Juicy Juice Jolt

in Fresh Recipes
Tags: apple, carrots, celery, garlic, ginger, lemon, vegetable gardening, vegetarian

Carrots, celery, garlic, ginger, oranges, apples, pineapple, even parsley, parsnips, and beets. Tomatoes in season for delightful soups, hot and cold, but not those we remember as children. I’ve found no reason to juice potatoes yet, but if you have one, please send it along. In the summer, I add berries. Sometimes the spicy greens, arugula, raddichio, nasturtiums. In the winter, I add citrus. I put them all in the juicer. The result is a thick, intense blast of flavors that can be drunk straight, diluted with water (or other juices), used in sauces, oils, vinegars, vinaigrettes, soups, stews, baking, even cocktails!

The only culinary ingredients more transformable are flour and the egg, maybe a chicken. Of course straight, even diluted, juices are the creme de le creme of the machine. And, sure, you can bring in wheat grass and other sprouts to enhance a nutritional profile, but honestly, who doesn’t adore carrots, with a bit of ginger and lime for breakfast or at mid-morning? The other jolt I get from drinking a variety of freshly squeezed juicy juices is from my old, standard Acme Juicerator. I’ve had it for nearly 30 years and it still works as it did out of the box the first day–simple, centrifugal force. One of the main benefits of juicing, apart from the juice, is the pulp. It’s almost insta-compost to be added to the garden and especially useful for attracting all those little microorganisms and beneficials who feast on the specks of now palatable veggies, fruits, and roots. So get the real jolt – juice!