This past shabbat I visited Tikvat Israel, the synagogue whose Tuv Ha’aretz CSA we joined at the beginning of the summer. In honor of Shabbat Hazon, the shabbat before the fast of Tisha B’Av, and to celebrate the success of the Hazon CSA, Tikvat Israel served a vegetarian shabbat lunch for its congregants and CSA members. The lunch was chock-full of delicious organic and locally grown vegetables. Farmer Pam’s produce was used in such dishes as cucumber salad, savory zucchini bread and vegetarian chili. In addition to being delicious, the lunch served as a wonderful way to connect congregants and members of the CSA.

Slow down you move too fast

In no way do I mean to boast, but, I’ve been fasting a good deal this past month. I’ve fasted to call attention to the situation in Darfur and also Gaza. I’m a rather slender man (most people call me skinny) and my wife insisted that I not fast more than three times in that two-week period.

This week, my CSA pick-up at the 14th street Y in Downtown Manhattan, occurs on the 9th of Av before sundown, a time that marks the end of the fast which brings our awareness to ancient horrors our people experienced: the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, as well as more recent calamities such as the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain. This year, the end of the fast coincides with my CSA pick-up.

The fourth annual Hazon Food Conference is the only place in the world where farmers and rabbis, nutritionists and chefs, vegans and omnivores, come together to explore the dynamic interplay of food, Jewish traditions, and contemporary life. Don’t miss four days of do-it-yourself food workshops, cooking demonstrations, lectures, discussions, kids and family activities, joyful Shabbat celebrations, and of course, delicious and consciously-prepared food.

Cross-posted at davka.org

Tiny Vial of Pharisäer

What do you put in your coffee?

Pharisees of course

Ever-sensitive to appearances of Jewish references in popular culture, I was a bit surprised to read Maureen Dowd’s headline in the New York Times on Sunday, July 19, 2009: “Pharisees on the Potomac”

I did not see any mention of late antiquity in her column and it was not until a number of hours later that I realized she had used the Christian allusion to Pharisees as hypocrites! Shame on her and shame on her editors (I wonder if William Safire saw the column). As the Wikipedia makes quite clear:

When it comes to romantic relationships, I’m emotionally inept. Well, that’s probably not fair – it’s more like I’m expressively inept. Maybe it comes from the plenitude of lousy dates or the abundance of bad relationships that makes me hold my tongue when it comes to talking about my feelings. And it probably doesn’t help that my current boyfriend is really shy. Although we hold hands in public as if they were magnetic, he’ll put his arms around me if I’m cold, he is much coyer than I about stealing a kiss in a dark movie theatre or other apparent PDA while amongst polite company. In turn I am more likely to describe myself as “a women in love” to friends, strangers and blog readers than I am to drop the “L” word around him. But I’m fairly certain he knows how much I care from the meals we eat together.

Many years ago, I escorted some at-risk urban youth to a park. Blinged and tattooed, these kids’ gestures stiffened into armor and their faces hardened into leather expressions of defiance and danger. Then they spotted the recently picked apples that had been brought along for a snack. They lunged, giggling and pushing to get their hands on those apples first.  When a butterfly passed overhead the boys tore into a chase, yelling, “A butterfly! A butterfly!”.  They held onto their bitten-into apples as they ran.  Can urban lives be changed one piece of fruit or vegetable at a time? Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s urban food movement is counting on it.

Thanks to everyone who commented, and congratulations to Hilla (proud member of Hazon’s Forest Hills CSA), whose recipe for carrot top pesto won her a copy of Farmer John’s cookbook! Check back this Thursday for The Jew and the Carrot’s next contest.

The last time I went to Melo Hatene to stock up on tahina, I ran into my friend and fellow kibbutz member, David Leishman. David was there for tahina, too: He occasionally makes tahina ice cream for Melo Hatene’s restaurant in exchange for raw tahina and other yummy things from the shop.

Intrigued by the idea of tahina ice cream, I asked David for his recipe. (David has been making wonderful homemade ice cream since before he came to Kibbutz Gezer, over 30 years ago.) What I got from David was not really a recipe, but vague amounts for a restaurant quantity. 

Late last month, Portland Tuv Ha’Aretz hosted its first Jewish Garden bike tour, focusing on gardens in NE Portland. 25 riders, ranging in age from pre-teen to, well, older than pre-teen, met at a local park. The ride was both conceived and led by Tuv Ha’Aretz member Beth Hamon, with help from Joel Metz. Beth is a bike mechanic and co-owner of Citybikes, a co-operatively owned bike shop here. She’s also a serious old-school bike geek and thought our first bike tour should be commemorated in true bike geek fashion, so she made spoke cards for all the participants (everyone thought they were cool, and you can check ours out at the top of this post; extra points if you can figure out what the Hebrew says)

So says Fortune Magazine, who profiled six of the most prominent young farmers in North America listed in the recent report from Mother Nature Network. Even though Fortune only featured a select few of the aggie all-stars selected by MNN, the 2009 Hazon Food Conference chair made the cut.

This comes as no surprise to us, of course. Emily’s talents and dedication to her craft make her a natural choice. Fortune points to Emily’s “year-long stay in Israel on a kibbutz…that changed her taste for organic food and farming.” Emily will be joined by other organic aces at this year’s Hazon Food Conference in December.

Don’t forget – our cookbook contest closes tomorrow! To enter, just leave a comment telling us your most creative use for your CSA veggies, and you’ll be entered to win a free copy of Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables.

It’s amazing how when you put something out there, the Universe will respond accordingly.   Lately I’ve been thinking of the trip we took to Israel a couple of summers ago.   More specifically, I’ve been recalling  a meal we enjoyed at a beachfront cafe in Tel Aviv, where  I tentatively ordered a watermelon feta salad.  I wasn’t sure about the flavor combination, but my culinary curiosity was piqued.  I reasoned that it had good potential since the two components of the dish were both items that Israel does well- watermelon and feta.  And, of course, it turned out to be wonderful, a delicious contrast of cool sweet juiciness and salty creaminess.

The Mother Nature Network has released a list of the top farmers in the country under the age of 40, and Hazon’s Emily Jane Freed is recognized for her work, passion and commitment to sustainable farming practices and community outreach. Emily, who is the Assistant Production Manager for Jacobs Farms in Pescadero (northern California), comes in at #13 on the list, which, according to MNN, is compiled “with help from dozens of people in the farming industry — from farmers themselves to those who help them in the nonprofit sector to those in the media who cover them.”

Exhibit on the History and Evolution of Wheat at growseed.org

The Heritage Wheat Conservancy is restoring the almost lost heritage wheats of the Old World and colonial New England.  After years of collecting rare wheats with traditional farmers in remote European and Middle Eastern villages, Eli Rogosa hosted a field day for researchers, flour companies and organic farmers last Thursday in Massachusetts.  96 varieties of delicious rare world wheat on the verge of extinction are thriving at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst’s Organic Research Farm.World heritage wheats, once the staple food of the western world, are on the verge of extinction. Modern wheats are bred for uniformity, and dwarfed so they don’t fall over under the intensive agrochemicals of industrial farms and for convenient harvest height.  However, modern wheats are lower in nutrition and flavor, and are not well suited to organic soils due to their stubby roots and short stalks.

According to Eli Rogosa, Founder of the Conservancy, “The best way to preserve the delicious ancient wheats are to market them to today’s discerning artisan bakers and gourmet chefs who seek the highest quality, nutrient-rich foods.”