Green Me Up, Scotty
Recently I gave a whole food seminar at Old Barrington Farm in Illinois. There I ran into my friend Mike Bushkol, who is one of the best equine chiropractors in the US. He handed me a glass with emerald green liquid in it and told me about his friend that makes this green juice with kale, cucumber, celery, ginger, lemon, and apples.
I took a sip. Some green drinks are so strong that I have to nurse them down slowly. But not this one: it was light, zingy, refreshing. Within ten minutes I was glowing from the inside out: it felt like every cell in my body was vibrating in a joyous celebration, reminiscent of a microbiological version of disco dancing — or maybe break dancing. All I know is: I felt the power of green.
Flashback to 1984, when I bought my first juicer: a Champion juicer. I made carrot juice, apple juice, and with the handy little attachment, orange juice.
But somewhere between then and now, I had moved to smoothies and blenders, and my Champion juicer was given away, although I have long forgotten to whom.
When I got back to Virginia after the seminar, I wasted no time in researching juicers. And all I can say is that there are a lot more choices now than there were in 1984, which of course makes the buying decision all the more daunting…
I choose the Omega 8005 Juicer mostly because the reviews highlighted that it provided a high juice yield and dry pulp, and that it processed at a low speed.
When it arrived, I was like a kid at Christmas, and immediately set about making my green juice. Carefully I fed the kale, the cucumbers, the apples, a little lemon, the celery and the ginger into the juicer, and watched as the pulp and juice were separated. Then poured myself a glass of the fresh green juice and let my cells dance like sugar plum fairies.
Drinking a super green juice is not a meal replacement, but it is a great snack and helps towards the achievement of the target 6-8 servings per day of vegetables and fruits.
What I personally like about juicing is that it adds a wider variety of vegetables into my diet. I have trouble eating kale and collards for example, but these green juice versions are not a problem. Of course the best part about juicing is the way it makes your body feel!
I use the leftover pulp from juicing to add to the chickens’ diet, and a tablespoon each for the dogs, and several tablespoons each for the horses. Lionheart actually eats it out of my hand, which just goes to show you that the pickiest horse in the Universe has become over time a real foodie.
Basic Green Juice Recipe:
- 2 green apples
- 4 ribs organic celery
- ½ lemon (without peel)
- 1 organic cucumber
- 6 leaves organic kale (if you are new to juicing, leave the kale out until you get used to the very green taste of celery and cucumber)
- 1 pinch of ginger
- (you can add 1 or 2 carrots for a little more sweetness)
