creative jewish mom

Foraging For Edible Wild Greens

Above, left to right: Milk thistle and wild Mallow, both edible plants.

Dear Readers, I have a little surprise for you! Today's post is going to introduce a topic which I know nothing about, but which certainly falls in the category of creative living. Just the other day it came to my attention that Ronit Peskin was knowledgable about foraging for wild edible plants, so I asked her to write a little guest post since it certainly does sound interesting! And the short list of edible plants that she gave me includes many that I already recognize from our nature walks, so exiting! Of course I'm not so sure I'll be harvesting any Milk Thistle anytime soon, due to those huge thorns, but you never know. Enjoy!

The following guest post was written by Ronit Peskin, a mother of 3, who lives in the Jerusalem area, and loves foraging for wild edibles, as well as writing about the topic of frugal living in general.

It's no secret — food prices are going up dramatically around the globe. For those of us with growing families and an income that is, unfortunately, not growing, it is getting harder and harder to feed our families good, wholesome meals without breaking the bank. Imagine being able to pick your own nutritious, organic veggies that you could use to supplement your family's diet while lowering your grocery costs...

 

Living on a farm and growing my own food is a dream of mine, but unfortunately not reality while I'm living in an apartment with no yard... Even for those with a yard, gardening might seem a bit too daunting, getting the seeds to not only sprout correctly but overcome pests and bad weather... and in Israel, with the high price of water, gardening may not turn out to be so cost efficient.

 

The solution? Foraging for wild edibles! In Israel, I've heard that 90% of the plants that grow are edible. Now I don't know if that's exactly true, but it certainly seems that way; nearly all the plants I've been able to identify have turned out to be edible (with only a few exceptions). I've become obsessed with wild edibles lately. People have asked me when I forage and I respond that the better question is when I don't forage. You see, knowing just how many plants are edible means that when I see a plant somewhere, whether its on a walk to the library, at the playground, or going to the store, I can't help but pick some to eat. (Provided, of course, that the plants are in a place that I'm permitted to pick and its not stealing.) I've started bringing shopping bags with me any time I leave my house, after too many times that I was caught with a huge amount of plants I wanted to pick but no way to carry them home.

 

Above, left to right: Wild Mustard and Chickweed, both edible plants.

I'm a self taught forager. I picked up a few books here and there about wild edibles in Israel, but most of them have been of terrible quality and very limited in the plants they cover. In addition to those books, I scour the internet for information about plants I come across to ascertain whether or not they're edible, and then if I discover that they are, add them to the already long list of plants that I pick and eat.

 

Because I love foraging, I love to share my knowledge of all these amazing wild edibles with anyone who'd like to learn. This Tuesday, Feb 21st, I'm leading a wild edibles walk in Gan Sacher in Jerusalem where I can pass on my love of plants to you, so that you too can discover all the delicious and nutritious food growing right beneath your nose. If you'd like to join us, you can find me on Facebook on the Gan Sacher Wild Edibles page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gan-Sakker-Wild-Edibles-Walk/133084346809802, email me at [email protected] or call me at 052-396-5577 to reserve a spot for yourself.

 

Cost of the class is 25 shekel for adults, 5 shekel for children between the ages of 5 and 17, and includes a print out with information to help you identify the plants even after you go home. If you can't make this class, we'll be having another class on Monday, February 27th at 10:30 am.

Looking forward to spreading the wild edibles love!

Above, left to right: Nettle (Photo courtesy of Greg Fewer) and Wild Fennel, both edible plants.

Thanks so much to Ronit for wetting our appetites on this interesting topic! Maybe we'll have to have her back with some recipes! In the mean time, you can find tons of information on the web, and just please do be careful to only eat plants that you are absolutely sure are edible. We certainly don't want anyone to get sick! Oh, and that list of edible plants that grow in my area is: wild mustard, wild fennel, chickweed, sow thistle, milk thistle, plantain, mallow, nettle, and many more! 

I think foraging may just be a great reason to get out there and enjoy nature!

DIY Succulent Centerpiece

Wouldn't you like to make a fuss free and gorgeous succulent centerpiece using only succulents or succulents combined with your favorite flowers? 

I don't know about you, but I love the fact that succulents have become oh so popular in the world of floral arranging and wedding decor. So when I collected some of these succulent flowers on a recent trip to the coast (which I'll share with you on Friday!) I knew I just had to use them to make a summer's end succulent centerpiece. You know, something a little crafty and eclectic using things that I had on hand. And I think I came up with a pretty good equation that you could duplicate if you'd like to make one centerpiece like this, or even many for a special occasion.

You'll Need:

• a square metal tray of some kind, this one was only $1.99 at Amazing Savings in NY, a great deal
• one tall colored glass bottle, mine is a Chivas Blue Label bottle that I was eyeing for some time!
• one short clear jar, mine is a hinged cover canning/storage jar
• two very small colored bottles, or even a beautiful tea cup or cream pitcher might look great, I used two plastic very tall shot glasses that I got at Target last summer
• jute twine
• metalic gold ribbon
• some shells or pieces of costume jewelry or interesting keys, anything small and beautiful, little porcelaine figurines or vintage pillboxes could be beautiful too
• Succulent flowers and pieces of succulent plant that look like flowers, or some combination of succulents and actual flowers

How To: Wrap twine around the middle of the clear jar. Add a little shine by wrapping some thin gold ribbon around one of your tiny bud vases. Make a low dense arrangement in the jar, and fill the tall bottle with just a few sprigs. Each of the two small bud vases (the other one is hidden behind the jar) should hold a single bloom or piece of succulent. That's it!

 

Today Is The 17th Of Tammuz.

Today is a solemn day on the Jewish calender, that also marks the beginning of a three week period of mourning for our Holy Temple (Soloman's Temple, in the world history books). This three week period ends on the 9th of Av, the day in which the final destruction of the Temple occurred.

Unlike many historic events recorded in history books, the loss of our Holy Temple, the Beis HaMikdash, is something we remember on a daily basis, and is an integral part of our very existence. Our goal as a people, and individually is to rebuild our Holy Temple, both physically and spiritually. Unfortunately it's not so simple, so just know, that when the Beis HaMikdash is rebuilt, that means major changes have occurred in the world! We await these changes with great anticipation and longing.

Today is a "minor" fast day, (sunrise to sunset) observed by most men, many women who are able, (namely those without small children, or for whom fasting would not compromise their ability to take care of their families) and boys and girls over the age of 13 and 12 respectively. During this three week period of mourning, no weddings are held, we obstain from listening to music or playing musical instruments, no hair cuts are given and we avoid doing anything that might be considered dangerous, like swimming in the ocean or rapid rivers. During the last nine days of this period, the mourning intensifies and among other things, we do not eat meat or drink wine, and there are restrictions on laundering and wearing freshly laundered clothing.

The mosaic depicting the Beis HaMikdash is not only a wonderfully creative use of mosaic as a medium, it is also happens to be a very true to life representation of where we are standing now! We are a fragmented and varied People dispersed amongst more than eighty countries around the world—a very diverse group who nonetheless has the potential to come together as a People for the benefit of the entire world. Each and every one of us can and should do our part (you'll have to figure that one out on your own!) to bring this day closer.