We Like Well Engineered Stuff....

Most of the kitchen scraps that go into the compost bin, as well as a lot of the crop "waste" that doesn't even make it into the kitchen is perfectly good edible & nutritious material. (sometimes the most nutritious bits!)  Whilst we don't really believe in waste; it's either headed for livestock, worms or soil micro- organisms anyway, it feels beneficial to get as much out of every yield possible, by making super nutritious juices and then sending the pulp on to animals or the compost.  So what makes a good juicer?

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Having run a juice bar with one of these older Greenstars (http://www.greenstar.com/) ridgedale Richard has always been impressed with their engineering, performance and quality.  Buying one for the house was a good move it turned out, these machines are rugged and reliable and extract a very high level of juice from any vegetable or fruit matter.  The pulp that remains comes out dry, a big difference from centrifugal style juicers, which just can't extract as much.  Another important factor, these masticating juicers have slow movement with high torque, which means they do not produce heat like centrifugal models can, preserving more enzymes in the process.

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These machines can also produce nut butters, pasta, etc, a testament to their robust construction; they have just upped the warranty period from 5 to 12 years.  Anyone who's been reading these posts will know we like things built to last- a long warranty is usually a good sign of something worth having!

We personally recommend the older model pictured here (http://www.greenstar.com/star1.asp)  It's the same with my 27yr old robust Volvo compared with a newer models.  We like simple, robust engineering that works well for a long time, and try to avoid modern electronics, etc.  (This is also the only model we have used much.)

We mostly like using up our kitchen/ crop scraps, to get the most out of nutrients as they pass through our systems.  If you want to take it a step further you might enjoy looking into Norman Walker's life works.  Walker pioneered intensive vegetable juice for medical healing and some of his work is truly fascinating.  This little book is full of data around a vast range of fruit/ vegetable nutrition, and which different plants support the body through different ailments, including intense medical complications.  Worth a read.

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