‘Food be Thy medicine and medicine be Thy food’. This old Hippocrates’ saying has always been relevant in today’s world but it comes into its own in summer. When the fresh produce abounds and even wild plants are aplenty, it makes for a perfect time to fortify our health with juices and smoothies made from them. They can be enjoyed for a variety of reasons and some have even specific benefits. When the weather is warmer, having these daily, especially if you use organic vegetables and fruit as well as fresh herbs or leaves from foraging can bring many gifts for your body and mind. All you need is a juicer or blender and have a go. They make a perfect meal replacement, can be cleaning as well as nourishing. They are best had on the same day once fresh but can be kept in the fridge in air tight, dark containers till the folowing day.

Here are a few suggestions of what you may want to try this summer:

For lovely skin and allergy prevention:

• 1 avocado
• 1 apple
• 5 young shoots of nettle
• 3 twigs of fresh coriander
• ¼ bunch of parsley
• juice of ½ a lemon
• ½ glass of water

Pour the lemon juice into water, add avocado and peeled apple, and blend with nettle, coriander, and parsley. Drink whilst fresh.

For energy boost and blood pressure lowering:

• 1 large beetroot
• 1 apple
• 1 carrot
• 3 leaves of kale or cavolo nero
• few leaves of fresh mint
• 1 tsp of lemon juice
• ½ glass of water

Wash the apple, carrot and beetroot, peel and chop into small pieces. Blend with the remaining ingredients and drink.

For detoxification:

• 1 cucumber or gherkin
• 1 green apple
• 2 stalks of celery
• a few leaves of basil
• a few leaves of dandelion
• a few twigs of coriander
• juice of ½ a lemon
• 1 tsp of cold pressed linseed oil
• ½ glass of water

Blend thoroughly the ingredients adding them to the blender in the following order: water, lemon juice, basil, dandelion or coriander, chopped veg and fruit and the oil at the end. Drink at room temperature.