I just recently purchased the Wide Mouth Hamilton Beach Juicer (pictured right). The juicer pulp is a side product of juicing. Most people throw this vegetable and fruit pulp away after they have made their juice. There are however many uses for that pulp.
Juicer pulp recipes are very high in dietary fibre. Adding the juicer pulp to meal recipes will increase the dietary fibre levels of these recipes. Adequate levels of dietary fibre are sadly missing in many diets and this is causing many digestive disorders.
Juicing removes the great majority of fibre from fruits and vegetables and it is collected in the pulp. This means that drinking juice as well as consuming the pulp (not at the same time) is an ideal way to get both the benefits of high nutrient levels in the juice as well as high fibre levels from the pulp. The pulp can add bulk to recipes and help retain moisture in the dishes we prepare.
Carrot cake is an example of a traditional recipe that can easily be converted to Carrot Pulp Cake. Soft fruits often leave a wetter pulp than hard produce such as carrots or apples and so the flavour left in the pulp is often more intense. These soft fruits such as the various forms of berries, grape etc can be easily mixed with a little water and frozen to make delicious popsicles that are free from colourings, flavourings and the large amounts of processed sugars and syrups that are found in many commercial versions of popsicles. Soft fruit pulp is also great for adding into your own home made ice creams and sorbets or for using as dessert toppings.
If you don't have time to make up some of the treats mentioned above on the day of juicing then you can simply put the pulp in a container / freezer bag and freeze the pulp until you are ready to use it. The nutritional properties of freshly made juice are at their peak straight away and the nutritional value rapidly declines due to oxidation of enzymes. The fibrous nature of juicer pulp on the other hand will not rapidly decline. You can use vegetable and fruit pulp in 'layered' recipes such as lasagna or in casseroles or soups.
One of the most natural and greenest uses for your juicer pulp is making garden compost with it. Just put the juicer pulp along with any peelings and cores of the fruit / vegetables used onto your compost heap and let the natural process of decomposition take place. This will result in production of garden compost that can be used to grow your own vegetables and fruits. Garden compost when dug into the soil helps improve soil structure that enables more oxygen to enter the soil and helps the water retention properties of the soil.
By spreading the garden compost on the soil surface it can act as a mulch. A mulch helps prevent weed growth by preventing light reaching the weed seeds and it also helps reduce the amount of time you spend watering the plants as it reduces water loss through the soil surface.As well as improving your garden, this use of juicer pulp is also beneficial to the environment as it reduces the amount of waste that is sent to landfill sites. If you juice every day then you will be surprised at just how much pulp and peelings you collect in just one week of juicing.
Some people recommend using certain type of pulp for feeding to the birds in your garden. Try putting some juicer pulp in a bird feeder and see how they take to it. Carrot pulp seems to be popular.
