Weedy Green Juice

Leggy oregano tops.

I spent a good hour or two this morning out in the herb garden, trying to return some sense of order to what had become a desperately overgrown situation. The Greek oregano was all legs and flowers. Ditto for peppermint and lemon balm. Not to mention the comfrey.

And then there were the actual weeds. So-called simply because they show up on their own, rather by design. Most weeds I know have their own charm and value, be it leaf shape, flower or medicinal property. Case in point: blood-building yellow dock, detoxifying dandelion, and my favorite, majestic mullein, whose fuzzy leaves, steeped in water, make an excellent lung tonic. Or, if you prefer, steep her yellow flowers in olive oil for an effective earache remedy.

When mullein shows up at my house, she's always welcome. Just look at her! Who wouldn't want this kind of royalty guarding their front door?

Mullein, the Queen.

Anyway, it's late August and the back garden was getting out of hand, so I had at it. By ten am I had a whole, overflowing wheelbarrow full of weeds and trimmings:

Plus (bonus!) a nice bunch of fresh clippings for making weedy green juice. Here's what went into the mix:

2 large bunches dandelion leaves
1 medium bunch peppermint stalks
2 sprigs of leggy oregano and lemon balm
4 six-inch long slicing cucumbers
1/2 lime
1 granny smith apple

Because of the juicy cucumber base, I chose the Breville juicer today. Accidentally ran it on high speed, so the juice came out pretty foamy, but that's ok. Foamy or not, it's still incredibly delicious... clean, light and perfectly refreshing. Yum!

Now, back to the garden...

Weedy green juice, and friend.