Green Juice & Family Ties

Green juice kind of saved my life. You don't hear that everyday, do you? Well to explain it we have to venture back to fall 2017, my freshman year of college...

I started college at a small school in Madison. To keep a long story short, it wasn't the place for me. I found lovely people there and quite enjoyed living in the quirky city that is Madison, WI. But I knew the school was the wrong place for me the minute I got to campus.

 Needless to say, this caused me a fair amount of distress. In addition to adjusting to life away from home at a school that felt all wrong, I was also going through a painful break up. So yeah, I was at a low point. I found it hard to get out of bed some days and was really struggling to stay in touch with my usual optimistic self. I don't tell this story to throw myself a pity party or anything like that, just setting the stage to understand where I was at when green juice came along.

My dear cousins live in Madison and went to great lengths to take me under their wings during this time of struggle. God bless Mark, Michelle, Augie, and Zinnia. I am eternally grateful for you all. Anyways, my uncle (or second-cousin-once-removed or something) Mark is an organic farmer with a beautiful backyard farm. He grows copious amounts of produce here, truthfully the best and freshest food I have eaten. My aunt Michelle is a spectacular cook and food preparer, always making delicious meals with their homegrown masterpieces. She is the one who introduced me to green juice. My loving cousins opened their home and lives to me completely, including me in family dinners, traditions, everything. They were constantly filling the hole that had been developing within me.


When I would go over to their house, Michelle would often be preparing something wonderful in the kitchen. She would bring me a glass of fresh green juice, and we would chat about life. Mark would often stroll in from the farm and join in on the conversation, sipping his own green juice. The wisdom and insight I gained from these conversations, I will carry with me forever. These are the sorts of unknown but very real powers that green juice has. It allows people a chance to sit and connect in a very magical and very real way.

In addition to the influential conversations that arose from green juice, the health benefits gave me new energy. After I started drinking it, the days where I felt like I couldn't get out of bed started to drift away. I had more energy which I channeled into exercise and I could feel my health, both mental and physical, improving drastically.

I decided I needed to learn how to make this stuff. It was quite the process, especially when Michelle would make big batches of it, filling 7 or 8 glass bottles. Lovingly and patiently, she showed me this process, guiding me with her tips and tricks along the way. Learning to make it was a bonding experience for the two of us, a very special way to be spending time while we continued to chat about life's big questions.

I know you must be dying to know how this stuff is made! Well, one of the most exciting things about green juice is that there is an outline to follow but it also leaves lots of space for creativity, depending on what you have available/in season/etc. The ingredient list typically looks a little something like this:


- Kale
- Parsley (or cilantro)
- Apples
- Cucumbers
- Celery
- Lemon (or lime)
- Ginger
- Turmeric

With these ingredients, it is up to you to play around with the proportions until you find what suits you best. I use an Omega juicer and find it quite satisfactory. It can take a minute to find your juicing stride, but I promise it will be worth it when you do. I have experimented around with a couple other juice recipes (beet juice is another top contender), but the story that goes along with green juice keeps it as the reigning champion. So whether you are experiencing one of your lowest lows, one of your highest highs, or you are flying somewhere in the middle, I encourage you to try out some green juice with some loved ones.

xoxo, AIS