Carrot, Orange and Ginger Juice

When I was little, my Mom was really into juicing. We're not talking a glass or two at a time here - she would use her Norwalk juicer to make like three or four quarts in one sitting. Needless to say, I've ingested an ungodly amount of vegetable juice in my lifetime. It was kind of my Mom's cure all and as much as I wasn't crazy about it then, I've slowly turned into her mini me in the juicing respect.

When I moved out of my parents' house, I took one of their four juicers (yes, they really own four). I didn't use it much until Andreas was about six months old, but I've used it like crazy since then. He's been drinking fresh juice from the time he was old enough to drink something other than breastmilk. The same is true for Lucía. Instead of the bland juices my Mom would make (sorry, Mom.), I come up with more interesting combinations, which they love. I juice at least once a week, and it's become something they both really look forward to. They like it so much that they end up fighting over who gets a refill. I generally lean toward green juices, but since we're in the middle of citrus season, I've been giving different grapefruit and orange combos a try. So far, this is our favorite. Andreas declared it the best I've ever made, and I tend to agree. Though simple, it's probably the best combination I've juiced thus far.

The secret is in the oranges. I used cara cara navels, and they made all the difference. They're sweeter than other varieties and really balance out the earthiness of the carrots, while the ginger adds a hint of spice. So good.

Other citrus possibilities are grapefruit or blood orange. I've tried both, and while I prefer the navels, the other two were still delicious. If you do use grapefruit, be sure to remove the pith (white stuff), or else the juice will be way too bitter. You don't have to worry about the pith on the cara cara, as it isn't bitter. I left most of it on, and the finished juice wasn't bitter in the least. If you don't like ginger, or you're sensitive to it, just omit it. The carrot/navel juice will still be wonderful.

10-12 large juicing carrots

6 cara cara navels

ginger root

Begin by rinsing and scrubbing the carrots. Cut away the top and bottom of each. Next, peel the oranges, and tear each orange into halves or quarters. Peel about 1/2 inch of ginger root. Push all ingredients through a standard juicer, pour into glasses and drink immediately.

Makes about three glasses of juice.