How to Juice Carrots

Buy Carrot Juice or Juice Your Own Fresh Carrots

Many people are embracing the natural benefits and sweet goodness of fresh carrot juice. Carrot juice has a wealth of vitamins, is a natural source of water and has energizing compounds that are great for an afternoon burst. Raw juice products have been called "Nature's miracle" for their medicinal healing qualities. Juicing experts recommend carrot juice for digestive ailments and general well-being. You can buy carrot juice and wonder whether or not the pasteurization process has affected the nutrients or you can make your own raw juice. Learn how to juice carrots today.

Things You'll Need

• raw carrots
• juice machine

Instructions

1. Buy a juice machine. You can start with a low-end model from a superstore for around $50 to get started. Even if you're juicing twice a day this model will last at least a year. Higher end retail machines run for $100-$150 and boast such features as dual-speed motors which are better at extracting raw juice from leafy greens like spinach and parsley. These higher-end models also sometimes have a larger hopper, which means that you never have to cut the fruits or vegetables to put them into the machine. Sometimes, you can stick an entire apple into the machine at once.

2. Read the instructions and be sure that you have assembled your machine correctly and that you know how to use your machine. Generally, you just need to know that the body of the machine isn't water proof and that in order to clean the machine, you need to remove all of the parts that touch the food and run them through the dishwasher. It's better to be sure, though so read the directions for your machine before you get started. Sometimes there will be specific instructions that your mesh sieve may not be bleached or something else. It's better to be safe than sorry, and being aware of the precautions before you make carrot juice is simply smart.

3. Rinse 1-2 pounds of carrots thoroughly. The green tops of the carrots may be juiced, and so can the skin. There's no reason to do anything other than rinse your vegetables before you make raw juice.

4. Test the widest tops of the carrots to see that they fit easily into the hopper. If they don't, make long-ways cuts in the carrots so that they will fit easily into the hopper. Cramming carrots that don't fit can crack your juice machine and/ or cause undue stress to the motor.

5. Place a glass under the drain spout. You'll want to watch as the liquid first starts coming through because sometimes it can spray further than you think. The tallest glass that fits is usually the best choice Some juicers come with a glass that's the perfect size.

6. Turn your juice machine on and begin to feed the carrots into the hopper. Use the special tool to force them down into the machine. Don't force too many in at a time or they can become wedged together. If this happens, turn the machine off and use a table knife to rearrange them until they're floating freely in the hopper.

7. Try using the shredded carrot fibers to make a carrot cake, cookies or pancakes. You can also add the carrot fibers to your garden or compost pile.

8. Wash your machine parts as soon as you're finished using it. The carrot fibers are moist and rinse away easily when they're fresh but after they've sat for a while they stick and become very difficult to remove. The metal sieve should be scrubbed on each side, in the direction of the grate, to avoid ripping up your sponge. These pieces are usually top-rack dishwasher safe.

9. 

   Try adding other vegetables or learning about the nutritive properties in raw juice. Garlic is antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-parasitic. Celery has natural sodium and enzymes and spinach and beets also have beneficial substances.

Tips & Warnings

• Carrots can be bought in 10 pound bags at most grocery stores for a fraction of the per-pound cost for a smaller bag. If you're planning to make carrot juice every day you might be surprised by how many carrots you go through.

• Dust off those running shoes because carrot juice is a huge energizer.

• More than 1-2 glasses of carrot juice a day can cause an orange tint to develop on your skin. If this happens, simply cut back to less frequent juicings or less juice per day.

Resources

• Juice Saved my Life