Rhubarb Ginger Lemonade

“That’s a lot of rhubarb,” the cashier said, as he picked up the bag and placed it on the scale. I shrugged. What is "a lot" of rhubarb, anyway? Rhubarb season is only so long and the rhubarb plants in my garden are so small, buying pounds upon pounds of it is the only thing to do. 

So why so much rhubarb? Well mostly, I wanted to make this rhubarb crisp over and over again. But also, I had dreams of a pink lemonade with tart rhubarb notes, and a rhubarb ice cream. This recipe is the result of the first dream -- the ice cream is still a work in progress. 

Rhubarb is pretty tart on it's own, so honey lends natural sweetness to this drink to balance out the lemons and rhubarb juice. The addition of ginger adds a bite, making this lemonade super refreshing and rounding out it's flavor profile. (I LOVE ginger in lemonade!)

And that color? It's totally natural! The batch of rhubarb I used to make this lemonade was super pink to start with, so if your rhubarb is a softer hue of pink, I would expect your juice to end up a softer shade of pink, too. 

Mix it up: There are a few twists you could pull on this recipe, including topping it off with sparkling water (spritzer, anyone?), or adding a shot of tequila for an springtime hard Rhubarb Ginger Lemonade. Give them both a try! 

Rhubarb Ginger Lemonade

Published April 19, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

   |     Print This Recipe

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 20 minutes

---

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped rhubarb
• 3-1/2 cups water, divided
• 1-1/2 inch ginger root, minced
• 4-5 lemons (about 1 cup lemon juice)
• 1/3 cup honey

Directions:

1. Add chopped rhubarb, 1/2 cup water, and ginger to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, until rhubarb is soft.
2. Place a strainer over a bowl. Pour rhubarb mixture through strainer, catching water and juices with bowl. Using a spatula, press all of the juice out of the rhubarb chunks. Then, discard rhubarb pulp.
3. Juice the lemons. Strain lemon juice to remove any seeds. Pour lemon juice into the bowl with the rhubarb juice. Add honey and remaining 3 cups water, and stir until honey is dissolved. Chill before serving, and pour over ice in glasses.
4. Note: you can also top off your glass with sparkling water or add a shot of tequila!

Immune Boost Green Juice

I’m not much of a juicer. Never have been. I’ve always been a little down on what I see as a glorified consumption of sugar. That might sound a little harsh, and I admit that it is. But more often than not I’d rather drink a smoothie with all of its fiber, or just eat a piece of goddamn fruit.

But, last week, there I was. I felt a tickle in my throat. Oliver had just finished reading me a news story about how the flu was out of control this year. And I decided I needed a boost. Green juice.

Have you been there? The “please, please, please don’t let me get sick,“ feeling? That’s what this juice is for.

It is SUPER high in Vitamins C, A and K. Like nature’s Emergen-C! But, 100% natural.

I drank that green juice down (and loved it, citrusy, with a touch of ginger). The next morning, The tickle at my throat was gone, but two days later Oliver complained of a sore throat too, so there I was again making green juice again--the same green juice I had made for myself just a few days before.

Now, I’m still not that into juice. You'll find no recommendations on juice cleanses here. But this juice is like a multipurpose vitamin... like an insurance policy. You drink it with a wholesome breakfast and you get all those extra vitamin packed in.

So far, I'm still flu free: maybe it had something to do with this juice, or maybe not. Either way, I fell in love with green juice somewhere along the way. At least this green juice. The insurance policy.

Immune Boost Green Juice

Published February 8, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

   |     Print This Recipe

Serves: 2   |    Total Time: 10 minutes

---

Ingredients:

• 2 leaves of dino (lacinato) kale
• 1/2 cup sliced cucumber
• 1 lemon, peel sliced off
• 1 blood orange, peel sliced off 
• 1 and 1/2 apple, cored and roughly chopped
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 cup water
• 6 ice cubes, for serving 

Directions:

1. Place ingredients in a high powered blender: first the kale and then the cucumber, lemon and orange, apple, ginger, and water.
2. Purée until smooth (I use a BlendTec (affiliate link!), and set the blender to the “Whole Juice” setting).
3. Place a nut milk bag (affiliate link!) over a bowl or wide-mouthed jar, and pour purée through the nut milk bag to strain out the pulp.
4. Optional: If you like, stir back in a tablespoon or two of the pulp.
5. Divide ice cubes between serving glasses and pour juice over ice. Serve.

Grapefruit, Pomegranate & Ginger Smoothie

The day you read this, it will be the fourth day of 2018, and I will be headed to Monterey, California, but as I write it's only a few days after Christmas.

My office closes for the holiday, and I have the entire week to do whatever I want. A week ago I had tried to corral friends into organizing a trip to Red Rock Canyon (we went last year, and it was so so beautiful), but I had been late to the punch and it seemed everyone already had other things going on. Still, I didn't give up on my wanderlust: even early on Christmas eve, and I pieced together a half-baked plan to go to Santa Fe. Drive time, a place to stay, and a list of possible climbing spots. And of course, swooning over images of turquoise doors, cliff dwellings, and desert sun. 

I could almost feel the heat, even there sitting at my computer. But instead of warming in the sun, hot air was blasting from the vents as our thermostat worked to combat the dropping temperatures outside. Wanderlust had me riveted, and begged me to go. Visions of a simpler time, when I was ten or so, floated through my mind: I had dreamed of being a National Geographic photographer, but at some point convinced myself that it wouldn't work. I liked traveling, sure, but I like being home too. I knew I would tire of being on the move. Plus, adults had bills to pay, and art wasn't stable...even my overly mature ten-year old self knew this. But right then, looking at images of Santa Fe, regret poured over me. I wanted--no, needed- to go. 

My bubble deflated as the coffee set in and I came down from the clouds: a six-and-a-half hour drive on icy roads and in a foot of snow? "Fun" isn't the right word for a road trip like that. And I had been craving snow, fiercely. So instead we bundled up (long under wear, wool socks, snow pants, down coats, snow boots, gloves, and hats) and made our way through the white winter wonderland just outside our door, to hike through the foothills. 

The cold preserved individual snowflakes, creating the fluffiest snow possible: not a spot of slush or sludge. Overcome with a childlike happiness, wanderlust momentarily forgotten, I wanted to plunge straight into the snow and make snow angels. Frozen pine needles glowing in the winter light; sparkling hills; the smell of winter in the air. Such beautiful things, right here under my nose. Besides, in just one short week I'd be in the California sunshine. 

This smoothie takes the freshest, brightest flavors of winter and throws them all into a jar. The result is a gradient of pinks and magentas--a bold spot of color on a winter morning. When you're stuck looking at images of exotic places, or find yourself wishing for some adventure, try this smoothie. It's a rejuvenating splash of bright and bold that reminds you that there's no where better to be than in the now. 

Grapefruit, Pomegranate & Ginger Smoothie

Published January 4, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

   |     Print This Recipe

Serves: 2   |    Total Time: 10 minutes

---

Ingredients:

• 1 banana, frozen
• 1 grapefruit, peeled, plus two grapefruit wedges of garnish (optional)
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated on microplane
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup 100% pomegranate juice

Directions:

1. Combine first four ingredients in a blender (affiliate link) and puree until smooth. Divide evenly among serving glasses.
2. Slowly pour half of the pomegranate juice into each glass. It will sink to the bottom, creating a gradient effect.
3. Garnish with grapefruit wedges and serve immediately.