Fresh pressed juice with fruits and vegetables around the glasses
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A juicy guide to making your own fresh-pressed juices

Squeeze, sip, repeat

Story By Sheila Paz

To eat or to drink your fruits and vegetables: that is the question. If you are looking for an alternative to chewing your fruits and vegetables, consider juicing. Juicing involves squeezing, grinding or pressing fresh fruits and vegetables into a juice form, allowing quick access to nutrients. We chatted with Leslie Rohland, owner and founder of The Juice Hive in Bluffton, to extract the benefits of juicing.

Leslie Rohland
Since moving to Bluffton in 1999, Leslie Rohland has risen as a culinary leader in the Lowcountry. She transformed a historic cottage into the celebrated Cottage Cafe, Bakery, and Tea Room and founded The Juice Hive and May River Coffee Roasts. Leslie has earned numerous awards, including the Good Food Awards and recognition in the USA TODAY 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Beyond her culinary success, she actively supports local charities and was recently named one of the three South Carolina Chef Ambassadors, a role that allows her to promote South Carolina’s rich cultural heritage.

Squeezing the best for your health

Juicing is a convenient method for enjoying various fruits and vegetables while reaping the benefits of their essential nutrients, such as minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. The practice has been around for centuries. It supports overall health and well-being and provides an alternative solution to integrating produce you may not eat daily. Beyond the nutritional boost, drinking fresh juice provides hydration, aids in detoxification and supports the immune system, all while improving your digestive health.

Juicy details

  • Only peel the produce if the peel is inedible
  • Remove hard seeds and pits before juicing. 
  • Don’t forget to adjust your produce cuts to fit the juicer’s feed shoot
various type of fruit slices stacked with splash, fruit punch concept

Becoming a juicing genius

Before starting your juicing adventures, consider these factors first when it comes to buying your first juicer:

  • What is your budget?
  • What style and look do you want? Think about your counter space. 
  • Think about versatility and type. Do you want it just for juicing, or would you like it to be multifunctional? Do you want a masticating juicer, a juicer that uses a rotating auger that crushes and presses produce? Or do you want a centrifugal juicer, a juicer that uses a high-speed blade that grinds produce into pulp. 
  • What quality are you looking for? Does it need to be heavy-duty or average? 

“All in all, know that one thing is true — you do get what you pay for when buying a juicer. You should expect to spend a few hundred dollars if you want a good quality, reliable model that produces nutritious juice,” Leslie said. 

Once you have addressed these questions, researched the right juicer and made the purchase, it is time to get your juice on. While nearly all fruits and vegetables may be juiced, it is essential to consider flavor combinations that taste great together. Leslie recommends classic pairings such as carrots and apples, kiwi with watermelon and lime, or a carrot and orange blend. 

All about the timing

Drinking juice offers benefits at all times of the day, but Leslie suggests enjoying it in the morning. “The nutrients will be absorbed more easily, and it does not have other food to interfere with your body’s cleansing [as] juice is mostly for cleansing. A fruit juice is best in the morning hours,” recommends Leslie. 

Leslie suggests the following rules regarding juicing: first, if drinking juice in the mornings, opt for a fruit-only combination. Then wait 10 minutes before consuming other foods, allowing your body to absorb the juice’s nutrients fully. Second, if you are drinking juice later in the day, sip it slowly while swishing it around in your mouth to activate your digestive enzymes.

A warning on juicing

While juicing has its benefits, it might not be the main squeeze for individuals concerned about high blood sugar levels or kidney disorders. Juicing removes fibers, leading to a carbohydrate load and a spike in blood sugar levels, which can be dangerous for those with diabetes. Similarly, individuals with decreased kidney function may experience health complications due to the kidney’s inability to filter excess potassium found in many fruits and vegetables.

Young african american woman drinking green juice with reusable bamboo straw in loft apartment. Home concept. Healthy lifestyle concept. Copy space

Pro tip

Consume your juice as soon as you have juiced it. Prolonged sitting can decrease its nutritional value. It can be refrigerated, but do not leave it for more than 48 hours, as fresh juice has no preservatives and can quickly go bad. 

Omega Vert

Expert picks 

Leslie highly recommends the Omega Vert, the Green Star Juicer and the Breville 800EXL as juicers for beginners. 

 The Juice Hive 

Bieber Juice 

Give Leslie’s favorite juice, “Bieber Juice,” a try. It was supplied to Justin and Hailey Bieber for their wedding party and guests at Montage Palmetto Bluff. The Juice Hive produced over 100 gallons during the weekend. This recipe fills an 8-ounce glass. 

Bieber Juice

Ingredients 

1 cup cubed watermelon with rind removed

2 fresh mint sprigs

1/2 fresh lime

1/2 cucumber, peeled

Directions

[1] Place watermelon cubes, mint and cucumber in a juicer. Squeeze lime and pour into juicer. [2] Sip and enjoy! It’s best to use cold ingredients. 

 LOCAL LIFE TEST KITCHEN 

Tropical Sunrise

Orange smoothie with carrots, mango,coconut water and pineapple

Ingredients

1 cup of pineapple

1 orange (peeled)

1/2 mango

1/2 carrot

A small piece of ginger (optional)

Directions

Prep your fruits by peeling and cutting them into juicer-friendly pieces. Start juicing with the softer fruits first (orange, mango) followed by the harder ones (carrot, pineapple). If you’re using ginger, juice it last. Stir the juice well before serving to blend the flavors.

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