'm going to try juicing a couple of paddles without scraping them first.


If you never hear from me again, it means it didn't go well, the spines killed me

 

[camstory]

back to juicing, as of this morning i was at 226 having started again on the 20th at 233. my goal is 200 by Oct 1 and then 180 by Oct 31. If i manage that i will not have weighed that little since i was 17 and entering the service. i will post weekly updates.