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So, there’s this new juice bar that just opened in Corte Madera for all you locals called, Juice Alley. It’s an amazing little juice bar that has tons of different organic juice concoctions, vegan snacks and bars. I’m so excited as I love green juices and I also love that it’s right next to my gym. What a great and healthy treat to pick up after a hard workout, right? So, I tried their kale and ginger juice. Let me just tell you that it was amazing and the ginger just popped in my mouth. I knew I was going to have to figure out how to replicate it at home, as this daily juice thing was going to turn into a pricy habit. I googled the ingredients, and of course, there were 100 different recipes.
So here I was looking to juice, but I didn’t own a juicer. I didn’t let that stop me though, so again, I went on the Internet and googled, “how to juice without a juicer,” and I found exactly what I was looking for. OK, honestly, what did we do before the Internet? I really can’t seem to recall how I found information. Did I actually go to the library and look through encyclopedias for questions such as this? I really don’t remember, and I feel like we were in the dark on a lot of things. I can only imagine what science is going to create next that will make the Internet seem obsolete like encyclopedias.
Getting back on topic here, basically if you have a blender, you can juice. Yes, you can, trust me. You don’t have to just drink smoothies or pulpy concoctions. You can drink a smooth and refreshing juice. All you need is a blender and this handy little bag, called a jelly strainer bag. You can find these at most kitchen or hardware stores that sell kitchen appliances. I picked mine up at the local Ace Hardware in Larkspur, for those of you that are local. They cost $ 4.99 for 2 bags. BTW, don’t get the metal contraption that is sold with some of the bags, just buy the bags.
To clean the bags, just use some dish soap and rub the bag together till it’s clean and all the soap is off the bag. Then place the bag on top of a glass or something similar to air dry. These bags should last quite a while. I have used my 10x already and it still looks new. 
how to make a “mean green juice” without a juicer:
recipe adapted from reboot your life
makes 22 ounces
printer friendly recipe
- 6 to 8 kale leaves, washed and de-stemmed – I used 8 leaves and used lacinato/dinasour kale because it’s not as bitter tasting as curly kale, but you can use any kind of kale.
- 2 green apples – cored and cut into chunks – There were not any organic granny smith apples, so I picked up some Mutsu apples, and they were perfect.
- 3 – 4 stalks celery, cut into chunks – I used 3 stalks
- 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled – I love ginger and think it adds a pop of flavor to the juice, so I put in quite a bit. If you’re not a big fan of ginger, than start out with a smaller piece, say 1/2-inch to 1-inch piece.
- 1/2 lemon – peeled, but you can leave on the white pith
- 1 cucumber peeled and cut into large chunks
- 1 cup filtered water
Below are the ingredients before they’re prepped.
Here’s how the ingredients will look after they’re prepped.
To peel ginger, just take a spoon and gently scrape off the skin from top to bottom. The skin is thin, so minimal effort is required.
Pour 1 cup of water into your blender. Add in the chopped apple, chopped celery, chopped cucumber and peeled lemon, and blend away till liquified. Add in the ginger and the de-stemmed kale leaves and puree till smooth.
Take your jelly bag and wrap it over a large measuring cup or bowl.
Pour your juice into the jelly bag.
Don’t worry if your bag slides off the bowl, you just want to make sure that your juice goes in the bag. You can aways hold it open with one hand while pouring with your other hand.
Once all the juice is poured into the bag, remove the bag from the measuring cup or bowl and gently twist the top of the bag closed. Slowly twist the bag so the juice escapes. Keep twisting and squeezing the bag until all of the juice is released.
WARNING: Ugly hand pictures below!
Look at all that pulp that was left in the bag. It’s a beautiful color, but not something I want to be drinking. It actually looks like moss, doesn’t it.
Pour the juice into a large glass, canning jar or Lifefactory bottle, and refrigerate it, as it will be a bit warm. I was anxious to drink my juice, so I threw it in the freezer for a few minutes to cool.It helps to have a glass or bottle with a lid so you can shake your juice when it settles.
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Made in Sonoma September 20, 2012 at 4:55 pm
I love mean green juice! Luckily we have a juicer at work.
I will definitely remember Juice Alley next time in Corte Madera!
Jacquelyn Grandy September 20, 2012 at 5:15 pm
You lucky girl! Actually, after I made this recipe, my girlfriend Cathie dropped off a juicer that she had bought a few years back. It’s brand new and has never been taken out of the box. I’m excited to use it, but don’t know if I have the energy to set it up and figure it out. I actually like juicing this way, its pretty simple now that I have gotten use to it.
We should meet for juice next time your in Corte Madera, just email me!
Becca @ The Dabblist September 20, 2012 at 5:18 pm
Woo hoo, big fan of this post! Way to make it work with your blender, Jackie! That’s a good green juice recipe you’ve got going on there. If you’re ever in a juicing rut, I highly recommend Kris Carr’s ebook here: http://kriscarr.com/products/crazy-sexy-juices-succulent-smoothies/
Happy Juicing <3
Jacquelyn Grandy September 20, 2012 at 5:21 pm
I thought you would like it Becca, being that you’re a fan of juicing. I spent enough money on that vitamix so I am trying to make the most of it. It’s actually one of my favorite kitchen appliances. Thanks for the ebook recommendation. Now, that I know how to juice, I will be on the lookout for more recipes
xoxo,
Jackie
Averie @ Averie Cooks September 20, 2012 at 5:59 pm
I rarely….and I do mean rarely like once every 3 years! LOL…juice anything. The cleanup on a Vita is 100x faster than all those teeth and pulp everywhere with the juicer so I can totally appreciate this post!
Jacquelyn Grandy September 20, 2012 at 8:42 pm
Hi Averie. The clean up is really a cinch with this. I hear about how difficult juicers are to clean. All I have to do is scrub a little bag and wash out a blender and I’m ready to go. Easy peasy!
Sharyn Dimmick September 21, 2012 at 2:27 am
Thanks, Jackie. This is a truly useful post: I’m putting a jelly strainer bag on my to-get list. I’m always reading about delicious juices that I can’t make — now I know how to get around that.
Jacquelyn Grandy September 21, 2012 at 5:47 pm
Thanks Sharyn! I’m glad that this post helped inspire you to now juice. I felt so liberated knowing I can now juice, and the jelly bags are super simple to use and clean. I can’t wait to hear what sort of juice you end up throwing together.
Green Juice Recipes September 21, 2012 at 3:14 pm
Nice. My morning green juice today was kale, dandelion greens, apples, cucumber & lemon.
Jacquelyn Grandy September 21, 2012 at 5:47 pm
Sounds amazing. I need to try dandelion greens next!
Carly T September 25, 2012 at 5:10 am
Hi, I’m new to this site, and I already love it! I really do want to try this, and I don’t have a juicer. Are Jelly Strainer bags something people actually buy to cook? I noticed you bought yours at a Hardware store. Do you think these are something that can be bought in a grocery store? And do they feel at all comparable to cheese cloth? Just thinking of a back up in case I can’t find any of those bags here in Canada.
Jacquelyn Grandy September 25, 2012 at 1:36 pm
Hi Carly! I’m not sure you can buy the jelly strainer bags at a grocery store. You could call your local Safeway or Whole Foods (or stores similar to those two in Canada) and ask. Jelly strainer bags are sold where canning supplies are sold (my local hardware store sells kitchen ware as well). People use jelly bags to strain jams and fruit. You could also try a nut milk bag as well. I think I have seen those at Whole Foods. If you google jelly strainer bags you will see them all over the place. You can even get them at Amazon. The website where I got the idea used a paint strainer bag, but I was hesitant to purchase one of those as I wasn’t sure if they were food grade quality or not. I looked at cheese cloth, but it looked flimsier and the holes looked bigger. The jelly bags are made of nylon and are very sturdy and can withstand pressure. Best of luck Carly and let me know what you end up using!
xoxo,
Jackie
Molly Pedersen March 16, 2013 at 4:00 pm
Cheesecloth should work just fine, use a couple layers of it for finer straining. After all, before those marvelous jelly bag thingys, cheesecloth was what we used!
jackiegrandy March 17, 2013 at 2:57 pm
Hi Molly! Great tip. Thanks for sharing
Vikki May 3, 2013 at 7:48 pm
HERE IS A QUESTION ! I make this recipe and drink it as a smoothie . . .is it better to drink it as a JUICE ?
jackiegrandy May 3, 2013 at 8:00 pm
Hi Vikki! It’s way too pulpy to drink as a smoothie. Believe me, I have tried. You can see how clumpy it is in the photo where I’m pouring it from the blender into the jelly bag. I have some other kale and spinach smoothies that taste great as smoothies, but for some reason I didn’t like the consistency of this one as a smoothie. It was perfect and refreshing as a juice, especially with all that ginger. I’m going to be testing a mean green smoothie recipe and I will let you know how that turns out.