Thank You!

To everyone who has helped with the success of my new book, a big Thank You!

Five months after Food for the Soul was published, we're now re-printing.

The new second edition has a handy chart for converting U.S. measures and oven temperatures into metric measurements. If any of you would like a PDF copy of the conversion chart, please send me an email and I'll send it to you.

תודה רבה תודה רבה תודה רבה תודה רבה תודה רבה

Community Supported Agriculture

In Oregon and Wisconsin, we bought most of our vegetables and fruits from local farms, with a program called community supported agriculture (CSA).

Here’s what CSA is all about:

You sign an agreement with a local farmer to purchase a set share of the farmer’s crops. The farmer provides a list of the crops that he or she plans to harvest and the approximate amount you can expect to get each week during the growing season.

Every week, you pick up your produce at a designated time and location. Sometimes farmers invite their members to visit the farm for special events or just to see what’s going on.

With pre-paid annual subscriptions, the farmer is assured of financial support and customers. In case of agricultural disasters (flooding, drought, disease and insects, for example), the farmer’s risk is shared with the members.

The idea is to supply fresh local (and often organic) produce at reasonable prices. No middle-men, no store overhead, no long-distance shipping. Just fresh-picked vegetables and fruit delivered directly from the farmer to the consumer.

I’ve always valued the supportive relationship between the producer and the consumer – a partnership between the farmer and the community that benefits both.

We really enjoyed belonging to CSA farms. There was only one problem. Farm events were always held on Shabbat. My kids could never pick pumpkins, go on hayrides or see where their vegetables were grown.

An organization called Hazon is changing that. They started the first Jewish network of CSA farms in the U.S., called “Tuv Ha’Aretz”


http://www.hazon.org/go.php?q=/food/CSA/aboutTuvHa


CSA is alive and well in Israel as well. “Or-Gani” http://www.or-gani.org.il/ (English website) is an organic farm serving northern and central Israeli communities.

If you’re looking for a way to eat fresh, seasonal produce and support local agriculture at the same time, CSA may just be for you. Check it out this summer!

Homegrown in Israel

Unlike the U.S., most vegetables and fruits don’t travel long distances to get to our tables here in Israel. (There are exceptions, of course. I’ve see off-season New Zealand kiwi, Washington State pears, and other produce brought in during a drought or Shmittah year.)

That’s because we’re fortunate to grow most of what we eat right here.

And we have quite a choice as to where we purchase our home-grown produce:

Large supermarkets
Smaller neighborhood markets (makolet)
Neighborhood green-grocers (yarkan)
Outdoor markets (shuk)
Subscription farms, such as community supported agriculture (CSA)

Farmer’s markets “U.S. and European-style” are just starting to catch on here. Israel’s first farmer’s market was recently launched in Tel Aviv. It takes place on Friday mornings during the summer months by the new pier. I’m sure that once the idea takes off, more cities will follow with markets of their own.

Organic produce has moved quickly into the mainstream here. Although there are growing pains – regulatory issues that will no doubt be resolved with time, organic vegetables are available in many supermarkets. This week, our neighborhood supermarket had organic tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, potatoes and onions.

Most of the vegetables and fruits our family eats come from Teva Habsor, an organic “subscription” farm that delivers throughout Israel. http://http//www.teva-habsor.co.il/ (Hebrew only website)

Every Sunday I get their order form via email. I choose what I want (minimum order 100 shekels, delivery 15 shekels) and email my order back to them later that week. On Thursday afternoon, a box or two of seasonal vegetables and fruit is delivered to our front door.

How much easier could it get!

I’m used to planning meals around what’s in season. I’ve also learned to be flexible.

Earlier this summer we had weeks of wonderfully tender Swiss chard. And then, with no warning, it was off the list. Those savory chard tarts, salads and pasta dishes will just have to wait until next year. But not to worry – deliciously sweet butternut squash came into season just when chard went out. After a month of luscious melons, mangoes are now in.

With the end of summer and beginning of fall, we'll soon be enjoying a new round of crops. Apple pie anyone?

Farmer’s markets

You’ve heard it over and over again – for optimum health, eat more fruits and vegetables. And it's true! So now, when fresh summer produce is abundant, it's a wonderful time to start.

Much of the produce sold in U.S. supermarkets is grown in developing countries, where sanitation is often less than ideal. Unfortunately, the FDA doesn’t have sufficient resources for inspecting most of what is brought in. Numerous wide-spread outbreaks of food-borne illness are a sad reminder of this.

Economic, environmental and nutritional disadvantages also come to mind when fresh food travels thousands of miles to reach our tables.

For me, the biggest drawback to grocery store produce is taste. That’s why I’m a big fan of local, seasonal produce.

And what better place to find deliciously fresh fruits and vegetables than your local farmer's market?

If you've never visited a farmer’s market, now is a wonderful time to go. (I know, many of them take place on Shabbat. But larger cities often have mid-week markets as well.)

There’s a lot to be said about eating food purchased from a farmer’s market.

It's reassuring to know where your food comes from. You know that you’re eating freshly picked produce that traveled only a short distance. It may even be organically grown. You’re supporting regional agriculture and local farms. You can actually talk with the farmer! You get to taste more unusual produce that may never make it to the supermarket. Or maybe just regular produce – like tomatoes that taste like tomatoes and not wood.

The photos are of a small farmer’s market in California that we visited last May. We bought salad mix, tomatoes, tender green beans and a variety of fresh fruit at the market. On the way back to our children’s house we stopped at Trader Joe’s for (Israeli) feta cheese, walnuts (to add to the salad) and a kosher whole-grain baguette. That’s the kind of easy, nutritious and delicious dinner I could eat all summer!

Apples, Pears, Pomegranates and Exercise Parks

A few months ago,” beautification” began in earnest throughout Beer Sheva. In our neighborhood, large colorful fruit and vegetable-like objects popped up along the main streets. I can’t complain - anything to remind people about fruits and vegetables sounds good to me.

Everyone knows what “beautification” really means - municipal elections are coming up. Just look at the election posters. The only ones I’ve seen are for the newcomer in the mayoral race. The incumbent is visible with every pear and pomegranate gracing our city’s intersections.

But I’ll certainly give credit where credit is due. And this administration got at least one thing right. In at least two neighborhoods near here, they built exercise parks – grassy areas with a colorful set of exercise equipment. Perfect for stretching and strengthening. And a great way to get our children interested in fitness.

Which brings me to my point – the importance of exercise.

Make exercise a regular, “built-in” part of your life. And get your children moving at an early age. Choose an activity that you enjoy. Or look around for something new. Some of us (like me) need a routine of regularly scheduled classes. Others may choose to ride a bicycle or walk to work instead driving.

Good nutrition is vital, but it’s not the whole story.

Regular exercise is essential - for heart health, disease prevention, weight loss and maintenance, strong bones, balance and overall physical and mental well-being.

An Easy Fast

Tisha B'Av begins this Motzei Shabbat, the evening of August 9th.

To ensure an easy fast, drink plenty of water beforehand and avoid eating heavily salted foods. Eat a light meal before the fast and try to include complex carbohydrates, a moderate amount of protein and a small amount of fat.

Break the fast with water, juice or tea and a light meal.

Shabbat Shalom and an easy fast to all.

Quick and Easy, Japanese-Style

My husband and I love Japan. We’ve been there three times and can’t wait to go again. Even though we can’t eat most of the food there, we admire the Japanese diet and their way with food – seasonal, aesthetically pleasing and healthy.

Fish seems to play an important role in keeping the Japanese healthy. Japanese men have similar rates of cholesterol, blood pressure and type-2 diabetes as their American counterparts. But their incidence of heart disease is less than half that of Americans.

The answer may be artery-protective omega-3 fatty acids in fish. And fish consumption in Japan is among the highest in the world, averaging 3 ounces (85 grams) a day.

We recently heard from Japanese friends who described a quick and easy summer dinner that they enjoyed:

Grilled fish with grated radish
Boiled edadame (green soybeans)
Cold noodles with fresh ginger

Most of us wouldn’t consider this “quick and easy.” Frozen pizza is closer to our idea.
But with fish fillets, vegetables and noodles, you can prepare a healthy meal in no time, Japanese or Western-style.

I keep several varieties of frozen fish fillets on hand, as well as a package or two of frozen vegetables. My selection of pasta includes Italian egg noodles, whole-wheat penne, rice noodles, udon and soba – Japanese buckwheat noodles.

Bake, broil, grill or sauté the fish fillets and serve them with a squeeze of lemon or a lively salsa. If edadame doesn’t appeal to you, try frozen green beans, broccoli or peas.

And do try these cold soba noodles dressed in a light soy and sesame dressing – very popular in Japan during the hot humid summer months.

COLD SOBA NOODLES

1 package soba noodles (8.8 ounces/250 grams)
2-4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted white or black sesame seeds

Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water until they are cool. Toss with the remaining ingredients.

Serves 6

Goodbye Bourekas?

In Israel, bourekas are high on the list of favorite snack foods. Every neighborhood bakery has a large selection of these savory pastries - potato, cheese, mushroom and more.



For some people, breakfast is coffee and a plate of bourekas. The bakery will happily pop them in the microwave for you to eat on-the-go. You'll find them by the plateful at most simchahs and business meetings. Many people eat them every Shabbat.

Unfortunately, these flavorful morsels are high in trans fat. The same artery-clogging trans fat that was banned in New York restaurants.

Prompted by California's recent ban on trans fat in bakeries and restaurants (the first state to do so), the English language newspaper Haaretz ran this article about the health implication of bourekas and other foods made with parve solid fats:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1006700.html

Hopefully, for the sake of everyone's health, Israelis will re-invent a healthier boureka.

Rosh Chodesh Av

Years ago I wrote menus for Jewish summer camps in California and Oregon. As with any menu planning, there were many considerations: nutrition, budget, availability of kosher food, children’s tastes, the abilities of the kitchen staff, Shabbat meals. And of course, the period before Tisha B’Av, when we don’t eat meat or poultry, except on Shabbat.

Ashkenazim don’t eat meat from Rosh Chodesh Av until after the fast of Tisha B’Av. Sephardim refrain from eating meat during the week of Tisha B’Av.

We served a lot of pasta – macaroni and cheese, dairy spaghetti and lasagna. And I squeezed fish into the menu whenever I could.

At home, there’s a lot more flexibility. In the heat of summer, I like salads made with pasta or legumes and lots of fresh vegetables. Whole-grain pasta, garbanzo beans, black beans and lentils can be the basis of great main-dish salads.

Try this quick and easy salad during the days before Tisha B’Av:


GARBANZO BEAN AND TUNA SALAD

1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas) drained and rinsed
¼ cup sliced green olives
½ cup minced parsley
4-6 green onions, sliced OR ¼ cup minced red onion
1 can tuna, preferably packed in olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (including any drained from tuna)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine chick peas, olives, parsley and onion in a bowl. Break up tuna and add to the beans. Add the lemon juice, olive oil and pepper and mix lightly.

Serves 4

Surprising Results from Israeli Diet Study

How exciting to see Beer Sheva’s own Ben Gurion University of the Negev getting top spot in the news. Among the researchers are several members of the nutrition faculty who consulted with me on my book.

For two years they studied the effects of three different weight-loss diets on over 300 employees at the nuclear research facility just south of here in Dimona.

In a nutshell:

The three diets were low-fat and low-calorie, Mediterranean low-calorie, and low-carbohydrate.

Everyone lost weight.

Men lost the most weight on the low-carbohydrate diet. Women lost the most on the Mediterranean diet.

HDL (good cholesterol) increased and triglycerides (fats in the bloodstream linked to atherosclerosis) decreased the most in the low-carbohydrate diet group. Reductions in LDL (bad cholesterol) were most pronounced in those who followed the Mediterranean diet.

In diabetics (about 10% of the total participants), the Mediterranean diet appeared to improve fasting glucose levels.

What can we learn from this study?

Weight loss is most successful when diet plans are tailored to individual preferences. A “one-size-fits-all” low-calorie diet may not be the best fit for everyone after all.


The complete study was published in the July 17, 2008 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine.