My bad, people…I keep forgetting to put this up on the blog! I was reminded yesterday by my Facebook folks and will reference this post in the future.
You guys have heard of the “Dirty Dozen”, right? These are the fruits and veggies that folks say you should only buy organic because of their high pesticide risk. Here’s a pic of the specific produce:
But what if you’re not ballin’ like that? Simply (and plainly) put; what if you can’t afford organic produce on a regular basis, or at all? Well, I have a solution for ya!
A quick editorial: whenever people talk of juicing, the “organic vs conventional produce” debate rears its ugly head. Plenty of people will tell you NOT to juice with conventional produce, and I think that’s straight bull-pucky. What that says to me is that a huge percentage of our population who cannot afford organic produce will have to just settle for low-cost, unhealthy food, and I refuse to accept that. I feel the same way about people who believe you should only use a masticating juicer, which are far more expensive than centrifugal juicers. That cuts a huge amount of needy, deserving people right out of the juicing game!
Ugh! Don’t let me climb my pregnant butt up on this soapbox…I could go on for hours! LOL!
Let me digress back to the point, which is you have to start where you are with what you have. The cost of juicing can be high enough, and there are people who will feel that if they have to use organic exclusively, it’s too expensive to do. Well, I’m here to tell you that you do NOT “have” to use organic produce when juicing…just use vinegar to clean the conventional!
I recommend cleaning your produce (organic or no, as you never know who had touched your veggies before they got to your house) with distilled white vinegar. Simple, easy, cost effective! I got this method from Steve Meyerowitz’s book, Juice Fasting and Detoxification, and have been using it ever since I first read it. Works like gangbusters!
Here’s what you do:
- Put your produce in the sink.
- Fill the sink with cold water and add 1/4 – 1/2 cup of white vinegar. You can also add a splash of lemon juice and/or a tablespoon of baking soda.
- Let that soak for 15-20 minutes.
- Rinse under cold water and juice!
Note: you do not need to do this with rind-encased fruit (lemons, oranges, etc) unless you are planning to use the rind in your mixtures or food.
There you go. Gotta love those cost-effective solutions!
