How confusing to celebrate two New Years each year. Can I pledge allegiance to one of them, or at least find some resonance beyond the occasion for a holiday meal or a midnight kiss? Because I live in the Galilee, from whose agricultural landscape the practice of declaring a New Year at the end of … Read More »
Culinary Historian
House Blend Herb Tea
On these roasting summer days, one can never drink enough, and I try to keep a pitcher of chilled herb tea in the fridge at all times. Very auspiciously, the path leading to my front door is lined with herbs – starting with rosemary, followed by zaatar (Syrian marjoram), lemon verbena, thyme, zuta levana (white … Read More »
Roots are What Sustain Us
At this point in my life, birthdays are an opportunity to indulge in whatever I desire, and this year, not surprisingly, it was to spend time in the Western Galilee. Maybe I was a Crusader in a previous life, or a farmer whose world view was bound by sage-redolent hills and the shining expanse of … Read More »
An Okra Post
This is a summer post about generosity, serendipity, and okra. On a recent visit to my esteemed friends Abu Malek and Um Malek in Kfar Manda, inevitably I left bearing gifts – two plastic bags with produce freshly picked that morning – the lubia (fresh black eyed peas in their casings) and okra that Um … Read More »
Fig Season
Again, the figs are here. It seems like I’ve been waiting so long. To squeeze and rend their skins, gauge the sweetness in the filaments of flesh, and pop the delicate seeds between my teeth. They will consume my attention throughout their brief season. Ron has draped netting over our fig trees – the birds … Read More »