Juicing the Earth

I found this picture of a juice I made a few weeks ago, and I wanted to blab about it before it's too late to make it. This is an interesting time of year, when you can still find oranges, and also strawberries are starting to pop up. I had some oranges that were not the sweetest, and I also had found a super deal on some organic strawberries that were good, but not the greatest. So, I made strawberry orange juice! It was so sweet and delicious, and you can't tell in the picture, but it was the most beautiful rose/orange color. And talk about vitamin c! One of my absolute favorite things about making juice is when I achieve that perfect color. It makes me feel better before I even take a sip. It just screams vibrancy, and I love drinking in that vibrancy! Yesterday I made a green juice with kale, cucumber, parsley, ginger, and yellow apple, and it was the perfect emerald green. I meant to take a picture of it's brilliance, but I drank it down too fast! I feel so sad for people who live on beige foods. It's such a boring, bland color. Where is the pizazz, the vitality?
I went to the grocery early yesterday morning, and there was a man behind me in line getting a dozen donuts, three diet sodas(?) and a scarily colored pink milk, or what I assume was milk, otherwise it was a new creamy, neon pink drink. Zoinks. This was at seven a.m. What a horrible way to start your day. I've been there, not with donuts and diet soda, but with cigarettes and coffee. Terrible, no energy, no love way to start your day. And it sets you up to make unhealthy choices for the rest of the day.
Juice is my Earth Day tip. You don't have to own an expensive juicer to make fresh juice. You don't even need a vitamix, or other high speed blender. I have a blender from I think Sears, it's at least three years old, and was no more than thirty dollars. As long as you have a mesh strainer, you can make juice. Start with a little water in the base of your blender, add veg and fruit, and blend. Strain the pulp through your strainer, and voila, fresh pressed juice. It takes some experimenting to figure out how much your blender can handle, and how much water is needed, etc. Just like making a pot of soup with vegetables that need to be used, juice is another use, especially for fruit that needs to get used. As I said earlier, I enjoy making really pretty, vibrant looking juices, it makes me feel better. Juices are a great option in the warmer months, when soup doesn't always sound so good. The juice pulp can be composted, and also reused. I've read of people making raw, dehydrated crackers, and also veggie burgers with the pulp. I once made carrot, orange and ginger juice, and then made muffins with the pulp. I felt very true to my hippie roots that day.
Have an amazing Earth Day, and drink some kale!!!