Comments on: The Toxic Etrog: Read Before You Eat

By: Cheri (Ahava) Lexvold

Cheri (Ahava) Lexvold — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:01:33 +0000

Delightful! And I, a girl who just found out last year that I have a Jewish heritage, was educated (I didn’t know what an etrog was!)

By: Queenscook

Queenscook — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:03:19 +0000

Although comment # 1 (by Bloom) was written in 2008, I would still like to respond to it. This past year was not a shmitta year, so the etrogim of this year do not have kedushat sheviit, but I do not think s/he was correct in the halacha about food with kedushat shevi’it.

One certainly DOES NOT have to consume the inedible peels of fruit with such kedusha, or even, as s/he says, “find some other constructive use for them.” All one has to do is leave the uneaten/unused parts to dry or rot, then dispose of them respectfully. They can be thrown away, though wrapping the dried or rotted remains is preferable to just dumping them. Halacha does NOT require one to eat inedible peels; no one would be able to eat any fruit with such a peel if that fruit was grown in a shmitta year, and that is certainly not the halacha.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:00:00 +0000

It may or may not be enough to peel the etrog (halacha aside for the moment.) Some pesticides are “systemic” and are taken up by the whole fruit (indeed by the whole plant.) Others reside mostly on the skin & may be washed or peeled off.

-If peeling the etrog is enough to remove the toxics (and again, I don’t know) perhaps the dried peel could be used in a potpourri.

By: Eric Debonchemin

Eric Debonchemin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:16:27 +0000

The rind of the Etrog should be peeled and then the fruit could be used for liquor, jam, drink base, etc…
And with the thankgiving on Tu Bishvat: Peri Haetz and Shehechyanu Vekyemanu.

By: Simcha Daniel

Simcha Daniel — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 18:19:12 +0000

Sorry about the attribution mistake, Rachel… I didn’t mean to steal your picture, just to use it.

By: Eric Schulmiller

Eric Schulmiller — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:29:42 +0000

Maybe one of Hazon’s next projects can be to start (or fund) an organic etrog farm – either in the US or Israel?

By: Rachel Barenblat

Rachel Barenblat — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:48:01 +0000

I read this post with great interest because I am planning to make spicy etrog pickle this year (adapting an Indian pickled lemon recipe). How amused I was (and am) to see that you illustrated your post with one of my photographs, from a post I made about etrog marmelade (which was then picked up by Simcha Daniel at Sustainable Judaism, which is where you found the photo.) I do love the interconnections of the internet!

By: WoolSilkCotton

WoolSilkCotton — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:13:03 +0000

When I visited Rome last year, I wandered through an outdoor fruit and vegetable market, and came upon a basket of huge esrogim, each selling for about a euro. One of them was cut in half, and it was definitely an esrog. They are sold as ordinary fruit!
Too bad it was after the holidays. I could have had the biggest most kick-ass esrog for a buck! Would have had to sneak it home in my luggage, though.

By: Bloom

Bloom — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:42:39 +0000

There is another good reason to be careful with your etrog. Many of the etrogs from Israel have the status of “kedushat shevi’it” meaning they have a special status owing to the fact that they were grown in Israel during the shmitta year.

It is absolutely forbidden by Jewish law to use one of these etrogs (or any food that has kedushat shevi’it) in a way that wastes any part of the fruit. Eg, if you were to eat the flesh you would have to eat the peel and seeds as well, or find some other constructive use for them. The easiest solution is just to let you etrog dry out and use it as a decoration.

Another traditional usage is to stick cloves into the skin, then once the etrog has dried you can use it as ‘besamim’ spices for havdallah.