What a week! Snor’eastercane Sandy came with a one-two punch and while the damages in my neck of the woods are thankfully minimal, she seemed to KO the sun! Not to make light of the devastation to the east and south of us; my family was vacationing in Florida over the weekend, so we saw first hand just how powerful Sandy was. And as we all watched her grow to gargantuan proportions as she trekked north, I for one was one of those in line for the last few packs of batteries and bread as soon as our plane hit the runway back in Buffalo. As a reminder that Mother Nature is large and in-charge, the weather outside has been fittingly frightful. I don’t know about you, but I was more than happy to put away the halloween decorations and was extremely tempted to start putting up something a little more festive (how early can one get away with putting up Christmas decorations anyways, it is next month after all!). Besides dangling marshmallows from my ceiling to resemble snowflakes, there’s only one thing that can bring the sunshine on a gray and rainy day.
I LOVE green juice! When I drink it I feel like Timothy Green standing toward the sun, arms outstretched, soaking in the phytonutrients direct from the sun. What is green juice? First, get thee to a farmers market, even in the rain, it’s worth it!; and buy the freshest fruits and plants you can find. Not only does it taste that much better, you’re insuring that you’re getting the most photosynthesis in your cup. 
You will need a juicer to make the green juice. It is a bit of an investment, but it is well worth it for the pick-me-up you get in exchange. I have a Breville that is pretty easy to clean up which was my main priority. I went to the East Aurora Farmer’s Market on Wednesday and there is a great selection of apples to be had this time of year. A lot of apples of different varieties went into my green juice, as well as kale, dandelion greens, lemons, cucumbers, celery, italian parsley, and a bit of ginger.
An invaluable resource for all things plant food is Kris Carr, who brought the juicing craze to the forefront with her documentary “Crazy Sexy Cancer”. Now, I don’t know her or anything, so this isn’t some weird endorsement, but she is a fellow New Yorker (that’s slow foolish, right?) and ironically her new cookbook, Crazy Sexy Kitchen, came out October 30th, Superstorm Sandy day in our portion of New York State. I haven’t picked it up yet, but her digital juice and smoothie book has excellent recipes to get inspired in your own kitchen. Here’s a trick in case the kick from the dandelion greens, or anything else you stick in your juicer comes out more bitter than Sandy on the other end: a splash of San Pellegrino Aranciata cuts the bitter like nobody’s business. And if you drink your greens in a champagne glass, you will feel like you’re soaking up the sun in the French Riviera instead of looking out the window waiting for Mother Nature to give us a break.
Cheers!