Extending the Life of Juice
Juice is a very fragile creation that spoils quickly. To get maximum nutrients from your juice, drink it immediately if possible. Juice spoils quickly, often after just 24 hours — even when refrigerated.
Storage Tips
If you can't consume your homemade juice creations right away, store them in the refrigerator in an airtight, opaque, and insulated container. Light, heat, and air will zap nutrients and turn juice brown.
Juice from melons, cabbages, and cruciferous vegetables should never be stored or refrigerated. If you make juice containing these fruits and vegetables, consume it immediately and toss any remaining juice.
Fresh From the Freezer
If you can't find fresh fruits for your favorite juices, you can substitute dry-packed frozen fruits, available in your local supermarket and packaged without added sugar or syrup. You may lose a bit of the fresh taste. Some nutrients may also be lost, although many remain intact when produce is dry-packed.
Also consider buying large quantities of your favorite fruits when locally available and freezing them yourself for later use. Drinking juice from frozen fruit is better than drinking no juice at all.
To freeze fruit in a jiffy, clean, slice, peel, or section fruits into pieces no bigger than an inch, spread across a baking sheet, cover with plastic, and put in the freezer until frozen. Transfer fruit to a heavy, resealable plastic bag, date it, and use within two months.
While frozen fruit is fine for juicing, you won't want to use canned fruit unless you're really desperate. Besides being soft and mushy, the fruit in cans is loaded with sugar and often packed in sugary syrup — neither of which will enhance the taste or texture of your juice.
