As we move towards preparing for the seder, it’s worth stepping back to review a selection of the posts we’ve seen on the website as we approach Passover this year. If you’ve only got time to read one post on The Jew and The Carrot before the festival begins, this is it. Our summary will help you choose what to read now, and what to come back and peruse when you have more time later.

Cleaning and Kashering

If you haven’t finished your pre-Passover cleaning, we have tips for How to Use Up Your Chametz and Get a New Spring Wardrobe. If you’re especially ecological in throwing out your food scraps, you’ll want to read Does Compost Count as Chametz? And if you’re still up for a challenge, how about wondering Can You be Chametz-Free in 29 Days?: there’s still some time left to get rid of those last few crumbs. Those with a little more time to muse might find it interesting to consider  Green Clean – Chametz and Environmental Sustainability. To put all that cleaning into perspective, just imagine what needs to be done in a huge kibbutz kitchen: take a look at Collective Memory (or Kashering Hell’s Kitchen). Healthy, Sustainable Passover Resources gives some tips about ecological pre-Pesach cleaning, and also some great ideas for the seder itself.

Cooking for the seder and beyond: carnivores, vegetarians and vegans

If you’re struggling with the menu for your seder, take a look at Help! I Have Six Pounds of Organic Kosher Brisket, Now What Do I Do!?! for the main course, or be inspired for dessert by Edible Crafts Series: Pesach.

We’re sure you’ll want to make your guests feel comfortable. First take a look at A “Traditional” Passover Seder or How to Make Everyone Happy Around Your Table. Vegetarians, particularly if they keep Ashkenazic custom of not eating kitniot, might be harder to please. But don’t be daunted: we suggest reading A Vegetarian Passover: Not so Scary After All and A Land Flowing With Rice and Peppers. Vegans don’t need to be intimidating either: although the title of the post Vegan Beware – A Cautionary Tale for Vegans Celebrating Passover sounds intimidating, it actually provides great advice for how to make healthy and filling meals for vegan friends and family. There’s a variety of good ideas and different opinions: we might suggest reading the Vegan Matzoh Ball Cook-off: Tofu Versus Flax. And anyone who makes quick soups at Passover might like to think about Deconstructing Osem Consomme. There’s also a kosher for Passover shepherd’s pie described here Yid.Dish: Three Kinds of Shepherd’s Pie (Traditional, Vegetarian, Avant Garde) from several months ago.

Kitniot and family customs

People confused about kitniot might like to read Are Pea Shoots Kosher for Pesach? and those Ashkenazim considering giving up the custom altogether should look at Timely, Irreverent & Provocative: Divine Zagat and Ashkenazi Kitniot-Eaters? More customary recipes are discussed in Pesach Rolls and Swapping Recipes with a Jew and the Carrot Fan.

Pesach, matzah, maror and charoset

Now for the central elements of the seder! This year, we have a variety of charoset recipes, ranging from a traditional one here (Yid.Dish: Charoset for Building the Pyramids) to a non-traditional one here (My Minhag Avot – My Charoset). We also have many recipes from previous years: a traditional one described in Yid.Dish: Apple, Honey and Walnut Charoset and even a Spotlight On: Charoset. You can make your charoset into an appropriate shape, as described in The return of the Charoset pyramid. If the weather is nice, then we’d suggest Yid.Dish: Springtime Charoset. And if you like dried fruit and nuts, what about Yid.Dish: Fig, Date and Cinnamon Charoset? You can even Add This to Your Charoset Recipe if you’re feeling inspired.

You might be inspired to read about matzah in Out of Taste, Out of Mind? or about maror (bitter herbs) in When Horseradish Attacks. For more thoughtful consideration when you have a moment, take a look at On Passover: Considering Child Slavery on Cocoa Farms.

Passover parsimony or a treat…

Those who are worried about their health might look at Yid.Dish: Cut Fat and Cholesterol out of Pesach; those who aren’t might like to make the Spanish and Portuguese recipe described in Yid.Dish: Sugar & Spice & All Things Nice, or Jemma.

Finally, what to do with all that leftover matzah? Here’s the answer: enter the Matzah Diorama Contest! Win a JDub Records Afikomen Prize Pack!

Chag sameach to all our readers. See you in a few days’ time…