In this issue:
Easter traditions
Traditional Easter veggies
Recipe of the week
Contact us
Easter Traditions
Easter is upon us!
Celebrated since the early days of Christianity, this
holiday is a unique blend of religious and secular
traditions from many societies around the world.
 All
of the traditions associated with Easter revolve around the
idea of "new" - of new light (longer days), of spring (new
growth),
of fertility (new life) and of the resurrection of
the Son of God.
The Easter egg symbolizes
fertility and new life, as does the Easter Bunny. In
fact, Easter is named after a Greek goddess of fertility.
The sunrise ceremonies
that many participate in symbolize new light and the
resurrection. The many candles at Easter gatherings and the
processional Pascal candle at Easter Mass also symbolize new
light.
 The
Easter parade gives participants the opportunity to shed
winter clothes in favor of a new and more colorful spring
wardrobe. And popular Easter bouquets feature the new
flowers of spring - daffodils and tulips.
If you'd like to learn
more about the many Easter traditions and their origins, try
these sites:
How Easter
works (at HowStuffWorks.com)
Easter:
Its Roots and Symbols (serious stuff, but has a
great list of related links)
For some Easter fun,
especially with your kids, stories, recipes, images and much
more, try these sites:
www.happy-easter.com - it's egg-citing!
www.theholidayspot.com/easter
Traditional Easter veggies
These traditions carry
into the Easter menu as well. The traditional
Easter feast, in all of its extravagance, followed the
fasting and abstinence practiced by many during the forty
days of Lent.
Serving lamb at Easter
dinner stemmed from the ancient practice of slaughtering a
spring lamb and roasting it with root crops in celebration
of the breaking of the fast.
This week, to help you
celebrate Easter and round out your Easter feast, Goodness
Greeness is featuring these traditional spring and Easter
organic vegetables:
Organic
broccoli
Organic cauliflower
Organic red potatoes (new crop)
Organic sweet potatoes and yams
Organic bunched beets
 You can lightly steam the
broccoli, cauliflower and beets and serve with your main
meal. These all provide a nice, healthy and light
counterbalance to the richness of a lamb, ham or turkey
dish.
You can also serve
broccoli and cauliflower fresh with carrots on a veggie tray
with your favorite veggie dip.
For a real flavor treat,
try our "new crop" red potatoes - roasted, baked or steamed.
This first of the season crop from California is quite
special right now.
And for more information
on how to prepare and use sweet potatoes or yams in your
Easter feast, see our Newsletter Issue
#45.
Recipe
of the week:
|
Garganelli
with Spring Vegetables (serves four)
·
1
bunch of organic asparagus, about 350g/12oz
·
4
young organic carrots
·
1
bunch of organic spring onions
·
130g/4 ½ oz organic shelled fresh peas
·
350g/12oz/3cups dried garganelli
·
60ml/4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
·
A
few organic sprigs of fresh flat leaf parsley, mint
and basil, leaves stripped and chopped
·
Sea salt and ground black pepper
·
Fresh organic Parmesan cheese or premium organic
Italian-
style vegetarian cheese
To serve:
1. Trim
off and discard the woody part of each asparagus stem, then
cut off the tips on the diagonal. Cut the stems on the
diagonal into 4cm/1 ½ in. pieces. Cut the carrots and
spring onions on the diagonal into similar-size pieces.
2. Plunge
the carrots, peas, asparagus stems and tips into a large pan
of salted boiling water. Bring back to the boil, then
reduce the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until tender.
3. Meanwhile,
cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 10-12 minutes, or
according to the instructions on the packet, until just
tender.
4. Drain
the asparagus, carrots and peas and return them to the pan.
Add white wine, olive oil and salt and black pepper to
taste, and then gently toss over medium to high heat until
the wine has reduced and the vegetables glisten with the
olive oil.
5. Drain
the garganelli and tip it into a warmed large bowl.
Add the vegetables, spring onions and sprigs of fresh herbs
and toss well. Divide the pasta among four warmed
individual plates and serve immediately, with freshly grated
cheese. |
Contact
us
You can find
traditional Easter organic vegetables - along
with a broad selection of fresh organic
fruits and vegetables - from Goodness Greeness at your local market.
E-mail us
at
newsletter@goodnessgreeness.com if you can't find them and we'll help you
locate them.
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