FLX Homestead: Spring Cleaning for the Home, Body, and Soul

Winter is almost over. And while I can feel my bones thaw with each hint of a warm sunray, and my heart lighten with every bird chirp, I am feeling the serious weight of having missed a whole season of productivity at home.
Photo provided by Abigail Henson

By Abigail Henson, Founder of Farm Girl Juicery

It’s almost over. Winter, that is. Winter is almost over. And while I can feel my bones thaw with each hint of a warm sunray, and my heart lighten with every bird chirp, I am feeling the serious weight of having missed a whole season of productivity at home. The thing about homesteading is you kind of have to be, well … home.

The first month of launching a new juicery at the recently-opened Salt City Market in Syracuse (Farm Girl Juicery) has completely sideswiped me with joy in a different direction.  Everything takes a backseat when you’re opening a business except for the day that rises before you and the cavalcade of tasks that come along with meeting it.

Back at the homestead, our (my) boxes are hardly unpacked. Rooms are uninspired catchalls. Our bed just graduated from the bohemian resting position it has been in since the box spring didn’t fit up the narrow farmhouse staircase. A slipper fell out of a crate in the spare room in October and is still miscellaneously laying in the middle of the floor, screaming at me every time I walk past it. 

I long for the day that I lavish in long hours of organizing life at home. Spring always brings the renewed hope of cleaning out, starting anew once we defrost, and slowly re-emergeing. This sense of spring cleaning spans across our homes, our gardens, our bodies … So, I’ll look on the bright side.

Spring is coming.  Asparagus stalks will soon peek their braided crowns from the soil, trumpet flowers will bridge our walkway, welcoming us home, and the sun will take its time to sink, giving us the illusion of more hours in the day. As for the boxes? They will be there when I get to them. 

 If you’re into juicing at home, energize yourself in the right direction for your own spring cleaning with a Bright Side mocktail. This is a winning concoction of sweet, spicy, hydration made with sweet potato, carrot, orange, ginger and coconut water. 

‘The Bright Side’ Juice

Abigail Henson of Farm Girl Juicery

Equipment

  • juicer

Ingredients
  

  • 1 sweet potato peeled
  • 2 carrots
  • 2 oranges peeled
  • 1 knob of ginger peeled
  • 16 ounce coconut water

Instructions
 

  • Scrub veggies and peel if necessary.
  • Peel ginger by lightly scraping the skin with the side of a spoon.
  • Cut ingredients down to size to fit through the mouth of the juicer (Feed the first four ingredients through).
  • Cut the juice with coconut water to your liking

Notes

Helpful hint: since you’re making a mess anyways, double or quadruple your batch. I have half-gallon glass jugs that store the perfect amount to be enjoyed over a couple of days or shared with a friend. If it is already made, you’re more likely to reach for it! 

Abigail Henson is a Natural Gourmet Chef, and Founder of Farm Girl Juicery, which serves cold-pressed juices, plant-based smoothies, and homemade soups in downtown Syracuse. Follow on social media at @farmgirljuicery, visit www.farmgirljuicery.com or stop by the stall at 484 South Salina Street, Syracuse, NY 13202.

Please Support Our Sponsors!

Related Stories