How to Prep Your Produce

The following list is from here:  http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/juicing/produce-prep/

I found it very helpful when I was trying to juice something for the first time.  We made it a family goal to juice (and for the kids, to try eating) something new once a week.  

This might be a good place to mention that parsley is very strong...it's healthy, but don't get carried away if you see it in a recipe.  Much like the peppers, it will take over the flavor of everything if you let it.

A-Z Produce Prep

Fruits & Vegetables

Fruits & Vegetables	How To Prepare
Apples	Core your apples and remove the seeds before pushing through your juicer.
Apricots	Rinse and slice in half to remove the pit.
Asparagus	Rinse the stalks carefully and push through juicer, putting the bottom of the stalk through first.
Avocado	You can blend your juices in a blender with an avocado to thicken it up, but never put an avocado in a juicer.
Bananas	Similar to the avocado, never juice bananas! But feel free to blend your juices in a blender with a banana to thicken it up.
Beets (Beetroot)	Peel your beets before juicing them! This will avoid the “earthy” taste that many people complain about after juicing an unpeeled beet. Depending on the size of your beets, slice to fit your juicer shoot. Juice your beet greens, too!
Bell peppers	Rinse and remove the stem, but you can save time and forget removing the seeds – it’s fine to juice them. Cut to size and juice.
Blackberries	Rinse in a strainer. They don’t keep well after being rinsed, so best to wash them the day you plan to juice them.
Blueberries	Rinse in a strainer.
Broccoli	After rinsing, juice it all. From the stalk to the head, you can receive many nutritional benefits from juicing broccoli.
Butter lettuce	Rinse leaves individually, checking for dirt and sand. No need to remove the stems. Roll the leaves up and run through your juicer. Leafy greens move best your juicer best when followed by a harder fruit or vegetable, like apples, celery, or cucumbers.
Cabbage	Green and red cabbage are great for juicing. Be sure to select a cabbage head that is firm with crisp leaves. Cut the cabbage in quarters, or smaller if needed, so it easily fits into the juicer shoot. If you don’t like the taste of beets, you can substitute red cabbage in any juice recipe that calls for beets.
Cactus pears	Peel and cut to size if needed.
Cantaloupe (Rockmelon)	Remove the rind, flesh and seeds before juicing this orange melon.
Carrots	Rinse thoroughly before passing through the juicer and that’s it! You can juice your carrots with the greens and skins still on.
Celeriac, celery root	Wash carefully, as grit can get stuck in the nooks and crannies of this hearty root vegetable. As with beets, if you don’t prefer an earthy taste, peel the celeriac first. Cut to fit your juicer.
Celery	Rinse thoroughly and add entire celery stalk through the juicer (even the leafy tops).
Chard (Silverbeet)	Rinse leaves individually, checking for dirt and sand. No need to remove the stems. Roll the leaves up and run through your juicer. Leafy greens move best your juicer best when followed by a harder fruit or vegetable, like apples, celery, or cucumbers.
Cherries	Rinse and use a small paring knife to remove the small pits before juicing. Delcious when juiced, if they make it to your juicer, that is.
Chayotes	Wash and chop to size to fit your juicer, then juice!
Collard greens	These are a great leafy green, and can be used if kale isn’t available. Wash the large leaves and roll up before juicing.
Cranberries	Rinse and run through juicer. Make sure you juice them with something sweet because these are really tart… not like the commecial cranberry juice you buy in the store!
Cucumbers	Cut the cumber in half and use it to help push greens through your juicer. No need to peel.
Dandelion	Juice as you would any other green – wash leaves and roll up. Push through with firmer produce. These have some bite to them, so use sparingly, or round off with a sweet and juicy fruit, like pineapple.
Eggplant	I’ve never juiced eggplant and I don’t think I ever will! I think eggplant is best for eating.
Fennel bulbs	I love juicing fennel bulbs. Rinse and cut them to fit through the juicer and you’ll notice a slight flavor that reminds me of black licorice.
Grapefruits	Peel, and try to keep as much as the white pith on as possible (you can use a peeler for that), since the pith contains nutrients that help your body absorb the vitamin C and amazing antioxidants found in citurs fruits. Cut to fit your juicer, and remove the seeds. If you have a centrifugal juicer, you can keep the seeds in. They contain excellent nutrients too.
Grapes	Wash your grapes and remove them from their stems and add them through the juicer. Experiement with red, green, and purple grapes.
Jicama	Wash, slice, but don’t peel jicama before adding it to your vegetable juicer. The jicama juice will contain nutrients that were near the skin even after the skin’s been pulped away.
Kale (Tuscan cabbage)	One of my favorites! Use any kind – lacinato, red, green, purlple, curly, etc. – and add the leafy green through your juicer after rinsing. I normally add 3-4 leaves at a time.
Kiwis	Peel and run through your juicer, seeds and all.
Leeks	Keep the root and the green part on the leek, and slice in half the long way. Gently separate and rinse between the layers. Check for dirt or sand hiding between the layers.
Lemons	Peel, and try to keep as much as the white pith on as possible (you can use a peeler for that), since the pith contains nutrients that help your body absorb the vitamin C and amazing antioxidants found in citrus fruits. Cut to fit your juicer, and remove the seeds. If you have a centrifugal juicer, you can keep the seeds in. They contain excellent nutrients too.
Limes	Peel, and try to keep as much as the white pith on as possible (you can use a peeler for that), since the pith contains nutrients that help your body absorb the vitamin C and amazing antioxidants found in citrus fruits. Cut to fit your juicer, and remove the seeds. If you have a centrifugal juicer, you can keep the seeds in. They contain excellent nutrients too.
Mangos	Peel and cut spears of mango from the core. Makes a great tropical juice when mixed with pineapple! Also lends a great creamy texture to your juice.
Melons	Cut into wedges and remove outer skin with a knife or peeler. You can juice these with seeds
Mustard greens	Juice these like you would any green but definitely choose a small amount of mustard greens. This potent green will give a very strong taste and adds lots of spice. It will literally warm your insides.
Onions	Go easy on these, as they can give your juices a super strong flavor. Some people prefer not to juice these at all. Peel papery skin and slice to fit your juicer, if needed. Onions are another one to start with a small amount, taste your juice, and add more if you like it. If eating raw onions bothers your stomach, you probably want to skip juicing them.
Oranges	Peel, and try to keep as much as the white pith on as possible (you can use a peeler for that), since the pith contains nutrients that help your body absorb the vitamin C and amazing antioxidants found in citurs fruits. Cut to fit your juicer, and remove the seeds. If you have a centrifugal juicer, you can keep the seeds in. They contain excellent nutrients too.
Papayas	Cut in half and peel skin. You can leave the seeds in to juice them.
Parsnips	These are super easy, like carrots, especially if you have smaller or skinny ones. Just rinse and run through your juicer! If they’re larger, you may need to slice in half lenthwise. Use these to run greens through your juicer.
Peaches	Cut in half to remove the pit and juice.
Pears	These can be juiced whole. Just wash and slice to fit your juicer, if needed.
Pineapples	The heavier a pinapple is, the riper it is. Grab hold of the top and twist off. Slice into quarters, cut out the woody core, peel the skin, and juice.
Plums	Wash and slice in half to remove the pit. I love experimenting with different types of plums- there are so many! These give your juice a gorgeous color with an antioxidant punch.
Pomegranate	My favorite trick for this tricky fruit: Fill a bowl up with water. Slice pomegranate in half without pulling the halves apart, and then submerge in the bowl of water to break it apart. This keeps the juice from squirting everywhere. Then, keeping it in the water, break the pomegranate into chunks and tease the seeds out. The white parts will float and the seeds will sink. Remove all the skin and the white parts from the top of the water and use a slotted spoon to remove the seeds. Juice!
Radishes	Another easy one – just rinse and run through your juicer. Leave the root and stem on, but remove the leaves if they have any. Watch out! These can spice up your juice in a flash, so add small amounts at a time. If you’re feeling cold, adding these to your juice will warm you right up.
Raspberries	Just rinse and juice. I love to add a little bit of lemon to a juice made with raspberries, or combine them with fresh peaches for a peach melba juice.
Romaine lettuce	Rinse leaves individually, checking for dirt and sand. No need to remove the stems. Roll the leaves up and run through your juicer. Leafy greens move best your juicer best when followed by a harder fruit or vegetable, like apples, celery, or cucumbers.
Scallions	Just rinse and juice! No need to remove the roots or dark green parts because you can juice it all. These have a strong flavor, like onions, so start small.
Spinach	Wash well – some bunches can have a lot of grit on them. Roll into a ball and run through your juicer using firm produce, like apples or carrots.
Squashes	This goes for all squashes, including pumpkin and summer squashes: scrub and remove stem. If the skin is really tough and thick, you might want to peel it. Otherwise, slice and keep the seeds in (you get those extra cancer-fighting chemicals by keeping in the seeds), and juice.
Strawberries	Delicous and sweet, they have a powerful flavor when you juice them – so I like to just mix them with other berries, or maybe one or two other fruits. Just rinse and pop right in the juicer.
Sugar snap peas	Rinse and run through juicer. These don’t have a very high water content, so they’re not going to yield a lot of juice. Juice along with carrots to drink your peas and carrots!
Sweet potatoes	Scrub and cut into chunks. Be sure to try these in our popular peach pie juice – a delicious dessert juice on the Reboot!
Tangerines	Peel and pop into the juicer. As with grapefruits, leave as much of the white pith on as you can, and remove seeds if you’re using a centrifugal juicer.
Tomatoes	Wash and remove stem and any leaves. If they’re large, you may need to slice to fit your juicer. No need to take out the seeds. Fresh tomato juice is worlds away from that canned stuff!
Turnips	Scrub and chop in chunks to fit your juicer. Try these in our root-tastic juice – get the recipe on our site. A great drink for cooler weather when those tropical fruits aren’t in season!
Watermelon	Makes an amazingly refreshing juice, especially in hot weather. Cut into wedges and remove the skin and rind. You can keep the seeds in. Check out my favourite watermelon pineapple ginger juice recipe on our website.
Wheatgrass	Some juicers are better at doing wheatgrass then others. If you’re just doinga small amount, any kind of juicer should be able to handle it. Rinse the wheatgrass, twist or roll into a ball, and push through with something juicy and firm, like apples. Gives a nice greeny flavor to your juice, and provides lots of great green chlorophyl energy.
Zucchinis	Scrub and cut off stem, but leave the other end on. These are great for pushing through greens.

Herbs & Spices

Herbs & Spices	How To Prepare
Basil	Carefully wash the leaves, removing any grit. If your basil seems very gritty, submerge in a bowl of cold water and swish around. Remove and rinse. To juice, tear the leaves off from the stems and roll up. Push through with firmer produce.
Chinese 5-spice powder	Don’t put this through your juicer!! Just sprinkle into your juice.
Cilantro (Coriander)	Wash thoroughly. You can juice both the stems and the leaves.
Cinnamon	Don’t juice this either! Sprinkle ground cinnamon on juices like apple, pear, or sweet potato.
Dill	Rinse and pull the delicate fronds off the stem to juice.
Garlic	The flavor is strong, and so are the benefits… too many to list here, but trust me, they’re a wonderfood. Use fresh garlic and peel before running through juicer. Start with a small amount and taste your juice before adding more. Better to start small and add more than the other way around!
Ginger	Peel your piece of ginger by cutting the size that you need for the juice and then take a spoon to peel the skin back. You can also use a knife to cut it but a spoon does the trick. Ginger doesn’t produce much juice but it does add a rich flavor so be careful not to go overboard.
Jalapeno (Chili pepper)	Wash and juice. As you probably know, these are pretty spicy, so use with care!
Mint	Wash thoroughly and remove leaves from stem before juicing. Goes great with pineapple, grapes, watermelon, or strawberries.
Tarragon	Gives a nice herby flavor to vegetable juices. Wash and tear leaves off their woody stems before juicing.
Parsley	Carefully wash the leaves, removing any grit. If it seems very gritty, submerge in a bowl of cold water and swish around. Remove and rinse. To juice, tear the leaves off from the stems and roll up. Push through with firmer produce.