Urban gardening, a new Juicer and what-EVER!

My kids have the classic book Summer, and the first page reads "We like the things that summer brings. It brings the sun. It brings the heat. It brings the things we like to eat." I could not agree more, especially the last sentence. We love fresh produce at our house and this year we decided to expand our garden. I over planted the 8'x3' space but everything is flourishing!  Beets, turnips, basil, red and yellow peppers, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, cucumbers....yum! We still frequent the local farmers markets, but how gratifying it is to walk out my back door and pull up some turnips to eat.  

One of the things that had always bothered me though was that we could not always eat all the greens before they went bad. A friend recently upgraded their juicer and let us have their old one. Problem solved! Juicing is an amazing way to pack in the rich nutrients from seasonal produce, and for me it is a great way to start the day.

Nancy can't get enough of juicing this summer. She was recently turned on to her new obsession after watching Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. She was so inspired by the documentary, that she quickly made juicing a habit for the whole family (yep, Harris and Jillian love to drink freshly picked juice too).

Here is a typical juicing routine: pick a few beets, carrots & turnips from the backyard, wash them with Better Life what-EVER! plant-based All-Purpose Cleaner (just spray them down, rub the vegetable a little with hands or a brush and rinse clean), cut the bottom part off & slice it up for my salad at lunch, and then juice the greens. I add kale, swiss chard (something I'd love to grow next year) and usually add an apple, cucumber or bell pepper to add some sweetness. 

After a quick run and a juice, I am ready for the day thanks to my garden, juicer and what-EVER!