Community Gardens A Must Have

if anything this dark period in world history has taught us that we are , indeed a village, We reach out to others as they have reached out to help us. People are taking it further by creating communal gardens - with social distancing. It means produce for all in the community - a blessing in these times. It is definitely an inspiration .

C,J, Chivers, a Pulitzer Prize winning writer and staff writer for The New York Times Magazine wrote this interesting and inspiring article in yesterday's New York Times Food section,. The subject is dear to Mr. Chivers heart because he and his family are practicing this with their neighbors in their Rhode Island neighborhood. Their Wakefield neighborhood, a mill town, located on the state's southern coast. now has vegetable gardens, not unlike the many Victory Gardens that were planted during World War II.Mr. Chivers and his neighbors discussed planting plans at a safe distance of three to six feet apart. His neighbors' kids , the Ackroyd family,turned over the soil while he and his sons seeded potatoes in their yard. All this comes naturally to him. His father was an expert garden and fruit tree tender in upstate New York. The Chivers had abundant bounties of tomatoes and beans along with thick bouquets of dill and basil. He raised seedlings in  their kitchen then transferred them to cold frames, bottomless boxes that are set over plants to protect them from adverse weather.His plants were fertilized with still warm horse manure , brought in garbage cans in the family's Volkwagon squareback.  He even grew lush cantaloupes which  attracted a local melon thief.

This  gardening is not new to Mr. Chivers and his family. Since they 've returned from Moscow and settled in the US, they too have followed the elder Chivers' example. They have not only coaxed food from the ground but also raised and hunted turkeys sea bass,porgies and even ducks and goats. They even butchered them on butcher's table set up in their basement. They now can also harvest clams on their riverside home (they're not far from the Atlantic) along with eggs from the hens they have.Anyone can be like the Chivers family. They started with ordering seeds from catalogs, beginning with arugula and spinach, hardy greens that can withstand cool New England Springs.They also bought cilantro,parsley , turnips , radishes and peas. Neighbors bought  seed potatoes, peas and greens, Yards were sectioned off and dirt turned over.The topsoil and compost was added. Their neighborhood even had their own nurse, Dena Ackroyd, a physician's assistant who tended to kids cuts and scrapes along with worrying about her father who had the Covid 19 virus. Any neighborhood can have community gardens. Just do it with distanced coordination and Zoom meetings between the neighbors. Don't plant double crops. Have variety so there can be a healthy cornucopia of  veggies and fruits.Remember to share with your food pantry if there's overage.

This is the time for sharing. What better way than to start a garden with their neighbors. It's a sense of giving and growing, much needed in these times.

The Indigenous Food Supply

Long before the Europeans cam, the indigenous tribes of the Americas survived and even thrived. They relied on local flora and fauna for centuries. Now thanks, to the pandemic, they are relying on ancient farming and hunting techniques to survive.  These methods will hopefully sustain into better times.

 Regular contributor Priya Krishna wrote this interesting article for today's New York Times Food section.  She interviewed several members from different tribes and how they're coping through this challenge. The Pine Ridge Reservation, home to the Oglala Sioux Tribe , a vast two million acre area in South Dakota have to rely on food stamps or the Food Distribution Program On Indian Reservations.. This provides boxes of food, usually unhealthy to the native Americans. However, their web site states that they can deliver such healthy and native foods as bison, cornmeal, wild rice, wild salmon and catfish. Hopefully this is true because diabetes rates are high on reservations thanks to most meals containing too much sugar and processed foods . Unfortunately, acquiring nutritious foodstuffs is a hard task due to the spread of the virus and shelves are quickly emptying out. It also doesn't help that the nearest grocery is a two hour drive. Then there are government regulations and environmental conditions that prohibit hunting and fishing in the Continental United States.

What is saving the Oglala Sioux and other tribes across the nation are the time honored practices of seed saving, canning and dehydrating. Their forebears developed these to survive harsh conditions with limited supplies. Milo Yellow Hair of the Pine Ridge Reservation is busy preparing 8,000 seedlings of local varieties of squash and corn - hearty crops with a short growing time to plant in people's yards. Since many have no electricity for refrigerators and freezers, he encourages them to dry the produce. Corn, for example, can be cooked and dried to be used as a base for soups and stews. it can also be dried to make wagmiza wasna, a traditional snack in which the corn is pounded with berries and tallow.There is also a great sense of community especially in the Navajo community. as others make their gardens available to others. They're also assembling care packages for their elders  which include ingredients for fry bread, a Navajo tradition that has a complicated history as it was made from rations from the federal government. The Chippewa tribe has a long history of canning and they're canning beets cucumbers and carrots, with many donating to other tribe members.In Alaska, the Athbaskan tribe can hunt and fish. One, local grocery store owner Cynthia Erikson has a freezer full of caribou, moose and whitefish. This will definitely come in handy in the months to come.

We can learn from the indigenous Americans during these hard times. They rely on ancient practices for sustaining their food stores and supplies. They are getting good nutrition and copious bounties thanks to their traditional farming practices.

Donate Your Talents

The front line needs us. The ones unemployed and food needy need us. What can you do? Donate food. Donate your cooking and baking.

If you have a restaurant and extra food, see if you can donate to emergency and front line workers . People still need to eat and a hot meal, whether pasta, pizza or even a burger or BLT is much welcomed. There are non profit organizations out there that are paying for essential workers to eat. Contact your local ones to see if they want to partner with your eatery for this. You can also contribute to feeding those in need of meals' the homeless and the recently unemployed. Again there are non profit organizations that can pay for this and set up a tab. You could also deliver to the elderly's homes too. Donate any fresh food you haven't used to food banks or leave it out in bags for those to take. Any extra, bread, lettuce  and tomatoes can feed a family for a few days. If there's extra cake or desserts throw them in too. It'll be a treat to the kids. Also throw in those fun kids place mats and crayons. These would be appreciated by fraught parents looking for something extra for their kids to do.

If you're a good cook and baker  then think about donating your talent to helping too. You can create large family dinners for essential workers' families whose parents are on the front lines. Create easy to make care packages like lasagnas and casseroles. Rice and pasta dishes are also simple to whip up and pack. Create a few for neighbors who are on the front lines. There is nothing liked fresh baked goods. These offer not just good cheer but a heart felt thank you. Bake a few loaves of bread. It's not only soul soothing but versatile. It can be used for sandwiches, stuffing and even turned into bread crumbs when stale. Experienced bread makers can try different kinds like honey and sourdough. You can even try rolls which always go over big. Another comfort treat is a plate of cookies. There's nothing like chocolate chips , fresh from the oven, with gooey chips and crunchy walnuts. Vary the plate with homemade oatmeal raisin and peanut butter cookies or blossoms.

This is the time for all of us to step up. Donate anyway you can. Use your restaurant's kitchen. Use your own kitchen to help our during this time.

Little Luxuries

These days deserve treats. We all need to reward ourselves with something delicious and even lush. It could be a cupcake, it could be a flavorful meal. Just have something that's lifts you and brightens your day.

One of the best ways of jazzing up any dish is a sauce. One of the most luxurious is Hollandaise sauce. It is a fancy sauce used to grace asparagus spears and Eggs Benedict. This silken concoction is a combination of egg yolks , melted butter, Dijon mustard and lemon juice. I made a vegan version for my Easter dinner asparagus. Instead of yolks, I used The Vegg Vegan Egg Yolk, a mix of fortified yeast , black salt and beta carotene. It was then mixing in a tablespoon of lemon juice, a small dollop of Dijon mustard and half a cup of melted I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.It was just as rich as the ones I've had at restaurants in the city. It was the perfect lift for the holiday and I plan on making a vegan version of Eggs Benedict - another luxury bite. Another little luxury is homemade Mornay sauce. This is a simple Bechamel sauce enhanced with Gruyere and sometimes Parmesan. Fancy eateries usually serve it over chicken breasts and sole and you can do the same. If you can't find sole , then use tilapia. The base is easy , Just use milk and flour along with an onion, cloves and bay leaf to flavor it. A pinch of nutmeg is added at the end.

Another luxury  that might perk you up is a shrimp cocktail. You can buy what's known as a shrimp ring at the seafood section of your grocery store. Sometimes there's a cup of cocktail sauce in the middle although you can make it at home. It's a simple mix of ketchup , horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and a dash of lemon juice. You can add a dash of hot sauce for bite. Lobster and crab are other luxuries that can be a real boost. Buy them frozen or at Omaha Steak Company. Another idea is supporting your local seafood restaurant and ordering a complete dinner. This will also include a side like cole slaw and fries along with melted butter. It's just a fun way of celebrating getting through this  and a take out dinner nowadays is a big deal.Sweets can be a luxury too. There is time now to bake fancy tortes such as Black Forest cake. This decadent bite is homemade chocolate scratch cake  soaked with cherry liqueur and frosted with whipped cream. Fresh cherries and chocolate bark decorate it, upping the flavor a notch. Want something equally rich? Try baba rhums. These are small homemade cakes that's sopped up rum. They  can be garnished with whipped cream and raspberry too.

Treat yourself to little luxuries during these hard times. It could be as something like a sauce or a slice of decadent cake. Enjoy them making them and eating them.

A Different Kind Of Easter

This Easter will be different. Yet maybe a cozy holiday in is what we need. It's not quite the same with the restaurant brunches or big family gatherings. It will do.

We can still have Easter ham with plenty left over. Hopefully everyone has their roasts and sides picked out. Baked beans are one great one. If you haven't bought a can you can still create you own. Just use onion powder, tomato sauce and three sweeteners, brown sugar, maple syrup and molasses, Apple cider vinegar and dried mustard are added for tang along with a splash of apple juice. It's then soaking and boiling the beans. Meanwhile, you can fry up the bacon and then add all the other ingredients. Many have potato salad with their Easter hams. A quick recipe involves boiled ones cooled and sliced. Add a good dollop of mayo and chopped celery (if you don't have it, then use celery salt) along with hard boiled eggs- which you should have.

Easter is a time of sweets, For a fun indoor/outdoor Easter egg hunt put chocolate eggs in the plastic ones. Another idea is creating cupcakes with clues in the frosting. Draw arrows or little pictograms in the icing. Since the kids are in a nd looking for activities , think about a frosting bar. Bake the cupcakes tonight and make a buttercream or chocolate butter cream as the first layer. Have jellybeans or  smaller bowls of colored frostings to create dots and stripes. It's a nice way to pass an afternoon. You could even have a contest for creating the most decorative or the one that looks the most like an Easter egg. Another fun Easter night treat is an Easter candy sundae. Layer whatever ice cream you have with jellybeans or any chocolate eggs. The last can be split in half for easier eating. Easter cookies can be turned into ice cream sandwiches.it's just putting a small scoop on one cookie, then topping it with another.

Easter will be different this year. Celebrate with traditional dishes and fun treats. Make the day memorable with favorite flavors and foods.

A Thoughtful Good Friday

This Good Friday is one where we are all thoughtful and prayerful. Our minds and hearts along with our souls  are with those who are sick with the Covid-19 virus along with those with other illnesses. Our thoughts and prayers are also those on the front lines too. If you want to do a good deed this Easter season along then donate food, whether pizzas, doughnuts or sandwiches to our brave doctors and nurses.  Do the same too  for Passover and Ramadam too. Be grateful for these healthcare professionals  who are giving up their holidays for us.  Thank those cashiers and food stockers at your grocery stores. They too are on the front lines as our the truckers, farmers, produce pickers and food plant workers.

This is the day to be thoughtful. Think of what you can do for your community. Sew masks, Donate food. Treat workers to a much needed slice of pizza or cup of coffee. Pray for an end to this, where everyone emerges happy and healthy.

Passover During A Pandemic

The holidays are entirely different this year, especially Passover. There are on line and streaming seders. Families are apart. It's certainly a strange time.

Amelia Nierenberg and Emma Goldberg both regular contributors  wrote this informative and interesting piece in yesterday's New York Food section. Passover means a time of ridding the house of unleavened bread along with other items. Vital pantry staples such as beans, bread and pasta fall into this category. Breads, cakes and cookies that are leavened with yeast are called chametz and are forbidden during this period. Usually a household's bread is either donated, eaten burned or sold to a non-Jewish person for a small fee and then bought back at the end of Passover. However bread is an important ingredient in today's kitchen and in high demand world wide. In Zichron Yaakov, a town north of Tel Aviv a Christian buyer told Rabbi Yair Silverman that he would actually keep the breads. The rabbi considered it a true sale then. Other items include foods like oatmeal and breads made with barley or kityinot. This also includes legumes and even corn and rice.

Many are adapting to this new holiday normal. One, Rachel Ringler,a food blogger, and challah baking instructor, had a Zoom seder in her Bridgehampton second home instead of her Manhattan apartment. She is serving rice and lentils a, custom of her half -Syrian son-in-law, who being a Sephardic Jew, can have corn, rice, and millet. This has been sanctioned by the Rabbinical Assembly, the international association of Conservative Rabbis. They have also offered suggestion for the Passover plate too. Try a roasted beet and rice instead of a shank bone and egg along with any fruit or vegetable that can bring a tear to the eye instead of horseradish. Use ginger which is just as sharp or hot peppers. Most home chefs have usually cooked brisket in the past to accommodate huge numbers of guests. Now families have roasted chicken. There are Seder to go boxes , supplied by Chabad.org. a worldwide Jewish organization. These have matzah, wine, grape juice, and even a plastic frog to symbolize the ten plagues along with a Haggadah, the telling of the Exodus from Egypt. One thing that is forbidden in some areas is the burning of the chametz. Some fires have gone out of control in the past and fire departments have been called in. Since they're needed  now , fires are banned.

Passover will certainly be different .  this year as Jews recite "next year in Jerusalem" there is also that hope that they will be there or at a seder with all their loved ones in the next  year. That's the best hope for this holiday.