Juicing isn’t looked at as a fall/winter activity…and that’s a shame, because fresh fruit is available, in season, all the time.

The prospect of making fresh fruit and vegetable juice at home can seem scary and expensive, but here are a few easy tips to make like a lot easier, more economical, and downright tasty!

The best juicer to buy is a used one.

Assuming you already buy fresh juice every week, juicing at home will save you money in the long term. For people who aren’t into fresh juice and are only doing this on a whim, you WILL…I repeat….you WILL lose money.

Juicing involves labor: buying the fruit, washing and chopping, juicing and then clean up. It’s a labor of love, like knitting or painting. You have to WANT to juice. You have to get satisfaction out of the process.

The best juicer to buy, therefore, is a used one. People get rid of juicers at yard sales and Craigslist all the time. I got mine from my mother, who regifted it to me from my sister.

There is no “best brand” or “best model juicer”. Buy a really nice one used, and you will pay the same price as a cheap new one. Seriously: used juicers have been used three or four times, then stuffed in a closet.

Buy fruit in season and based on price per pound.

The magic number is $1.00 (USD) per pound or less. When fruit is in season, it should be around this price at any larger grocery store. Here’s a cheat sheet from About.com:

January
oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, tangelos, lemons, papayas

February
oranges, tangelos, grapefruit, lemons, papayas

March
pineapples, mangoes

April
pineapples, mangoes

May
cherries, pineapples

June
watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, cherries, blueberries, peaches, apricots

July
watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, peaches, apricots, kiwi, raspberries, plums, cucumbers, tomatoes

August
watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, peaches, apricots, kiwi, raspberries, plums, cucumbers, tomatoes,

September
grapes, pomegranates, persimmons, tomatoes

October
cranberries, apples, pomegranates, grapes

November
cranberries, oranges, tangerines, pears, pomegranates, persimmons

Don’t Be Afraid of Vegetables In Fruit Juice

Despite loving juice, I’m not a vegetable juice fan. In fact, V8 frightens me. But adding carrots or celery to apple juice is a great way to add vitamins without having to drink the thick tomato stuff!

Also, herbs and roots are nice in juice as well. Try adding a little ginger to orange juice or parsley to carrot juice.

Have Fun

Juicing is a passion, so have fun with it! To make it more fun, make sure to clean up after yourself before having the juice. Why? Because the reason people quit juicing is because of the clean up of the machine. Do that first, before enjoying your drink, and you will never be left with that, “oh, no!” feeling.