Instructions

1. Choose the squash from which you wish to extract juice and pulp. Generally, the firmer the squash, the more juice it contains. Virtually any type of squash is “juiceable,” but you might find the most tasty results with acorn, butternut, Hubbard, yellow summer and zucchini squash – all of which are commonplace at grocers.

2. Scrub the squash to cleanse it of any dirt. Remove the skin with a peeler, if you like, although some people leave the skin on because it does not carry a bitter taste. Slice the squash in half and remove seeds and stringy fibers. Cut it into 2- or 3-inch segments to make the squash easier to slide through the juicer.

3. Read the directions for your juicer so that you understand how the machine operates. Though models and features differ, most home models are centrifugal juicers. These speedy and efficient juicers get to work when a fruit or vegetable is pushed down a chute, where a cutting blade cuts the juice away from the pulp. The juice pours into a cup while the pulp flows into a receptacle.

4. Make your cleanup a snap by placing a plastic bag in the receptacle designed to catch the pulp. By doing so, you can simply scoop up the bag and refrigerate the pulp for later use.

5. Plug in and turn on the juicer. Check the directions to see if you should run the juicer for several seconds before you begin to extract the juice and pulp from the squash.

6. Put several pieces of squash into the chute and push them down gently with the top, or plunger. Begin with the softer pieces, then follow with the harder ones to keep the juicer flowing. Empty the cup of collected juice into a pitcher.