The Health Benefits of Juicing - What are They?

There are many health benefits of juicing fresh fruits and vegetables that will make just about anyone a believer in the power of a juicing diet. Aside from the unique and delicious tastes you will experience through juicing fresh produce, what are some of these benefits? This article answers that question.

First, let's define juicing. Juicing is the process of extracting or separating the juice of fruits and vegetables from the pulp. A masticating juicer is recommended to get the most juice out of many types of produce. This type of juicer releases the juice from the pulp by literally tearing and breaking down the fruit's fiber.

Cooking vegetables and fruits or eating processed and canned fruits often fall short in providing sufficient nutrition for good health. The process by which the food items are prepared, i.e., heating, cooking, canning, etc., causes essential micro-nutrients to be destroyed. To get the most out of fresh produce, it is best to eat them raw or turn them into juice.

One of the best health benefits of juicing is the rich nutritional value that it adds to your diet. Fresh vegetables and fruits are rich in enzymes, vitamins, antioxidants, and essential minerals that are often destroyed during the canning process. Juicing produce provides maximum benefits compared to eating cooked or processed food.

Nutrition and health specialists recommend eating a specific amount of fruit and vegetables every day. However, many people fail to eat the required amount, due to factors such as lack of time, dislike of vegetables, eating other foods, and so forth. Juicing makes it easy to meet nutritional requirements because you can combine several different kinds of fruits and/or vegetables in one juicing process - which consequently provides more nutrients in one sitting.

If you get tired of juicing the same fruits and vegetables, you can add some variety by preparing a new juice mix every day. There are numerous healthy juice recipes that are available on many online websites. Be adventurous, try out some different recipes and enjoy a delicious glass of juice for good health.

How To Make Homemade Relish For Canning

When I first started making relish, I thought it would be a hard and tedious task. Once I made my first batch, I realized that it was a lot easier than what I thought it would be.

Relishes make a great accompaniment for hot dogs, hamburgers, poultry and fish. You can also use it on crackers or your favorite party bread.

To get started, you will need a few supplies:

water bath canner
canning jars, rings and seals (I used pint-sized jars)
ladle (for spooning the hot mixture into the jars)
funnel
jar lifter (to lift the jars out of the hot water)
2 oven mitts (I like using mitts to prevent any accidental burns to my hands)
clean cotton drying cloth or kitchen towel

You will want to follow the instructions that came with your water bath canner for sterilizing and processing your jars. Always inspect your jars for defects before using them.

Honey Raisin-berry Relish

5 cups raisins
5 cups water
1 1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup lemon juice
6 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 cup walnuts, chopped

In a large saucepan, combine raisins, water, honey and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until honey melts and ingredients are blended. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cranberries and lemon peel, return to a boil and then lower heat to simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until liquid barely covers raisins and cranberries. Remove from heat. Stir in chopped walnuts. Ladle into hot jars leaving 1/2" head space, wipe rims clean, seal and process in a water bath canner for 15 minutes. Makes 8 cups.

Green Tomato Relish

2 quarts green tomatoes
3 red sweet peppers
3 green sweet peppers
3 large onions
3 tablespoons salt
3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups vinegar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons celery seed
2 tablespoons turmeric seed

Finely chop the tomatoes, peppers and onions and add to a large bowl with salt. Let stand for 30 minutes, then drain and rinse. In a large stockpot combine vegetable mixture with the remaining ingredients. Boil mixture for 5-7 minutes. Ladle into hot jars leaving 1/2" head space, wipe rims clean, seal and process in a water bath canner for 15 minutes.

Canning Boneless Chicken breasts

Many people are intimidated by the idea of canning at home, but the process is easier than you might think and you can save a lot of money! Canning chicken or other meats is often not associated with home canning but it is nevertheless very doable. The results can be stored long-term, providing you with supplies for a delicious meal without trudging to the store in the cold this winter.

Canning - How To Make Homemade Pear Chutney Recipe

During the fall, we enjoy making some homemade pear chutney. This recipe is very easy to prepare because it uses canned pears instead of fresh ones.

You can preserve your chutney for up to 2 weeks by refrigerating it or you can seal your jars in a water bath canner to preserve it for up to 1 year. I usually double my recipe and keep one jar in the refrigerator and can the rest.

Pear Chutney Recipe

29 oz. can of diced pears with syrup (juice)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup cider vinegar

Canning - How to Can Your Own Strawberry and Blueberry Jam

During the summer months, I look forward to canning my own homemade strawberry and blueberry jams. People often tell me that they don't get into canning because they think it's too hard, however, one of the easiest things to can is homemade jam.

For the following recipes, you will need some jelly or half-pint sized canning jars, seals, rings, and a water bath canner. If you have a jar lifter, silicone spatula and a funnel, they would be useful too, but not necessary.

Easy Strawberry Jam Recipe

3 cups fresh strawberries, caps removed
3 cups granulated sugar
1 envelope of fruit pectin (Sure-Jell)

Fruit Preparation: Wash and remove the caps from your fresh strawberries, place them in a medium sized saucepan.

Stir in 1 cup of granulated sugar and bring the mixture to a rapid boil and boil for 4 minutes. Stir in the second cup of granulated sugar and bring it back to a boil and boil for an additional 3 minutes. Finally, stir in the remaining 1 cup of granulated sugar and contents of 1 envelope of fruit pectin, bring mixture back to a full boil and boil an additional 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove pan from the burner and let it cool down for 10 minutes, stirring mixture occasionally with a nonstick silicone spatula. Spoon mixture into hot clean jars and seal. Process the jars in your water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Easy Blueberry Jam Recipe

4 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, crushed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
7 cups granulated sugar
2 envelopes of fruit pectin (Sure-Jell)

Fruit Preparation: Wash and drain fresh blueberries in a colander and then measure out 6 cups and place them into a bowl. Using a potato masher, mash down the blueberries until you have 4 1/2 cups of crushed fruit.

Place fruit in a large stock pot. Stir in the lemon juice and then add in the granulated sugar, one cup at a time. Cook mixture over medium-high heat and bring it to a full rolling boil and boil hard for 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a nonstick silicone spatula or spoon. Turn off the heat and skim off any foam that has developed on the top. Stir in the liquid fruit pectin until mixture is combined.
Spoon mixture into hot clean jars and seal. Process the jars in your water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Homemade Canning - Best Foods To Can When Just Getting Started With Home Canning

Home canning is the best way to capture the fresh taste, flavor and nutrients of the local foods. Food preservation is not a complicated affair. It has a simple procedure, which is easy, and you also need not worry about the food being spoiled if stored for a long time. The advantage of enjoying the preserved foods is that you can even have it off-season and it is not expensive if canned at home.

It will help you save a lot of your money and also you will feed your family a healthy food compared to the market canned which has preservatives added to it. Home canning also makes you more self reliant in terms of any short supply in the market or bad weather conditions when you cannot drive to the store. You also retain the nutritional values of the canned products. Being a very economical and healthier option, thousands of people have picked up home preserving procedures.

If you are a beginner and doing the canning for the first time, than it is very important that you do it correctly and should know the recipes and procedures for preserving. For home canning of foods, canning tomato sauce and canning beans are great starters. Tomato sauce is used as a taste and flavor adder therefore; it is used throughout the year. Home canned tomato sauce is cheaper and as healthier as that available in the market. Most of the tomato sauce at grocery stores has lot of sugars and additives and which is why many people prefer home food preservation.

Canning - How To Make Homemade Crab Apple Jelly

Every fall season, We look forward to picking some wild apples from two of our backyard trees and canning some homemade crab apple jelly.

Crab apples are small compared to normal baking and eating apples and due to their 'sour' taste, they are best used for making jams, jellies and chutneys.

The following recipe was given to me about 25 years ago by my grandmother. This recipe is easy to prepare, but a little time consuming. You will need to use a jelly bag to strain the juice from your pulp.

Crab Apple Jelly Recipe

5 pounds crab apples (whole, only stems removed)
5 cups water