What about the pulp?
Isn’t that wasteful? These are
the most common questions I get asked when someone engages me in a discussion
on juicing. Most are mystified as to why
it can be helpful NOT to have all of that fiber material in the juice. Once that question is settled, the matter
turns to what to do with the pulp.
Firstly, for those of you concerned that you aren’t getting
any fiber in your juice let me assuage your fears. The soluble fiber is extracted into the
juice. If you are still eating and
juicing you obviously get additional fiber from the foods you are
consuming. This point seems to be
especially troubling to those preparing to embark on a juice only fast. While the lack of insoluble fiber in our diet
on a long-term basis would be detrimental to our health, on a short term basis
during a juice fast, it assists our body to easily absorb all of those
wonderful micro nutrients without the digestive system having to work so hard to
get them. So basically, getting the
insoluble fiber out of the way gives the nutrients an express train to your
cells where they can do their work to repair the cells and get you looking and
feeling great! One of the first benefits
you may notice when you juice is clearer skin!
What great external proof that the extra plant nutrition is doing its
job!
Okay, hopefully I have convinced you that you can live
without some of that fiber. We now turn
to what to do with what is left. When
the Juice Avenger and I began our 10 day reboot (see Reboot with Joe for some excellent
plans) I took Joe Cross’ suggestion and put a bag in the pulp container on the
juicer and froze the leftover in freezer bags vowing that I would add it to a
spaghetti sauce or bake it into bread.
The reality for me was that I quickly realized I would never get around
to using any of those bags in the freezer.
Partly because I found pulp recipes labor intensive, also because I
wasn’t brave enough to just throw it in a sauce, and partly because most of the
recipes I found called for a specific type of pulp or all veggie and mine was
very mixed. So, I quit saving it, and
began to throw it away. I had much guilt
for doing this. One morning, I
remembered our compost bucket we had as a kid and wondered why I had completely
forgotten about composting when deciding the fate of the pulp. My neighbor has a fancy compost bin on a
frame that you can turn to aid in aerating the compost and assisting it in
breaking down more quickly, so I initially began saving the days plant waste
from juicing and whatever else we ate and collecting it in a bucket for
Dave. Then I decided that there was no
reason he should get all that wonderful waste (sorry Dave) and began to look at
how I could compost it myself.
As a kid, I grew up in the middle of nowhere on several
acres in Western, NY. Composting
required no fancy equipment (if it was even available, we sure wouldn’t have
known it) so we used an old bowl to collect during the day and dumped it in a
remote corner of the yard. Nature takes
its course from there and my parents had their very own supply of free nutrient
rich soil. (Even if you don’t garden (as
we didn’t and don’t) you are still enriching the earth for whatever grows there
naturally which will then feed wildlife, etc. etc.) If you have the space in your yard this is
still the easiest way to compost and it is free! If you have space constraints or an HOA that
would frown on your rotting pile of veg, you may still be able to get away with
an open pile of compost. The smell can
be thwarted with some fresh grass clippings piled on top of the compost. A two inch layer of compost clippings will
also help to discourage fruit flies, disguise the pile, and activate the
decomposition process. You can also
place your pile somewhere that you plan to plant so that you don’t even have to
do the work of moving the sol. It is important to remember that compost soil
should be added to and not be the sole component of your planting soil.
If you prefer to have a compost bin for any reason there are
a multitude of options. The most
economical is to build a bin yourself.
We are handicraft challenged so I will simply point you here for a great
step by step guide. The people at Earth
Easy also have some additional helpful composting tips. If you too are handicraft challenged there
are dozens of prefab bins beginning with the most economical pre-made version of
a wooden bin you would construct yourself to fancy plastic bins from the simple
to the rotating. I will not bore you
with all of those options here. A quick
Google search for compost bin will bring them up for you.
So, you are ready to compost and have figured out what to do
with it, but are wondering where to hold it in the house until you bring it
outside. I continue to hold my compost
as we did as kids in a large plastic bowl, sometimes a gallon pitcher. I like free!
There are almost as many options for inside compost containers as there
are the actual composting bins. I have seen larger plastic pails that can be
useful as they are like diaper pails for compost. Odor free, and do not need to be emptied
daily. If you would like something attractive and
covered or want to choose something larger, again a quick Google search for
compost pail and/or compost crock will give you a myriad of options one of
which I will likely eventually invest in myself. In the meantime, the open container of yuck
goes under the kitchen sink!
If you are unsure as to what exactly you can and can’t
compost, read on! Obviously any fruit
and vegetable peelings, pulp, cut ends; spoiled produce, etc. can be
composted. I recently had some whole
potatoes go bad and wondered what to do about those. They can go in as well, though it is better
to cut them up to reduce odor and speed up decomposition. You can also compost coffee grounds and egg
shells. I also once threw in leftover
spaghetti (no meat) and other cooked vegetable leftovers. I later questioned the wisdom of that and
found that the answer for your backyard compost pile is no. That day’s bucket of compost had to go in the
trash. If veggies were steamed with no
oil, butter or salt added they are fine to add to compost, but meat, salt, oils
and butters will all interfere negatively with the composting process and/or
add harmful bacteria. You should also
know that your compost pile may steam.
That is fantastic! It means you
have lots of decomposers doing their job and your pile is decomposing
effectively!
Now, if you are still wondering why in the world I wouldn’t
have used that pulp in the freezer and are dreaming up great things you can do
with it, you rock! Stretching that food
further is awesome and you clearly have motivation I do not currently
possess! Here are a few links to other
blogs where they give some great uses and recipes for the pulp:
If you do reuse the pulp, please
share your successful reuses. I would
like to give it a try at some point.
I hope I have given you a one stop shop for your questions
about all that pulp! Bottom Line: Don’t throw that pulp in the landfill. There are so many better options! Happy juicing, pulp re purposing and
composting! As always, we here at Juice
Avenger love to hear our reader’s comments, tips and successful juicing (and
pulp using) adventures!
1 Day and a Lifetime to go!!!!
