When asked to think of pumpkins many of us will automatically come up with Halloween related images. However pumpkins have much more to offer than being just a holiday decoration. This is one of the most widely grown vegetables in North America and it is rich in vitamins and antioxidants.
Pumpkins can be used for different cooking purposes. Pumpkin pie is a traditional thanksgiving dish. It makes great salads, desserts and soups. Pumpkin is a great juicing ingredient as well. Great flavor together with numerous health benefits makes pumpkin juice a must have drink in any juicing plan.
Benefits of Pumpkin
The orange color of pumpkins is a good indication to the amounts of beta-carotene you can get from eating it. 100 gram of pumpkin includes more than 3000 mg of beta carotene. Foods rich in beta carotene are usually a great source of vitamin A and pumpkins are no exception. Beta carotene has antioxidant powers to help with eye problems, protect against infections and various deceases like cancer, heart disorders, skin disorders and more.
Pumpkins are also rich in vitamin C, alpha carotene, dietary fiber, magnesium, potassium and more. They have an important impact on lowering cholesterol levels, regulating blood sugar and reducing depressions. No wonder that pumpkins are categorized as a super food.
Pumpkin Juice Benefits
Just like pumpkins, juices made with pumpkin have lots of health and nutritious values. Like the original vegetable, pumpkin juice contains beta carotene, vitamins and minerals. It preserves most of the power of the fresh vegetable. The benefit of drinking pumpkin juice over eating a pumpkin is the ability to get it in a raw form and bigger quantity. You will probably have a hard time eating a hall pumpkin yourself, drinking it however will take you much less effort.
How to Make Pumpkin Juice
Selecting the right pumpkin is a big part of making a successful pumpkin juice. Pumpkins come in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors and weights. It is better to choose the smaller pumpkins for juicing, as they usually have a sweater taste. Another factor to consider when buying a pumpkin is its color. You want it to be consistent all over the pumpkin. Try to find hard and dry pumpkin without any cuts or scratches. Prefer the one with a green stalk to assure freshness.
Once it was bought, it needs to be washed, peeled and cut to parts to fit your juicer. Juice all the parts in a juicer. You can make a fresh pumpkin juice and enjoy it or you can mix it with other fruits and vegetables. There are recipes using fresh pumpkin and those are preferred from a nutritious perspective. However, some delicious juices and smoothies can be made using cooked pumpkin puree as well.
How to Keep Pumpkins Fresh?
Certain sorts of pumpkins can be found on the market most of the year. But the majority of them are available at autumn. It is best to make pumpkin juice from fresh pumpkins which were recently purchased. To keep the pumpkin fresh you need to store it in a cold and dry place. Once you cut it, you need to cover it with plastic and put in a refrigerator.
Pumpkin Juice Recipes
Raw Pumpkin Juice with Apples
- 1/2 of a medium sized pumpkin or one small pumpkin
- 1 or 2 apples (depending on the sweetness of the pumpkin)
- 1/2 tea spoon of cinnamon
Raw Pumpkin With Apples, Pineapples and Honey
- 2 cups of pumpkin (cut into pieces)
- 6 apples (approximately 2 cups of juice)
- Pineapple to make 1/2 cup of pineapple juice
- 1 teaspoon of honey
- 1 slice of ginger
Raw Pumpkin with Carrots, Pears, Apples and Ginger
- 2 cups of pumpkin (cut into pieces)
- 2 carrots
- 2 pears
- 1 apple
- 1 piece of ginger
Harry Potter Pumpkin Juice Recipe
Probably the most popular appearance of pumpkin juice was in Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This fact alone will make this a hit among kids. Most Harry Potter pumpkin juice recipes you will find on the internet will have canned ingredients or artificial ingredients in them. I prefer using fresh ingredients and making everything from scratch.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 of medium sized sweet pumpkin
- 12 apples (approximately 4 cups of apple juice)
- 2 cups of water
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
Instructions:
- Make a pumpkin puree from the pumpkin:
- Peel the skin.
- Cut the pumpkin into average parts.
- Put everything in a pot.
- Add the water (it should cover the pumpkin).
- Boil the water and wait for the pumpkin to be ready for making a mash.
- Make a mash.
- To attain a smooth puree texture pass it through a strainer.
- Add 2 cups of water to the puree, mix and wait for the mixture to be cold.
- Juice apples in a juicer to make 4 cups of apple juice.
- Add apple juice to the pumpkin puree.
- Add cinnamon powder and nutmeg.
Your Harry Potter juice is ready!
Halloween Drink Recipes
Pumpkin juice recipes above can be served as Halloween drinks as well. Their orange color makes them a great healthy Halloween treat. The real secret of converting a simple juice to Halloween highlight treat is in serving decorations. Decorating the glass by drawing a spider net on it can give it some extra holiday power. Another great idea for serving pumpkin juice for Halloween is using a jar or a bottle and drawing a scary face on it. Try to make the drawing look like traditional pumpkin cut faces to make it more authentic. Serving the juice in a pumpkin can also boost the holiday spirit.
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