The commercial, food photographers, with whom I work as a food stylist, will look at the photos in this post and think I’ve lost my marbles. Combined, we are a grocery store’s pain in the ass. We nitpick and fondle every, single apple, or we unearth the only perfectly spherical orange from the bottom of the citrus pyramid. We fluff and sort through every, single leaf of arugula or cobble together our own spring mix with pops of color.
When we arrive at the checkout, we reluctantly pass the food items, from our gloved hands, to the cashier and plead with the bagger to cushion every item as if it were a premature newborn. The whole experience is ridiculous, to the say the least, but like a model sequestered in hair & makeup for hours, our grocery store process fulfills society’s accepted notions of beauty. The leafy greens pictured here, however, are more like the beauty you observe when your grandmother’s aged hands knead bread, or when a toddler hands you a bouquet of dandelions. They are not perfect, but they are beautiful.
They are beautiful because they represent the Urban Farmer’s constant care, his planning, his ideals, his dedication to the land and community. The greens surround the kohlrabi as it emerges from the ground like a purple spacecraft. Subjected to the hungry, tiny, menacing mouths of cabbage loopers and aphids, these leaves weren’t headed toward the cover of Bon Appétit by any means, but they were headed to the juicer, and fresh, nourishing juice first thing in the morning is a beautiful thing!
Happy Sipping!
-Quelcy
Kohlrabi Greens Juice
yield: approx. 1 1/2 quarts
Ingredients
1 bunch organic Kohlrabi greens
2-3 inch chunk of organic ginger, peeled
6 organic pears, seeds & stems removed
5-6 organic lemons
Directions
Combine all the ingredients in your juicer, according to manufacturer’s directions.
Note: If using organic lemons, you can juice the peels. Simply slice them into wedges to remove seeds. If you can’t find kohlrabi greens, substitute another hearty green, such as beet greens, collards or chard.
Enjoy!
