Juices have become part of the lives of many people. It is an excellent source of trace elements and vitamins during the winter. But most often drinks made from berries and fruits are used. But the majority treat vegetables with undeserved caution.
The benefits of pumpkin juice
Pumpkin juice is becoming more and more popular every year. In addition to its amazing taste, this product has just a huge amount of useful microelements that are so important in the winter. Just one glass of pumpkin drink can satisfy the human need for phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, vitamins A and E. Also, due to the content of dietary fiber and pectins, intestinal performance will be very good.
In addition to all of the above, pumpkin juice contains:
- Vitamin K.
- Iron.
- Beta carotene.
- Ascorbic acid.
In addition to the complex of vitamins, pumpkin drink is used to prevent a number of chronic diseases:
- Strengthening the immune system.
- Restoration of the normal level of hemoglobin in the blood. Pumpkin juice has proven to be an excellent aid in the treatment of anemia.
- Removal of products of intoxication from the body. It is a great helper in liver cleanse.
- Helps to preserve the beauty of the face and body, preventing skin changes due to aging.
- Since this vegetable has a low calorie content, it is useful to use it for obesity.
- Although pumpkin has a high glycemic index, eating it in reasonable quantities is beneficial even for diabetes.
It is not for nothing that a fairly large number of recipes have been invented to make pumpkin juice. The most useful drink is considered to be squeezed from fresh raw pulp. It contains the most important substances for the body. But not everyone likes this type of pumpkin smoothie because of its specific smell and insipid taste. Moreover, its long-term storage is impossible.
Various ingredients are added to pumpkin juice to enhance the palatability. The most common additives are lemon, carrot, honey, orange, sour berries and spices. In order for the juice to be stored for a rather long time, it is necessary to sterilize it before pouring it into cans.
What varieties of pumpkin are used for juice?
You can delight in pumpkin juice by using the pulp of large-fruited or nutmeg pumpkin varieties. It is as a result of using these varieties that the best food product is obtained.
The following types of pumpkin are also quite often used:
- The Kroshka variety appeared in Russia at the beginning of the last century and is considered proven in the recipes of housewives. Although the fruits are not very large, they have an excellent sugar taste.
- Butternut is the most popular pumpkin today. Its flesh has a bright orange hue and a rich sweet taste. The pumpkin has an oblong shape and few seeds. Although this variety came to Russia quite recently, it has been in high demand all over the world for quite some time.
- Variety "Smile" - this pumpkin is very well stored even at room temperature. Therefore, freshly squeezed juice can be made from it at any time. The flesh of the vegetable is quite sweet and has a delicate aroma.
- The Gribovskaya Zimnyaya variety is a late-ripening pumpkin variety. The pulp has a bright yellow or reddish tint. It tastes very tender, sweet and quite juicy.
- The "Palav-kadu" variety can have fruit sizes up to 10 kg. The pulp of this pumpkin variety is very juicy. The variety itself is remarkable in that it has some special beneficial properties. It is the juice from the pumpkin "Palav-kadu" that is taken in India in certain proportions to reduce the spread of tubercle bacillus.
How to choose the right pumpkin for juicing?
To prepare excellent pumpkin juice, you need to pay attention to young fruits. It is from such pumpkins that you can get juice with the most excellent taste. The weight of the pumpkin for juice should not be more than 6 kg.
It is important to pay attention to the color of the pulp. Too light fruits will not taste enough. Great juice is made from bright orange or even reddish pulp cubes, depending on the pumpkin variety.
If you want to make juice, the aroma of which will be strong enough, you need to pay attention to the nutmeg pumpkin varieties.
In no case should you leave the skin and seeds of the pumpkin fruit when cooking the pulp. The seeds can be dried and eaten roasted. But the peel will have to be thrown away.
The classic homemade pumpkin juice recipe
To make pumpkin juice at home, you need one ripe fruit and a juicer. The pumpkin must be thoroughly peeled and seeds removed and cut into small cubes. In order for the processing of the pulp to be done quickly, the juicer must be set to maximum power. The pulp is passed through the machine and a freshly squeezed juice is obtained.
Most housewives like to mix pumpkin drink with juice from carrots, apples, currants or even cabbage. The proportions can be arbitrary, but the most commonly used ratio is 1: 1. Sugar is best added to taste.
Freshly squeezed juice is best done in portions. Even if you store it in the refrigerator, the beneficial properties are lost.
To preserve the drink for the winter, it is worth boiling pumpkin juice. Of course, some of the vitamins will be lost during heat treatment, but most of the beneficial properties will remain.
Its storage will be quite long if sterilized before preservation. Otherwise, the juice will quickly become unusable.
There are many recipes for making a heat-treated pumpkin drink. Below are the most popular and best recipes.
Pumpkin juice with pulp
This recipe will not be ignored by lovers of rich taste and dense juice consistency. For cooking, you need to take 0.5 kg of pumpkin cake, 1 liter of water, 100 g of sugar or fructose, lemon and a few fresh mint leaves.
- First, sugar syrup is made: water and sugar are mixed in a saucepan and brought to a boil, stirring constantly.
- After boiling, pumpkin cake is added to the syrup and boiled over medium heat for about 20 minutes.
- The resulting broth is cooled to room temperature and whipped with a blender.
- The resulting juice with pulp must be boiled again, adding previously lemon and mint to taste.
- After cooling, the drink must be preserved.
In winter, you can enjoy canned food with fragrant pumpkin juice with pulp.
Homemade pumpkin juice
Most often, the most successful recipes are those whose saturation and sweetness can be varied independently. Don't be afraid to experiment. Everyone has their own taste preferences. Someone likes a sweet, almost sugary taste. And some are delighted with the pure taste of pumpkin.
To prepare such pumpkin juice, you will need 1 kg of fresh pumpkin, sugar and water. The last two ingredients are selected individually according to taste preferences.
- Before starting cooking, pumpkin must be thoroughly washed and peeled. It is necessary to remove not only the seeds, but also the peel.
- In order for the pumpkin pulp to cook in the same way, the vegetable must be cut into equal small cubes.
- Cold clean water is poured into a saucepan and pumpkin pulp is placed. Now you need to wait for a boil over moderate heat.
- It is important to wait until the pumpkin cubes are soft. The pulp is pulled out of the liquid and thoroughly grinded with a blender.
- Sugar and the remaining broth are added to taste.
- The juice must be poured into sterilized jars and well closed with lids.
You can drink the resulting drink a few days after production.
Pumpkin juice with dried apricots and carrots
For 3 kg of pumpkin pulp, 0.5 kg of dried apricots and 5 medium-sized carrots are required. Everything must be cut into small enough cubes. It is important that they are all about the same size. The pulp of the fruit is placed in a saucepan and filled with 3 liters of water. All ingredients are simmered over medium heat until softened. Then you need to let the juice cool, and then grind it in a blender.
It remains only to add sugar to taste. It is also advisable to add juice from fresh lemon there to taste. If lemon is not at hand, then you can replace it with citric acid.
All that remains is to sterilize the jars and preserve the product.
The production of pumpkin juice for the winter is not a complicated process. No special technique is required for its preparation. Even if you don't have a blender at home, you can rub the boiled pulp through a sieve and get an excellent drink that will charge you with vitamins all winter.
In order to consume freshly squeezed pumpkin juice in winter, you can prepare the pumpkin at the peak of the season and freeze it in the freezer in portions of packages. During the cold season, all that remains is to take out a bag, defrost it and pass it through a juicer.
