No excuses to miss your vitamin C, especially in summer. You don't necessarily need a citrus juicer (non-electric ones are cheap and easily found at yard sales and second-hand shops), but an electric blender or food processor is pretty much necessary. Mashing bananas and stirring in citrus pulp by hand is OK, but you'll get a smoother consistency with a blender and citrus juicer.

Inventing a fruit smoothie or shake is simple on your own; you don't have to follow any recipe exactly. One thing to keep in mind is that if you use a sour or tart fruit, you should also include a sweet fruit to balance it out, e.g., one lemon and one banana.

Following are lists of combinations I prefer; they generally result in about 30 ounces (one liter) of shake. I often either add crushed ice or pour the shake over ice cubes.

Yellow Frothy Doom

Two grapefruit, four lemons, two bananas

Orange Frothy Doom

Six valencia oranges, two lemons, one banana

Sour Neon Doom

Four grapefruit, two limes, half pint raspberries or blackberries

Sweet Neon Doom

Three grapefruit, two bananas, half pint raspberries or blackberries

Sunshine on a Stick

One banana, two lemons, two oranges

Purple Death

Two grapefruit, one lemon, one pint blueberries

Should've Added a Banana

Two lemons, one grapefruit, one pint blueberries

Sense and Sensibility

One banana, one grapefruit, one lemon, one pint strawberries

Extra-Strength Pain Reliever

Four lemons, 20 oz water, two tablespoons honey, crushed ice

Hair on Your Chest

Two lemons, one grapefruit, one pint blueberries, one cup strawberries

Notes:

Will yield about a liter of smoothie, depending on the size of the fruit and the amount of ice you add (if you choose).

All of the recipes in this index urge you to use organic foods, but smoothies especially taste better when made with organically-grown berries and citrus fruits. They have more flavor and will show more variety in color and taste.

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