I Ruined my Green Smoothie

[sport]

I was a bit tired and lazy. The 2 things that I did different were, I did not remove the seeds from the papaya (encouraged by another thread yesterday) and I did not remove the stalks from the spinach. It was awfull and even though I tried very hard to take it I ended up trowing the end of it down the sink.
Has anyone left stalks on the spinach and did it make the smoothie taste toxic. If not then it must be the papaya seeds. I dont want to experiment and waste more stuff.

[shelah]

hey sport,
that would have to have been my thread about including seeds in smoothies. so sorry that yours came out so bad. i have only tried leaving in the seeds from a pear (and only one pear for a blender full) and it was fine. i guess we really have to investigate more about seeds, their benefits, any potential harm AND their taste!!
i can't blame you for hesitating about experimenting at the risk of wasting good food. if i do any other fruits, i'll let you know how they turn out.
btw, i never remove the stalks/veins from any greens and they always taste great, so i doubt that was the problem.
many blessings to you!

[shelah]

hey sport,
that would have to have been my thread about including seeds in smoothies. so sorry that yours came out so bad. i have only tried leaving in the seeds from a pear (and only one pear for a blender full) and it was fine. i guess we really have to investigate more about seeds, their benefits, any potential harm AND their taste!!
i can't blame you for hesitating about experimenting at the risk of wasting good food. if i do any other fruits, i'll let you know how they turn out.
btw, i never remove the stalks/veins from any greens and they always taste great, so i doubt that was the problem.
many blessings to you!
oh yeah, almost forgot -- talking about green smoothies, anyone ever add fresh ginger to them? seems like it might have a nice warming effect on a cold morning.

[Miette]

hi sport,

Not sure what it was it could have been the seeds here is a website that talks about the toxicology of the papaya plant. http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/medicinal/papaya.html

Miette

[shelah]

sorry for the double post before. i'd made a late addition and thought i'd caught it before it got sent.
miette, interesting site --thanks.
it does seem that the seeds are ok to eat - here's one of many links:

http://www.dole5aday.com/FoodService/Fun/Characters/F_Papaya.jsp?topmenu=2

but, it does say that they taste like peppercorns -- now that may explain how sport's smoothie got ruined, depending how peppery it became? also, it seems that the seeds are anti-parasitic, so if someone has that concern, they may be willing to put up with the taste.

[jaurequi]

Ugh, that's too bad, sport. I've only ruined a smoothie once -- normally, I can save it.

Interesting about the spinach leaves. I don't normally use spinach, but I normally buy the bagged baby spinach so I don't have to deal with the stems. Maybe try the baby spinach?

For other greens, I always remove the stems and tough ribs; and I trim it as well as I can so as to get mostly leaves.

I don't know if papaya seeds are good for you or not raw; I think I've seen them in recipes, though; so perhaps cooked ones are what I've seen...not sure.
I do know that apple seeds are toxic, though a few won't kill you.

Best,

[sport]

Well it is hours since I drank it and I have had dinner since and it is still repeating almost like heartburn so I will not be recomending it. I had half a papaya, 2 bananas and a lot of spinach and not a thing more.
It is just as well that my finely tuned raw body can handle a little infestation by alien intruders.
I have often added ginger to my smoothies and both myself and my husband love it.

[Kitty]

papaya seeds have a peppery flavor. Thats probably it! Because you can use them to make a peppercorn like dressing and there supposed to be good for you. But they are kinda spicy I guess? Sounds like an interesting smoothie haha

[Sheryl]

My husband did the same things with Payapa Seeds last week... normally he can eat anything if he thinks it's healthy... not this one. YUCK! It jelled too and pretty much went solid. Papaya seeds are actually used by many cultures as an anti parasitical seed. I had the smallest spoon and that was more than enough!

Sheryl

[EastCoastie]

Hi Sport,

Although it was a different veggie (collard) that ruined my green smoothie, I had essentially the same problem as you. So to try and solve my problem I contacted the Raw Family. Below is the text from the e-mail reply:


Try cutting out the stems of the collard. Use only the leafy part. The stems of collard and kale and some other greens are very bitter. Also, yes, you could have over blended, since collard stems are so thick to grind.
We want you to enjoy the taste of your smoothie.

Vanessa
Raw Family Office Assistant



So from now on, I plan to remove the stalks from my greens.

Hope this helps.

Shalom,

EastCoastie

[mangomama]

I am with you...my green smoothies are definitely a work in progress. Somedays I am the smoothie queen and other days its, "um, Mom, can I be done now?" Take yesterday! Yesterday I forgot to peel the cucumber. Yuk. My 4 year old ds said, "Mom, did you read the recipe?" Ha!
Gotta remember to peel the cukes :rolleyes:

[Lady Green Jeans]

Interesting thread. Will remember not to use papaya seeds in smoothies. Have been pitching them every time. Fairly new to green smoothies. My first attempt was with probably 3/4 lb. of organic baby greens from Costco with two bananas, 8 oz. of OJ fresh squeezed and 8 oz. pure water. Tasted great and drank the entire container. Was sicker than a dog detox. Would not do that again. Re-approached making green smoothies three days later. That attempt and all the ones since have had a much smaller amount of greens (baby spinach and do not remove the stems). Now a fav.