For those newer to the world of juicing, I like to keep the ingredient list short. Turmeric, earthy in flavor, is best added in small amounts to sweet, slightly acidic fruit. Honey tangerines fit the bill perfectly. Nothing else needed. However, with everyone on the hunt for all things pumpkin, I decided to spice things up. If you choose to add this optional ingredient, be prepared, prepping a fresh pumpkin requires a fair amount of elbow grease. Canned pumpkin will not taste the same and leaves the juicer little to work with in the way of, well...juice!
Usually when I decide to make a juice, I choose one ingredient for specific health benefits and build from there. In this case, I was most interested in curcumin, an anti-inflammatory property within turmeric. My husband suffers greatly from Crohn's Disease, a form of IBD, and arthritis associated with Crohn's Disease. Studies show that free radicals causing inflammation related to this condition, as well as other forms of arthritis, can be controlled to some degree by ingesting curcumin. This antioxidant is also showing promise as an anti-carcinogen.
The next step to a good juice is choosing a complimentary flavor. Honey tangerines produce a high quantity of juice and are sweet enough to offset the powerful flavor of turmeric. They also contain beta carotene, Vitamin C, calcium, chlorine, folic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulphur, and to a lesser degree - B Vitamins, copper, iron and zinc.
Pumpkin, the optional addition, has it's own wide variety of healthy components. It provides a huge amount of B-complex vitamins, beta carotene which converts to Vitamin A, and Vitamin C. It also contains calcium, copper, Vitamin E, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc.
This is my go-to juice for autumn as we transition into the sneezy, sniffly winter season. And it's so festive, most health-nut adverse people will drink it before inquiring what's in it.
Optional: 1 small pie pumpkin, peeled, seeded and diced
1 inch of fresh turmeric root
4 honey tangerines, peeled
Directions:
Peel the rind from the pumpkin with a knife or sturdy peeler. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds. Dice the pumpkin small enough to fit through the juicer. In small batches, separately press the pumpkin pieces, turmeric and tangerines through a juicer of your choice. Stir to combine and pour into martini glasses. Garnish with any leftover pieces of turmeric and serve immediately.
Yield: 2-3 martinis or 1 large glass of juice