Empty Shelves

Well, what a weekend!  The forecasters got it right and we had a huge dumping of snow.  Kind of my perfect storm – a Friday night blizzard with nowhere to go the next day.  Most importantly, I had managed to buy sleds for the kiddos and had borrowed a coat and snow pants for the youngest, so he didn’t have to freeze to death on the local sledding hill!!  The snow came as promised, looked pretty, provided fun and best of all we didn’t lose power.  Awesome.

But there I was on Sunday, planning my juicy week ahead and my first of many trips to the grocery store, when I returned from Wholefoods more than a little disappointed (which doesn’t happen very often!)

Of course, one of the consequences of a big storm is that there are  limited deliveries of fresh produce to the shops.  So when I walked into what my husband lovingly calls my own personal cooler (aka Wholefoods produce department) on Sunday afternoon, I was somewhat dismayed to find all of my staple produce items noticeably absent! No kale, spinach, romaine, no salad bags, no cucumbers.  All missing in action, burried somewhere under the snow.  Even the carrots were down in numbers, but I guess that could be attributed to the increase in demand for snowman noses!

Thankfully, I keep a supply of greens at home, (so those clients who had orders for Monday didn’t have to worry), but it did get me thinking about how much I take a regular supply of greens for granted these days.  It forced me to take a pause and remember that my supply of produce is still fundamentally dependent on mother nature, whether to ensure it’s safe passage from seed to mature plant, or from farmer to store.  We sometimes expect to have access to things whenever we want them and sometimes forget what a struggle it can be for those who have to supply us with these things.

So I offer this green juice recipe with thanks, to all those who made it possible for me to have kale, apples and celery in my kitchen this morning!  This is a simple cleansing juice and should be enjoyed with gratitude!

A Thankful Green Juice

5 kale leaves

2 green apples

2 sticks celery

1/4 lime

Before turning the juicer on, push the kale leaves down into the chute.  Then put an apple on top.  Turn on the juicer and put the rest of the produce through.