Plentiful Pulp

Have you ever really looked at the vibrant colors of the pulp that is produced from from juicing fruits and vegetables? As I was juicing today I was drawn in to the colors of the first two vegetables I juiced – beets and carrots. The stark differences between the beet’s deep, rich maroon and the carrot’s orange glow jumped out at me. I stopped and just stared at it. How can I just throw this pulp away? The colors are just too beautiful!

So what can we do with excess juicing pulp? Ideally, the best solution is to compost the pulp, using it to fertilize your plants and mixing into garden soil. If you don’t have a compost bin, there are still a number of options for using this plentiful pulp.

It’s always good to send the pulp through the juicer a second time to extract as much juice as possible.

Separate out apple and carrot pulp from softer fruits such as berries. The apple and carrot pulp is excellent to use as fiber in recipes – such as carrot or zucchini bread, or muffins. The more colorful berries can be used in cupcakes or pancakes and will also add a nice pink/red color with no worries about toxic dyes!

Mix berry pulp with a bit of water and freezing it in ice cube or popsicle trays to be used later in smoothies or frozen desserts.

A number of vegetable pulps can be used to make dehydrated crackers and breads, as well as vegie burgers.

Pets love animal pulp too! My dog laps it up rather quickly when I add it to his raw food, or even a few tablespoons by itself. Animal biscuits can easily be made from pulp. (For both dogs and cats, just make sure that the pulp doesn’t contain things likes grapes, garlic, onions or avocados as these can be toxic to them.)

Pulp is great as a soup stock thickener.

Kids love fruit leathers! After blending fruit in a food processor, use extra pulp that you’ve previously frozen to give the leather more fiber and texture, dehydrate, and enjoy.

Now as I stare at the beautiful colorful pulp I create from juicing, I don’t have to feel guilty about tossing it in the trash. Besides, I don’t think my dog would forgive me if I did.