Cucumber, Apple and Fennel Juice
Cucumber, apple and fennel is one of those combinations that sounds like it belongs in a health shop, and it tastes a great deal better than that. The cucumber does the cooling, the green apples bring the sweetness that stops it ending up like a savoury drink, and the fennel sits behind both of them with a faint aniseed edge that comes through more with every mouthful. Two glasses from one go. I make it on the mornings after a heavy dinner, when I want something cold and green rather than another coffee.
Equipment
- 1 Juicer a slow juicer gets much more out of the cucumber
- 1 High-speed blender for the blender method
- 1 Nut milk bag or a fine sieve
- 1 Airtight glass bottles only if you are taking it with you, it is better fresh
- 1 Budget cold press juicer a cheaper slow juicer handles cucumber and apple easily
- 1 Budget blender fine here, as long as you strain it well
Ingredients
- 2 medium cucumbers about 400g, or 1 large one
- 2 green apples cored but not peeled
- 1 small fennel bulb hard core removed, fronds kept if you like
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 100 ml cold water for the blender method only
Instructions
Juicer method
- Rinse the cucumbers and cut them into batons that fit your feed chute. There is no need to peel them unless the skin is waxed, in which case peel it off.
- Quarter the apples and cut out the core and seeds. Cut the fennel bulb in half through the root, slice out the hard core at the base, then cut each half into wedges.
- Feed the fennel through the juicer first, then the cucumber, then the apple. Alternating the vegetables with the fruit keeps the pulp moving and stops the basket clogging.
- Squeeze the half lemon straight into the jug at the end, stir, then pour into two glasses and drink it cold.
Blender method
- Peel the cucumbers if the skins are thick, then cut them into rough chunks.
- Core the apples and cut them into chunks. Cut the fennel into pieces and discard the solid core.
- Tip everything into the blender jug with the 100ml of cold water and blend on high for about 60 seconds, until there are no solid pieces of fennel left.
- Pour the mixture through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve set over a jug. Let it drain first, then press it gently with the back of a spoon and no harder.
- Squeeze in the lemon, stir the jug, and pour into two glasses to serve.
Notes
Fennel is the fussy one here. Cut the bulb in half through the root, then slice out the solid core at the base, which is tough and tastes of very little. Keep the feathery fronds if you want them as a garnish, or just feed them through the juicer with everything else.
Cucumber carries a lot of water, so this can come out thin. If you want more body, run one of the apples through last and let it push the fennel pulp out of the machine, or make it in the blender and strain it a little less firmly. Do not press hard on the pulp either way, or you will pull bitterness through with it.
Nutrition
Calories: 150kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 2.5gFat: 0.5gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 45mgPotassium: 700mgFiber: 2gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 350IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 1.2mg
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