Summer
I Made Wine in a Week. You Can Too!
Making wine at home in Israel is easy and rewarding – especially this year. A super simple guide to making wine in a week for first-timers.
Read MoreMake it a Positive Family Summer – With Free Printable Mitzvah Tickets
Summertime is here. That means less structure and much more free time. Some people dread it but I love it. Well, maybe I don’t love EVERYTHING about summer. If you’re a parent like me, you may also struggle with keeping up positive habits for your kids during the free-and-easy summer months. For example, getting up…
Read MoreHow to Grow a Loofah Sponge in Israel
Today was a big day nine months in the making. Today we picked and processed the loofah sponges that we planted back in April. Anyone who wants seeds to plant their own loofahs next summer should be in touch. I want to turn Ramat Beit Shemesh into the Loofah Capital of the World! (Yes, I…
Read MoreHow I Made Homegrown Crushed Tomatoes – And Will I Ever Do it Again?
We eat a lot of tomatoes in our family but very few of them fresh. Usually they take the form of canned crushed tomatoes or tomato paste (and, of course, ketchup). Tomatoes are so easy to grow but I never grew many of them because processing them myself seemed so daunting. Last week I was…
Read MoreHomemade Fruit Leather: You MUST try this!
If you only try one food preservation project this year – this is the one! It’s ridiculously simple, requires no special equipment and you will be amazed by the scrumptious results! Homemade Fruit Leather Recipe Ingredients: 1 kg of summer fruits – eg. plums, peaches, mango, nectarines. A mix is best. Add a bit of…
Read MoreWhy I never planted peanuts before – and why I did now
My peanuts sprouted! I have wanted to grow peanuts for such a long time but I never did. Since they are legumes (kitniyot). there is a halachic imperative to leave a big space between them and other vegetables (48-60 cm, depending on which halachic opinion you follow) Beans are also kitniyot – another summer favorite…
Read MoreRecipe: Bloomah’s Zucchini Lasagna
My two youngest kids and I wait for the big zucchinis to grow and then save them for this recipe, which we make once a week during the summer.We prefer it to “real” lasagna! It’s also perfect for people eating gluten free or low carb. Ingredients: 1 liter marinara sauce (we make it at home…
Read MoreHow to help plants survive a heatwave
It’s the third day of Israel’s heatwave and our plants are really suffering from the temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celcius. The best solution is extra watering and creating shade for more vulnerable plants, as well as adding a layer of mulch over the soil, to minimize evaporation. The sun is burning the leaves until…
Read MoreThe No. 1 Vegetable to Plant Right Now
Everyone keeps asking me what to plant now, so I made a list of my favorite summer vegetables to grow. I ordered it from least practical, easy and rewarding – to the most! Can you guess what will be my #1 recommendation? All these are fairly easy to grow in the Israeli summer but some…
Read More6 vegetables from your kitchen you can plant and grow
It’s spring time! Do you wish you could grow some vegetables – but can’t visit the nursery due to lockdown? That’s why I created this list of 6 vegetables from your kitchen you can sprout and grow These plants are all ideally planted in spring – i.e. right now. 1. Sweet potato Plop a sweet…
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