Juicing Art

Whipped up a tasty combo of fruits and veggies. Once you get a handful of fruit and veggies that appear ripe to almost over-ripe, bust out that juicer and get to work. The strawberries were on their last day and it gave us an opportunity to use the stem pulling tool, i can't recommend it enough. This mix was a little heavy on the fruit, but a Vitamin C and flavor boost in the middle of a very soggy East Coast March, does a body good.

Wanted to try something a little new with respect to the juicing vessel - how about a really wide bowl, to get the color gradients to really pop prior to consumption. Checkout the vibrant colors and yes it tasted like a power packed flavor rainbow.

The pulp layering on the juicer top was too cool not to get a picture. Cucumber, Celery, Pear, Watermelon, Carrot, Apple, Mango, Blueberry - Yum!

Carrots offer mom some great health benefits as well as keep babies from experiencing colic. Just make some organic carrot juice fresh and mix with equal parts boiled filtered water. (about 1 oz total can be fed to baby). When nursing moms drink carrot juice, it also apparently helps to develop babies palate and develop a taste for our 2nd favorite vegetable in the USA.  Carrots as everyone knows, helps with eyesight as they are rich in Vitamin A. Here are some other carrot tidbits: Easy to grow, prevent cancer and heart disease, reduce stroke risk, nourish skin, beta carotene helps with anti aging, and lastly your dental health is improved due to their natural abrasive nature. So go out and pick up a 5lb bag today (or better yet pick them from your own garden). Note: I always peel my carrots, as I've found that it removes much of the bitterness. Additionally, I chop off the tips and about 1" below the top.  

This mix had 13 peeled carrots, 2 rings of a red onion, 1/3 bunch of parsley, 3 celery stalks (I peel the outside of each), 1 tomato, 1 peeled lemon, and a whole peeled cucumber. It tastes delicious and should be made often to keep you and your family/friends healthy.  Note: No babies were harmed in this juicing art production - though my newborn son did get the indirect health benefits of having mom drink a tall glass of the orange goodness!

1/2 bag Cranberries, 1/3 bunch kale, 3 apples, 8 carrots, 2 kiwi, 8 strawberry, 3 stalks celery, 4 tomato, squeeze of lemon. 

Try this combo, you will like the taste complexity and the health buzz it generates. The cranberry tartness, celery saltiness, tomato acidity, and the sweet carrots/ fruits mix together delightfully.  

Kiwi has some surprising health benefits: Asthma, and DNA mutation coughing prevention. They possess a healthy amount of vitamins and antioxidants. Kiwi also have lots of fiber which helps to prevent colon cancer. 

This "bug" juice is made up of roma tomato, pears, carrot, green pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. Pears are great for nursing moms because they have lots of folate. If osteoporosis runs in your family, pears can help. They have boron, which can help your body to retain calcium. Hydroxycinnamic acid (say it 3x fast) is also in pears which is suppose to prevent stomach/lung cancer. Many people are allergic to certain fruits, but not pears, they are actually a hypo-allergenic fruit! Pears are good for your peepers too by reducing macular degeneration. I peel my pears, but if you don’t - the skin adds some anti Alzheimer's disease agents called Quercetin. So grab yourself two pairs of pears a paring knife & pulverize it into some pretty palatable juice post-haste!

Pick your own apples! There is an instinctual need to pick apples this time of year, no? Make lots of juice in your juicer with them, make pies, dip them in honey or peanut butter. Just get out there and support your local orchards. We picked some really excellent apples at Tabora Orchard in Bucks County PA the other day. I like how they let the trees grow a little higher so you can climb a bit and reach for those beautiful Red Delicious ones at the top! Neighboring Peace Valley Winery has apples that grow on more bushy type apple trees so the kids can reach for them a bit easier, the yellow ones there seem to be good for pies and such. Real apple juice looks different than store bought but it still tastes phenomenal. For an orchard near you, goto http://www.pickyourown.org Don't forget to bring your own re-usable bags too!

Apple juice has a lot of natural sugar, but it is very heavy on Vitamin C and anti-oxidents. Mix it with some veggies to tone down the sweetness or drink it straight for a great refreshing treat. I remove the stems with a small pair of pliers, cut them in half, and toss them into the juicer unpeeled. For a slightly less bitter taste, peel the skin prior, but you will lose some nutrients. I added some baby carrots and celery to sneak in some veggies.

V8 juice is not bad - but I think that you will find this combo to taste better and deliver a very similar vitamin packed punch.

The tomato and apples are from the bruised fruit rack at the market - only a few minor blemishes. The strawberries give a wonderfully sweet aftertaste. Try to keep fruits to 20-30% of the content, too much higher and you may be on a fruit sugar buzz then crash.

When juicing tomato, always go for the ripe to over-ripe ones, they are a bit sweeter. Wash the celery really well. Lots of critters and dirt like to loiter inside the stalks. I don’t juice the celery leaves, but I suppose you can if you wish.