Apple, Mandarin, and Carrot Juice

Found at: ICA

This juice was the culmination of perhaps one of the most Swedish days that I have ever had.

It started with a Volvo trip around Skoghall, collecting various friends in various states of asleep-at-noon. What followed was a 30°F (0°C) barbeque at a local park, a hike through the woods (complete with moose encounter), and a 3:30PM sunset. Once dusk had fully settled in, the party made its way to Kiki’s house (Kiki is someone’s mother, but in a sense also everyone’s mother), where she served cake and coffee and this juice.

I’m not sure if carrot juice is usually part of a Swedish coffee break, but Kiki was very insistent. And, apart from the surprising amount of stringy carrot pulp, the juice itself was excellent. It tastes of orange with a hint of apple and it was extremely drinkable. In the words of Kiki: “Before you know, one liter is [drinking motion].” She was right – I don’t think I’ve drunk that much liquid all winter. (And I don’t think I’ve drunk anything so neon orange ever.)

And after two or three hours of juice and cake and discussion of Swedish TV shows in the 1970s, the lot of us headed down the street to another mother’s house for kebab pizza, low-alcohol “people beer,” and several re-runs of QI.

As far as I can tell, I’m only one Ikea trip away from completing Swedish bingo.