juicing

i've been hinting about a juicer for years, and this holiday, i finally got one! (thanks gracie!) my new breville juice fountain sits proudly on my kitchen counter, ready to whirl.

according to some, juicing has amazing health benefits. jay "the juiceman" kordich believes it cured him of cancer. after being diagnosed, he started a daily regimen of carrot-apple juice. "Two and a half years later," he says in his book The Juiceman's Power of Juicing, "I was a well man." while i'm hesitant to believe every claim about juicing's power, i do know that drinking fresh juice in the morning is delicious, and better for you than drinking nothing.

thus far i've experimented with carrots, apples, pears and beets. these are the called the "beginner" fruits and vegetables for a reason; they are sweet, mild, and very yummy. soon i'm supposed to graduate to heartier things, like kale, cabbages, and cilantro. i'm a little nervous about drinking lettuce, but it is said you get used to the taste quickly.

my one complaint about the juicer is that you are left with an awful lot of pulp from the juiced items. theoretically, you could make muffins or bread with the pulp, but i'm sure the majority of the time it just ends up in the trash. if i had a compost pile, the pulp would surely be beneficial. would the squirrels be a bother if i started one on my fire escape?