Using It Up: This Week's Experiments With Savory Smoothies

When most of us think of smoothies, we imagine something sweet and creamy, maybe frosty even. This week, I've been making savory smoothies.

"Why?" you ask. I'm trying to use up the last bits in the garden that no one is interested in eating at this point in the season. We have watercress, spindly celery, parsley, and nasturtium leaves as the primary unwanted greens.

My original thought was how different can this be from V-8, that tomato-based vegetable drink. Well, actually, it can be quite different.

Yesterday's smoothie was a bit heavy on the nasturtium leaves. Not horrible. But nothing like V-8. I doctored it with additional salt and lemon juice. That made it palatable enough to drink. 

I'm using these smoothies to supplement weekday lunches. They add an extra serving of veggies, and use something from the garden that might otherwise be wasted.

So here's what's in this smoothie:

• celery leaves
• nasturtium leaves
• watercress
• green onions
• garlic
• tomatoes
• parsley
• lemon juice
• salt
• turmeric

I even convinced my husband to give one a try. He made his own and made it more heavily tomato, plus added hot sauce. He said it was pretty good, and was glad to have a way to get more vegetables in. Yes, he's actually working at eating more vegetables.

Other than savory smoothies, I've been using these garden remnants in soups and slaw-type salads. I just thought a smoothie would take care of a bunch of them in one go.

So my question for you, do you think you'd like a savory smoothie? Or would you prefer to use up some of the stronger-flavored garden vegetables in a different way?