Flowering almond trees can still be seen all around, swaying slightly in the breeze (what wonderful weather right now!)
to remind us that TuB'Shevat was not very long ago, and yet, here it is Purim. This year, masks are extra popular for other reasons, and many gatherings were cancelled in an effort to maintain public health, but when the month of Adar beginswe should increase our joy – even when there are viruses raging outside.
And Purim is indeed a celebration of joy – of turning everything up-side-down (ונהפוכו), of play, of mischief and costumes. Of trying something different. Of daring to be something different or daring to be.
Organic vegetables also have costumes: Some beets do not go by the customary color of beets – they are either yellow or pink with circles, like a lollipop; there arepurplepotatoes; carrots that are not orange colored but white or purple or yellow. There are also vegetables that typically go in soup or are otherwise cooked, like cauliflower or beets, that are terrific in a fresh green salad (once you try you’ll be surprised how tasty and crunchy it is. Beets can be finely sliced, sprinkled with some good salty cheese on top – and you get an excellent beet carpaccio).
With this holiday spirit, we can play even with the hamantaschen, the pastry that best represents Purim – you can play around and experiment to see what kind of “up-side-down” cookies can be produced.
Maybe, rather than using the regular cookie dough, make them from non-crumbly dough – like yeast dough or the pastry, layered dough. You can keep the cookie dough on the outside and change the filling to be salty. For example, with young green leaves like swiss chard, sunflower seeds and feta. For those who love to gather greens – you can also use watercress or hobiza leaves. More daring combinations would be artichoke hearts or a spicy eggplant stuffing. As long as everyone is happy.
Speaking of miracles and masks, Purim is a great opportunity to remember the little miracle tucked insidegrains and legumes. They lie quietly in the pantry, in a box or jute bag and wear an innocent appearance. Supposedly, they are just waiting to be cooked, ground and eaten. Nothing ties them to the world of “Super Food”. But water washes away this disguise – a day or two after getting wet something miraculous occurs: anunbelievable abundant burst of vitamins and minerals and also amino acids, all were waiting inside that dry little seed.
The seed becomes an entire world, easier to digest and fuller of all the good things our bodies love – sprouts are absolutely Super Food in every way. And they are so simple to make at home –just keep the seedsdamp (or wet and draining) while rinsing frequently, within a couple of days you see the tail of the root sprout from one side and the stem burst out of the other. Kids also enjoy the process, since the change takes place in a short period of time, and it doesn't take much patience to follow.
It is also the peak of the citrus season – the oranges are full of juice, the clementinesare almost peeling themselves, and the lemon tree is leaning under the heavy weight. Reach out and touch them. But there were times and places where citrus fruit were not available. For example, on sailing ships that would go on long voyages in search of new continents (or pirate ships seeking merchant ships) there were no oranges. After a few weeks at sea, the scurvy would come to visit – bleeding gums, falling teethandbleeding from the skin.
Quite a few legends have it that grains and legumes stored in the belly of the ship and got wet (as a result of a leak, a storm or a drunkcook) were a cause of complaints among the crew (because wet grains are yucki even for pirates) until it was discovered that the sprouted grains prevent scurvy.Hence, there is no yucki without good.
Have a happy and healthy Purim,
Yours,
Maggie's Garden Team
Forecast:
In the ORGANIC vegetable baskets we expect (draft only):
Cucumber
Tomato
Lettuce
Potato
Eggplant
Cauliflower
Parsley
Spinach
Celery
The Large organic vegetable baskets also include:
Fennel
Coriander
Kale
In the ORGANIC fruit baskets:
Bannana
Orange
Pomelo
Melon
The large ORGANIC fruit baskets also include:
Red Pomelo
Clementine
Lemon
The ORGANIC Green Basket:
Celery
Spinach
A kind of lettuce
Mint
Sprouts
Swiss Chard
Kale
Argula
