How To Clean Fruit For Juicing

Completely washed fruit and vegetables are essential to ensure you are drinking the healthiest juice possible. How do you clean fruit for juicing when all produce, whether organic or non-organic needs a wash before being juiced?

Produce bought from the greengrocers, from farmers markets, or even picked fresh from your home garden require the same treatment. Whether you're making homemade apple cider or a berry smoothie, it's important to wash and prepare fruit thoroughly.

The best tip is to keep it simple. Fill the kitchen sink with lukewarm soapy water for washing hard produce such as apples, citrus and rhubarb before rinsing in cold water. Remove rhubarb tops from fresh rhubarb before cleaning, as they're toxic and very bitter.

A colander is best for washing and rinsing small berries like strawberries, blueberries, grapes and cherries. Stone fruit such as nectarines and peaches as well as pears can be cleaned with a washer in a bowl of warm water.

A thorough cold water rinse to finish generally cleans and removes any residual surface spray and pesticide. Organic produce may not carry the preservatives and pesticides that other fruit do but they still have to be cleaned to remove soil and insects.

Some produce contains a waxy residue, which may still remain after scrubbing. If this is the case, peel the fruit before juicing. Remove stems and leaves and seed all stone fruit such as apricots and plums. Mangos also need to be peeled and pitted. Don't forget to remove apple seeds as the seeds contain trace arsenic.

Citrus such as oranges and grapefruit contain toxic skins, which need to be peeled and removed without removing the white pith. Some people like to juice lemons and limes with the skin remaining. This is fine if you have a powerful extractor like the Breville Juice Fountain. Otherwise to extend the life of your juicer, peel the outer skin before juicing.

Peel the outer skins to remove any trace of pesticides and fertilizers from tropical fruit such as pineapple, watermelon and cantaloupe. Finally, remove any bruised and decaying parts before placing any produce in your juice extractor.

Cleaning fruit is easy but is often overlooked. Produce may look clean but think of the number of people before you who used their grubby hands to touch the fruit you just purchased. In addition to the fertilizer and pesticides, you can see why cleaning is important.