The cookware we use for food preparation, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the pesticide-sprayed leafy greens we eat, can lead to an exposure to heavy metals. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, October 1985, carrot juice can pull these heavy metals from fatty tissue where they reside, bind them up, and discharge them from the system.

Carrot juice, because of its many healthy benefits, is frequently called the "miracle juice." A large number of people in all walks of life suffering from various ailments have found that the inclusion of carrot juice in their diet has greatly improved their health. Countless others have found it to be a valuable "protective" agent in the building and maintenance of health in both children and adults, while its delicious flavour makes it popular with all members of the family as a beverage, plain or combined with other juices.

 Carrot juice is a very important source of vitamin A. Scientists in the U.S. estimate that this juice contains the largest source of vitamin A, than any other fruit juice. Carrot juice provides an important source of dietary fibre and has approximately 24 calories in each 2 oz. Serving. It contains important nutrients such as calcium, phosphorous, iron, sodium, potassium, vitamin B complex, vitamin A, and as mentioned - mostly vitamin A.

Carrot juice is a therapeutic agent used for over 150 years as an ancient practice. It is reported to contain healing properties that have proven to treat varied diseases. Even complexion problems can be eliminated with the intake and digestion of needed potassium in carrot juice to help neutralize excess acid to the skin. The vitamin A in carrot juice helps the liver flush out toxins from the body - toxins that cause complexion problems.

Learn more about your favourite beverage at Carrot Juice Com here: All about Carrot Juice

Fresh juice has the ability to distribute an additional significant variety of nutrients, recognized as enzymes, which are your body's labour power. Performing as catalysts in hundreds of thousands of chemical reactions that occur throughout your body, enzymes are crucial for digestion and amalgamation of food, for conversion of food packs into body tissue, and for the creation of energy at the cellular level. In fact, enzymes are vital for most of the metabolic actions taking position in your body every second of every day.

Fresh juices are a wonderful resource of enzymes. The freshness of juice is one of their key features, since enzymes are damaged by high temperature. Given that fruits and vegetables are juiced uncooked, the enzymes are still there when you drink the juice!

Fruit and vegetable juices are also excellent sources of the traditional nutrients. Citrus fruits (grapefruit, oranges, etc.) are packed with vitamin C. Carrot juice contains vitamin A, in the form of beta-carotene. Green juices are excellent sources of vitamin E. Fruit juices are also a source of essential minerals like iron, copper, potassium, sodium, iodine, and magnesium, which are most easily assimilated throughout digestion.

Since juicing eliminates the hard to digest fibre, nutrients are obtainable to the body in a great deal of larger quantities than if the piece of fruit or vegetable was eaten whole. For instance, since a lot of the nutrients are in the fibre, when you eat a raw carrot, you are only able to absorb about 3% of the beta-carotene.

Tests have shown that three percent of the total beta-carotene content is released from raw carrots when consumed in raw pieces. When homogenized (pulped) 21% was released. Cooking the pulp increased the accessibility to 27%. Addition of cooking oil to the cooked pulp further increased the released amount to 39%. (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2002) 56, 425–430- Estimation of carotenoid accessibility from carrots determined by an in vitro digestion method, Hedren et al)

Fruits and vegetables offer another substance that is completely fundamental for good health - water. Over 65% of most of the cells in the human body are made of water, and in some tissues, such as the brain, the cells may be made up of as much as 80% water. Water is extremely necessary for good health, yet most people don't consume enough water each day. Fruit and vegetable juices are free of unnecessary substances and are bursting with pure, clean water.

(reference http://www.soymilkquick.com/juice.html)

Important note: refrigerate home made juice as soon as possible and do not keep more than 24 hours.  Carrot juice does not keep well. Do make sure that you are strictly careful with your preparation and follow good hygiene standards, to minimise the risk of food poisoning.  Read more about botulism risks here.

The Small Print! -Carrot juice, like other low acid products, must be kept refrigerated to ensure product safety. Properly refrigerated carrot juice poses no risk to consumer health. However, all fresh carrot juice (regardless of manufacturer or brand) has the potential to harbour Botulism if improperly refrigerated or exposed to elevated temperatures for extended periods of time.

Botulism, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning, can cause the following symptoms: general weakness, dizziness, double-vision and trouble with speaking or swallowing. Difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension and constipation may also be common symptoms. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention.

There is also black carrot juice! from Turkey. It is called "Salgam".  The Carrot Museum found (and tasted) some whilst visiting a Carrot Festival in Beypazari,Turkey. More here.

Black Carrot Juice - Salgam	Local Black Carrot Seeds

Make Carrot Juice

Carrot juice does not stay fresh fro long, so the advice is make little and often. 

What is the shelf life of fresh carrot juice? The shelf life for all fresh homemade carrot juice is roughly 48 hours if refrigerated in a sealed container or juice jar. If you plan to store your carrot juice up to the 48 hour marker, then it's a very good idea to stir into it a heaping tablespoon or two of fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice. The citric acid will not only keep the juice from oxidizing, it will also prevent any bad bacteria from growing in the juice during the short term. I do not recommend drinking carrot juice after the 48 hour period. Due to the juice's high natural sugar level it can become a breeding ground for unhealthy types of bacteria. There are however very healthy ways of extending the shelf life of the juice, but they included either freezing or canning (bottling) the juice.

Almost any large variety, one called Neptun is an excellent long season 'Flakee' type carrot with large conical roots up to 12in/30cm long, with an intense orange colour and are particularly sweet for their type.

If you can find it, Juwarot is the carrot with the highest beta carotene content. Otherwise the regular shop varieties, Imperator, Nantes, Chantenay, Danvers and Nairobi.

Avoid "baby carrots", also make sure you use all of the carrot. Many take off their skins, where most of the goodness lies. Make sure you drink it as soon as possible as it does not keep well. Best made and drunk fresh.

1. Wash fresh, whole carrots. Trim off the ends.
2. Following instructions for your model, push carrots through juicer, catching juice in cup as directed.
3. Clean pulp from strainer as you go along, if necessary.
4. Drink juice immediately or within a few days. Carrot juice does not keep for long and tastes best when fresh

Preparing Carrots for Juicing. Wash carrots thoroughly in cold water, using a stiff vegetable brush. Scrape lightly, but do not peel, as valuable vitamins and minerals lies close to the surface. The juice should be taken immediately it is made, if at all possible. If not, let the juice flow directly into glass jars which should then be covered with screw-on lids. After pouring the quantity to be used immediately, keep the remaining juice tightly covered, in the refrigerator to prevent loss of vitamin and mineral content through oxidation.

Carrot juice blends with practically all other juices. It is a delicious nourishing beverage for all members of the family at all times and it should be an important part of the diet in cases of illness. One pound of carrots will make approximately six to eight ounces of carrot juice. The large, firm, dark-yellow carrots should be selected for juicing, rather than the light-yellow ones, because of their greater carotene content.

It’s also important to add a good squeeze of lemon juice, you won’t really notice the taste of it and it will stop the apple juice from oxidising and turning the whole thing a muddy brown colour. Oxidisation won’t affect the taste, but it’s nicer if your fresh juice doesn’t look like pond water.

Black Carrot has been planted in Turkey for over a century and is juiced  for fresh drinking and manufacturing a local sharp summer drink called "Salgam". Tameks Tarim is the Turkish producer and their site is www.tameks.com.  Black carrot page here.

Tips

It is not necessary to peel the carrots, but if they are not organic, you may wish to.
Try running an inch or so of ginger root through the juicer with the carrots for a zesty variation.
Yes, you can freeze carrot juice, but:
1. It will be very thin and separated when thawed (so you can use it for cooking, for an ingredient in salad dressing, etc, but not so great for drinking)
2. It may pick up flavours in the freezer, so be certain to wrap it very tightly.
3. A small amount of nutritional value will be lost.
4. There is no need to blanche the carrots first, just make juice as normal in a juicer.
5. It should last a month, but it's never as good as fresh.

Frozen Carrot Juice

Ingredients: 6 Cups Of Peeled Baby Cut Carrots, 1 Teaspoon Of Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

Information: Serving Size 1 119 Calories Per Serving 0 Grams Of Fat

Preparation Instructions:

Place a sealable plastic freezer proof vessel under the juice spout. Clean and rinse your baby carrots under cold running tap water. Once your produce has been cleaned, turn on your machine, and run the produce through it. Once you have an adequate amount of juice, stir a single teaspoon of fresh squeezed lime juice into the mixture, as this will help prevent any oxidization within the juice from taking place. Place a lid tightly over the freezer proof vessel, then locate it in the freezer. The juice will keep for up to two weeks, however the extreme cold will neutralize some of the vitamins and minerals within the juice. With regard to thawing the juice, let it thaw in the refrigerator, as opposed to heating it. Heating the juice will further neutralize additional vitamins and minerals.

Canned (bottled) Carrot Juice

Ingredients: 12 Cups Of Peeled Baby Cut Carrots 1 Tablespoon Of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

Information: Serving Size 1, 350 Calories Per Serving, 0 Grams Of Fat

Preparation Instructions:

This canned carrot juice recipe aims is to make one full pint of juice. Juice yield can greatly vary depending how fresh your carrots are, so you might have to adjust your own proportions accordingly. Wash and rinse your carrots. Place a tall pint size glass under your juice spout, and then begin feeding the produce through the machine. Once your glass is full, stir in one tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice. Next you will want to transfer your juice into a one pint canning jar, leaving a quarter inch of headspace at the top. Next you will want to securely place your lid on the jar, then heat the jar in a boiling water bath for roughly fifteen minutes. With regard to the lemon juice, it's an important ingredient, as it can prevent any oxidization from occurring while you're canning the juice. Canned carrot juice will not have the fresh taste to it obviously, and boiling it will neutralize a percentage of the vitamins and minerals contained in the juice. It is however a great way to utilize large amounts of carrots grown in a home garden.

Great Uses for the left over Carrot Pulp

Carrot juice—as you know—is a very healthful and tasty drink. If you've ever made this beverage yourself, however, you've probably been amazed at how much pulp is left over after putting a few carrots through the juicer. The question is, what can you do with all those solids?

Carrot pulp marmalade - 

3 oranges, 4 cups of water, 3 cups of carrot pulp, 4 tablespoons of lemon juice, 3 cups of honey, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1 package of store-bought dried pectin.

Peel all three oranges and cut the rinds into very narrow slices. Cook the slices in four cups of water until they're tender ... then let 'em sit at least seven hours (or overnight). Once the peelings have had a chance to stand for seven (or more) hours, add the carrot pulp to them and boil for 10 minutes. Next, chop the oranges into a bowl and remove all seeds. Then introduce the oranges, lemon juice, honey, and ginger to the pulp/peelings mixture and boil for 20 minutes more. If—after 20 minutes-the marmalade has begun to jell on its own ... terrific! Pour the mixture into hot, sterile canning jars and seal. Otherwise—if the jam hasn't thickened-you should stir in the dried pectin at this point. (I don't know why, but sometimes you'll need the pectin and sometimes you won't. All I can say is, when in doubt . . . use the pectin.) Boil the pectin-enriched marmalade for another 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, but continue to stir for an additional seven minutes. Finally, pour the marmalade into hot, sterile canning jars and seal.

Carrot Pulp bread -

2/3 cup of vegetable oil, 3/4 cup of honey, 2 eggs, 1-1 /2 cups of carrot pulp, 1-1 /2 cups of whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of sea salt (optional). 

Mix the oil and honey together as well as you can, then add the eggs and mix again. Stir in the carrot pulp. Now add the remaining ingredients and mix well ... pour the resulting concoction into a greased loaf pan (measuring approximately 8-1/2" X 4-1/2" X 2-5/8") ... and bake in a pre-heated 350°F oven for 60 to 65 minutes.

Carrot pulp cookies -

3/4 cup of water, 1 cup of carrot pulp, 2/3 cup of vegetable oil, 2/3 cup of honey, 1 egg, 2 cups of whole wheat flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon of pure lemon extract.

Add the water to the carrot pulp in a small saucepan and cook over a very low heat for 10 minutes, stirring often to keep the pulp from scorching. Meanwhile, beat the oil and honey together in a bowl, then beat in the egg. Stir in the cooked carrot pulp, the flour and the baking powder. Add the vanilla and lemon extracts, stir, and spoon the dough out onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes in a pre-heated 400°F oven. Happy eating!

10 more excellent and productive ways to use up Carrot pulp

1. Feed your carrot pulp to rabbits, dogs, cats, and horses, among other members of the animal kingdom.

2. Use this pulp for making healthy muesli bars for children. Children love them so much. Here is the recipe:

Soak rolled oats in the water (do not make them soggy) and add to them carrot and apple pulp. Then add chopped almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, linen seeds, and sultanas . Add honey to taste. Mix thoroughly together and then put and flatten into a baking tray. Bake at 180-190 C until nice and dry.

3. Make Golden Macaroons - I'm sure there can be lots of variations with this recipe so I hope everyone enjoys it.
1 cup grated raw carrots, packed;1/2 cup water ;1/3 cup honey
1 1/2 cup coconut ; 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of oats
1/2 tsp salt (optional) 1 tsp vanilla
Blend dry, quick or rolled oats to make a flour. Mix well all ingredients. Let sit 10 min. firmly pack dough into a tablespoon then drop on an oiled baking sheet. Bake at 325f for 30 min.

4. Mix carrot pulp in with spaghetti sauce along with the fresh onions and garlic.

5. Save the pulp and make delicious muffins with whole wheat flour and honey.

6. Carrot cake and patties. Patties can be made of half cooked brown rice, half carrot pulp, and chopped onions, garlic, and green peppers. Use an egg to bind it together, but I'm sure flour would work just as well.

7. You can also add to the apple and carrot pulp some grated horseradish for a good winter salad. If you use celeriac bulb for juicing, then that pulp is excellent with crushed garlic and makes a healthy type of mayonnaise to spread on toast.

8. Freeze the pulp in freezer bags pressing them flat so they are easy to break off a piece. This is good to drop into soups, sauces, mixes of various sorts. It works in anything.

9. Gather pulp in the refrigerator until there is plenty then dry it out. You have dried carrot pulp flakes. This keeps indefinitely. Sprinkle it on or in just about anything including on top of salad as "sprinkles." It also works well in whole grain quick breads such as muffins, pancakes, etc. Depending on what you plan to put it in, if you need moisture added, use the moist pulp either fresh or frozen. If you want it dry, as on salad, use the dehydrated.

10. If all else fails use in the compost bin. It adds moisture to the dry layer above and below it and cuts composting time significantly.

Cocky Carrot
Cocktail - Long drink

1 1/2 oz Stolichnaya® vodka
1 1/2 oz triple sec (or Cointreau)
1 oz carrot juice
1 oz citrus energy drink (180 or Crunk or Lucozade!)

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and stir. Strain over ice into a collins glass. Garnish with an orange wheel, and serve.

Carrot Balls

2 cups sliced carrots, cooked and mashed
1 1/2 cups soft breadcrumbs
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
1/2 tsp. salt1/4 tsp. pepper
Dash of hot sauce 1 egg white
1 1/4 cups coarsely crushed cornflakes

Combine carrots, breadcrumbs, cheese, salt, pepper, and hot sauce; toss lightly. Beat egg white until stiff peaks form; fold into carrot mixture.

Shape mixture into 2-inch balls; roll in cornflakes. Place balls on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Now try Jamaican Carrot Juice - with a kick!


This carrot juice drink, made mostly on Sundays, is the crowned king of Jamaican dinner juices. This is one of the methods used to make this juice.
Ingredients:
2lbs. Carrot
1 can Condensed Milk
¼ lb Sugar
2 tablespoon nutmeg
2 tablespoon vanilla flavouring
3 cups water
Tools:
Electric Blender
Fine grain strainer
Wash the carrots to remove any dirt or foreign matter, then cut the carrots into tiny pieces, let us say 1/8 inch (please, do not measure the pieces just estimate).
Put carrots into the Electric Blender one handful at a time until the Blender is ¾ ways full, each time. Add about ½ cup of water to the carrots in the Blender. Turn the Blender switch to puree and allow carrots to process until they are ground to a pulp.
Remove pulp and place into a large mixing bowl. Add 1 cup water to pulp. Using your clean hand, squeeze the pulp in your palm, allowing the juice to flow through the strainer.
Put the squeezed pulp on a plate to the side. Repeat this process until all the pulp is squeezed.
Add water to the squeezed pulp that you put on a plate earlier, in a mixing bowl.
Squeeze this pulp again. Drain carrot juice into another container through the strainer so as to stop any remaining pulp from getting into the final product.
Mix in the condensed milk with the carrot juice, add sugar to taste. Add nutmeg and vanilla flavouring.
You can add more water or more ingredients if you like, to bring about the taste you desire.
Add a capful of white rum to the mixture to enhance the flavour!
 

10 Great Uses For Carrot Juice

I guess most people think of carrot juice as a health-food store item for "cranks". In fact it has been available on supermarket shelves for years. You will find cans of carrot juice where other canned fruit and vegetable juices are. And although a freshly "squeezed" glass of carrot juice made in a juicer may seem like it's better for you, the canned juice has no preservatives, no added ingredients, and every bit as much beta-carotene as the fresh stuff.

So why not give it a go and discover these inventive uses for this "wonder drug":

1.  In Breads & Muffins:

Substitute carrot juice for some or all of the liquid in a bread recipe. It works for yeast breads as well as for quick breads and muffins. The carrot juice gives the bread an incredibly rich, golden colour and a hint of sweetness

2 .In Risottos & Pilau:

Instead of cooking rice or barley or couscous in water or broth (canned broth, after all, doesn't add much to food except salt), try simmering or steeping it in carrot juice. You'll wind up with golden grains that look like they've been cooked with saffron (at a tiny, tiny fraction of the price, and a huge health benefit that saffron does not have

3. In Soups & Stews:

Don't even think about making soup with water when you can use carrot juice instead. Savoury soups and stews, minestrone, chilli, tomato, cream of carrot (naturally), winter squash, split pea, you name it--benefit from the added richness. And if you're a fan of fruit soups, you can sneak some carrot juice in there, too.

4. In Sauces:

Another place this "liquid gold" fits in: sauces. Carrot juice can be incorporated into pasta (tomato) sauce, meat or poultry gravies, and savoury cream sauces, and to thin vegetable purees to pouring consistency.

5. In Mashed Potatoes:

Add carrot juice to mashed white potatoes or sweet potatoes. The mash will look like it's dripping with butter whether you add any or not. And that goes for other mashable vegetables like turnips, parsnips or celery root.

6. In Cakes & Biscuits:

If you're baking a cake, try subbing carrot juice for half the milk in the recipe to enrich the golden-ness of a gold cake or a fruit or nut cake. Carrot juice makes a wonderful addition to chocolate cakes and brownies, too.

7 As a Poultry Glaze:

In Broiled Carrot-Glazed Chicken, brushed a sweet-tart glaze (made of carrot juice, honey, and vinegar) over chicken breasts and then broil them. Some of the same mixture is used as a sauce. You could use carrot juice as the foundation for other glazes too: for chicken, meat, or fish.

8. In Homemade Pasta:

If you go to the trouble of making pasta from scratch, you might as well use carrot juice instead water and enjoy some jazzy orange pasta. The flavour will be subtle, so don't worry about coming up with a "taste-matching" sauce. But the colour suggests some complementary ingredients: slivers of smoked salmon, winter-squash puree, a curried-chicken topping, for instance.

9. In Ice Creams & Puddings:

Use carrot juice in place of about one-third to one-half of the milk in puddings, custards, or ice creams. It works well with chocolate (the sweetness of the carrot juice complements and heightens the chocolate flavours)

10. In Drinks:

Last but not least. Add carrot juice to orange juice, tomato juice, pineapple juice, apricot nectar, beet juice. It's not just the flavours that will surprise you, but the vivid colours you can mix up. Or make a smoothie: Consider a blend of peaches, vanilla yoghurt, carrot juice, a pinch of nutmeg and a splash of almond extract. Or orange juice, carrot juice, banana yoghurt, and a few drops of vanilla...you get the idea?. (Feeling wicked? Add a splash of vodka, a squirt of grenadine and a dash of lime juice to your cupful of carrot juice and top with a mint sprig.)