You have to try this.This is 100% cucumber juice, extracted a few minutes ago with a juicer and poured through a strainer into a glass.
(Apparently there are extractors with a strainer already built in; shop around and see what you can get for $60-100.)
The juice is pure green summer. It's delicious by itself, or it would take nicely to a little sweetener. We drank a couple of glasses of it mixed 50-50 with sparkling water, over ice, and it was astoundingly delicious and refreshing. Better than refreshing: You felt like you were consuming nature.
Who needs bottled juices and tired iced teas on hot days? The juicer is so easy to use, and even with all those parts, it's no problem to wash up and put away for next time.
There will be a next time. I'm just wondering if I should move on from cucumbers to, well... carrots? That sounds so hippy-dippy, but it's probably yummy. Maybe a blend of carrots and cukes.
Melon and cukes? (Audible groan.) Yeah.
Tips: I used unwaxed cucumbers with bumps on their skins, the kind you'd use to make dill pickles. Except these were monstrous — too large to fit inside a pickle jar, even. And no good for eating, either, since the centers are filled with tough, woody seeds. The vendor at the farmers market was selling them as "Japanese cucumbers," but oh, no, he was pulling somebody's leg. You ought to be able to buy these goliaths for quite cheap, even more so as the summer wears on. Wash them, cut them into chunks, and run them through the juicer unpeeled for that fantastic green hue.
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13 comments:
Hey, you're supposed to put cuke slices on your eyes for beauty....not drink it. Sounds refreshing. Only got to 89 today...Yippee
If you're thinking of juicing carrots, throw in some apples - the combo is really good.
Pop: Hah! I know. I saved a dishful of lovely, fluffy green foam from the strainer that I'm thinking of slathering on.
Tami: Wow. Yum.
I like sniffing cucumber essential oil to relax. Then again I just heard that the smell of cucumber is apparently an aphrodisiac for women.
I'm thinking a little vodka would be a nice addition;)
Cucumber juice sounds interesting. Add a half a beetroot to the carrot and apple juice. Verrry healthy.
Lots of veggies can make for lovely juices. I'm afraid I'm a devotee of fresh fruit juices though (orange and red grape is amazing). Apple and a bit of celery's not bad though.
Okay, Miss Smartypants: since you have your super juicer and your giant cucumbers, could you find some elderflower essence for me and whip up my favorite lotion for skin care? It's an old Caswell-Massey concoction featured as an amenity from a great inn in Mendo (Brewery Gulch Inn) and I have had a hell of a time trying to find it retail. My supply is almost diminshed and my Celtic skin is crying out for it.
Dagny: Gosh, it works for me! The aroma is so fresh.
Greg: Cranky agrees with you; next batch I might flavor with herbs too.
Barbara and Nerissa: It has just opened so many doors for me. Fruit is an obvious choice for juice, but now my head's spinning. Hm. Celery!
Kudzu: I wish I could. I'm thinking of maybe stirring a little olive oil into the saved cucumber froth... perhaps a smidge of yogurt... keep it in the fridge... smoosh it under my eyes.
Helpful as always, I see a "Branding Opportunity" here: Cookie Crumb's Cumcumber Crush
Ha! We have a garden full of those so-called Japanese cucumbers. It's another word for "forgot to pick cukes yesterday." ;-)
I plan on making chilled cucumber soup with sour cream. Ahhhhhh.
MMmMm, juicer. JUICE IT ALL. Carrots, celery, apples with a handful of fresh spinach. HOOBOY.
It makes my ears buzz good.
Handful of spinach? Man, that'll be too healthy. (And green!)
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