Daily observations of my simple life.

Trade offs: Pass it Forward:

There's a little shop in the valley that has all sorts of recycled stuff. Inside a petite little lady runs it, but she runs more than that. This ambitious little lady just couldn't see anyone go hungry in the valley. Somehow she has created a wonderful Food Bank.

When I first heard of it , I thought, "Well, I don't need it, I manage just fine" and I do. At my neighbors urging, she calls everytime a truck load of produce comes in, I decided to check it out. In comes a semi truck full of produce that didn't sell at the city market so it's donated to food banks. Huge bins of whatevers in surplus. That first day I took a few squashes and felt grateful. Later, I thought, "Oh, if there are any left I will take them into the homeless mission." So I went back and there was a lady loading up the whole back of her pickup truck. I asked what she did with all that squash and she said she used some and then the rest went to the pig farm. Since then I have not been a bit shy about going to pick up produce. This week the larder was tomatoes and baby spinach. Usually they have bread, the day old kind.

Last January I decided to start a new program of giving to charity. I applied at the homeless mission and went in to cook from time to time and I began sponsoring children. Children whose families live on as little as $600 a year. I have my pictures of my children on my frig and I often think of their lives.

Today , I cooked the tomatoes, blanching and peeling them. Remembering when I used to can tomatoes from my garden, thanking the more than likely Mexican laborers who sweated, bending over in the sun to harvest the crop. While I cooked I looked up at my frig and saw the pictures of my children. I could not send them any of the tomatoes or the baby spinach but I can send help with cash. It is passed forward.

Thinking about what to do with the baby spinach I thought of the simple ways of the Italians. Once I saw a travel show and the traveler was standing under a huge olive tree with a group of Italian ladies. There they were making noodles. Big bunches of flour, domed like volcano's, they break in eggs, and mix them in well. Let the dough rest and then roll it out and slice the noodles. Hmmm--spinach noodles, I have lots of eggs, what could be fresher and more filling. I have made spinach salad, wilted spinach with bacon, rigatoni with tomatoes and cheese and spinach baked. Have you ever thought about the Italian diet? Big batches of polenta with greens or tomatoes, cheeses, eggs. All simple farm foods and so healthy.  I have made salsa with the tomatoes and a favorite soul food is stewed tomatoes with chunks of french bread tossed in to soak up the juice.

Years ago, I went to Italy. While passing through an area where there were olive orchards I noticed that these ladies had the most wonderful skin. Even though they were working out in the sun, some were clearly older, yet there skin was beautiful and translucent. Olive oil inside and out is good for you.

In the movie, "Pass It Forward", the concept was that if someone did something good to you, you should pass it forward three fold. I have a lot of passing forward to do to pass on the energy and dedication of the petite little lady who brought the food bank to our valley. Anyone can come, there are no income checks, no questions, no id's. It is just there for everyone , something to be grateful for.

Posted by: cactusandquail at 02:30 | link | comments

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