- Spring Cleaning
For Your Kitchen and Yourself
- by Nava Atlas
Now that we can look forward
to spring's imminent arrival, it's fun to think about how we
can prepare our kitchens as well as our palates. Many cultures
have deeply ingrained rituals for preparing the kitchen for the
season of rebirth—think of Passover and Lent rituals. Many
involve clearing as well as cleaning, and making way for the
new. Here are some ideas:
- It's a good idea to do a more-than-superficial
cleaning of the refrigerator and freezer before each season,
getting rid of those "science projects" moldering in
the backs of shelves as well as freezer-burnt foods. Cabinets
and pantries should be gone through twice a year; I think early
spring and late fall are ideal, since there is (or should be)
most change in the foods used at these times.
- Make rituals of preparing for
the warmer seasons enjoyable. Think of how nice it will be to
reach into your spice cabinet and actually find what you're looking
for. Consider the kind of centerpiece to reflect the mood of
the season at your table. I've just replaced winter's russet
and yellow mums with a vase of daisies, lilies, and irises. Maybe
you'd like to display a small pot of tulips or force branches
of forsythia. This small touch of floral beauty costs so little,
yet adds so much to the seasonal mood of the kitchen.
- When going through your pantry,
gather any non-perishables that seem not to get used and donate
them to a food pantry. When going through your pantry this year,
please purge any products that contain partially hydrogenated
oils. Many experts agree that consumption of these "trans-fats"
is contributing greatly to the national obesity crisis (new to
this newsletter? Check out "The dangers of trans fats"
http://www.becomehealthynow.com/conditions/hydrog_fats.shtml).
Don't donate these items. Throw them away. People less fortunate
than you don't need to eat these unhealthy foods any more than
you do.
- Finally, think of a spring cleaning
for your body. Drink a lot of water, cleansing teas, and refreshing
smoothies. Use lots of leafy early spring greens such as spinach,
arugula, lettuces, and Asian greens. Use what's in season, and
try to buy organic produce from local sources whenever possible.
Other spring flavors to look forward to include asparagus, beets,
leeks, parsley, peas, radishes, rhubarb, and strawberries.
It's time to sow seeds, both
literally and figuratively, and make room for new blessings to
flow into your life!
Continued
on the next page...
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