I heard people using the word “juice”, as a VERB, for the first time many years ago:

Do you have any books on juicing?
Do you carry produce wash, because I am SERIOUSLY juicing this month. 
Juicing has really changed EVERYTHING for me. I love it!
Ever since I started juicing, my skin has cleared up and I have so much energy! 

Juicing, as an activity, is serious business in a food co-op. As I acclimated to this culture and language, other sorts of new things seeped in between my languid cigarette breaks on the loading dock where the pallets of hippie heaven arrived. Aside from juicing, a girl might find shoppers dangling crystal pendulums over the beets, using the citrine or amethyst to guide them to the deep red root of the perfect energy. I also found people pouring over alcohol extracted flower essences seeking a mellow support for everything from stress reduction to studied focus. And dodging and weaving between support animals and a new baby boom on my way back to my aisle to stock recycled toilet paper, sugar cane toilet paper, and unbleached toilet paper, I’d wind through the supplements section where workers and shoppers exchanged all manner of incredible knowledge about vitamins and herbs. The food co-op is part grocery, part hospital, part coven. And as time moved on, each one seemed a little more inviting to me. Mostly, the food as medicine part.

Just as juicing became a normal, if not still a little bit irritating, verb, so too, did the constant discussion of different cleanses: The Master Cleanse, The Quantum Wellness Cleanse, and The Colorado Cleanse. You could go Miami with The South Beach Cleanse, Vegan with The Crazy Sexy Cleanse, or follow various celebrity cleanses. There were Clean Starts and Reboots, and Fresh Seasons. I smoked through most of the talk for a long time.

Years.
40 years.
Seemed as good a time as any to finally sweep up the temple.

So I’ve done my cleansing, my research, and enjoyed several fresh starts of my own. I’ve made a good crop of mistakes to draw from, gathered an enormous amount of rejuvenation and health from the experiences and I’ve incorporated some things that feel important to me into the Spring Fling Cleanse. And while most cleanses are entirely about food, this one takes a big hunk from creativity, another from clarity, and still more from the quiet impulse. It’s Spring. There’s so much great stuff to be quiet about and honor. It’s better than the cigarettes were. And I loved cigarettes. The thing is, I was SO GOOD at smoking. I hate giving up something I’m good at. But, there it is. Gone.

Still, the kitchen is the core of the cleanse and the transformation. So I thought I’d share a recipe you can look forward to on our three week Spring Fling. I’ve mapped out a mellow cleanse with a calm pacing and amazing food.

Here, Look:

This recipe came from being out of everything and using only what I had on hand. This is where a stocked pantry and a garden in the yard really tend to work out. Plus I was really hungry so I wanted something filling and picked soba to lead my thought process. It’s made of buckwheat, gluten-free, and a satiating, warming base for a meal.

1/4 lb buckwheat soba
1 in knuckle grated ginger
1T brown mustard seed
1T cumin seed.
1T coconut oil
3 stalks dino kale
3 stalks red russian kale
3 stalks rainbow chard
Big handful of spicy mustard greens

Prepare your soba in water or vegetable broth. Careful not to over cook it. When it’s ready, drizzle it with a little sesame oil for great flavor and to keep it from getting sticky.

Toss the grated ginger, mustard seed and cumin seeds into a skillet with the coconut oil and sautee until the mustard seeds begin popping.

Grab all your greens and shred them cro-magnon style or cut them into thick ribbons with a knife. They go into the sautee and cook until they are brightly colored and slightly wilted.

Dice up some sugar snap peas and add them on top.

Variations: Add sesame seeds to the sprinkle on top. Add in some shiitake mushrooms. Add garlic into the sautee. You can season your soba with a 1/2 t rice vinegar. Sea vegetables would also be a great addition. Let your imagination in on this recipe. It’s so simple and satisfying and has lots of room for your signature and what your body might be asking for at lunch.