Tropical Strawberry Beet Juice

The best part about living in the Pacific Northwest is that life blooms year round. And spring is nearly here. In February, the late-winter and early spring blossoms begin to bloom. I discussed more in my latest Vegan Chocolate Strawberry Cake w/ Beet Frosting recipe about my passion for flowers and beets. 

Although semi-sweet, beets are one of nature's most powerful purifying vegetables. Combined with some tropical fruit, this juice integrates the best of winter and summer flavors. Oranges are casted into being a summer fruit, since we associate orange with summer, but citrus season is in peak during the winter months. 

My Vegan Blood Orange Cake w/ Blood Orange Frosting inspired me to integrate my last two cake recipes into one.  

Many associate citrus as a summer fruit, but the peak growing season is during the winter. 

This transition between winter and spring inspired me to fuse the best of both seasons. And since February is the month for love, there is no better way to mix the aphrodisiac fruit, strawberry, with beets. 

The Romans praised beets and said that beets provided an aphrodisiac effect. It is noted that beets were wall decorations at the Lupanare Brothel in Pompeii. In Greek mythology, the goddess of love, Aphrodite at beets to make herself more appealing. This is fascinating because beets contain boron, a trace mineral that enhances the sex hormones. 

But these weren't the only civilizations to prize this precious root vegetable. 

Many cultures ate the beet leaves, but the first regions to consume the root part was either Italy or Germany in 1542.

According to PBS.org, "In 1747 Andreas Sigismund Marggraf, a chemist from Berlin, discovered a way to produce sucrose from beets. His student, Franz Achard, perfected this method for extracting sugar, leading him to predict the inevitable rise of beet beer, tobacco and molasses, among other products. Though not entirely convinced that beets had a bright future, the King of Prussia eventually subsidized a sugar beet industry. The first plant was built in what is now western Poland. It turned out to be a solid investment. Today, around 20 percent of the world’s sugar comes from sugar beets. Beet sugar production requires 4 times less water than sugar cane production, making it an attractive crop throughout Europe as well as in more arid countries like Egypt."

In conclusion, during this month of love, I hope this juice enhances your health and even if you don't have a significant other, you can transmute your kundalini towards creative projects, art and critical thinking. Some of the best thinkers out there, like Tesla, refrained from sexual activity and used his energy for inventions. 

Tropical Strawberry Beet Juice
Serves: 1

Ingredients: 
1 cup fresh strawberries
1 cup pineapple
1/2 beet
optional: 1/2 navel orange, juiced

Directions: Place all the ingredients into a juicer, except for the orange. Squeeze the orange juice by hand. Mix the juice and enjoy! 

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