Tu B’Shvat, commonly referred to as The Birthday of the Trees, is celebrated on the 15th day in the Hebrew calendar of Shevat. This is a time for honoring trees, enjoying the fruits of Winter and planting for the upcoming Spring season.

Here at the OFJCC Leslie Family Preschool, children often visit our orchards, observing the differences between our Evergreen trees (lemons, clementines and olives) and the trees that have lost their leaves and are resting in winter: pomegranates, figs, apricots and plums. These are called Deciduous trees. The children will keep their eyes out when the first of the leaves and blossoms emerge in spring.

Children participate in a variety of Tu B’Shvat activities at the preschool. From trying different citrus fruits, to making fresh squeezed orange juice, to planting seeds, tree branch weaving, painting with small branches, making a large branch mobile and writing “Happy Birthday” wishes to hang on our orchard trees, the children are very much engaged in the study of trees. Some of the older classes talk at length about why trees are important and what can we do to help trees, making them Shomrei Adamah, guardians of the earth.

And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.”

-Genesis 1:11

It’s the birthday of the trees! It arrives on the 15^th day of Shevat in Israel and February  5– 6 here. In terms of importance, Tu B’Shvat is considered a minor Jewish holiday, although it is significant in the Torah as it pertains to agricultural laws.

Tu B’Shvat marks the beginning of the agricultural cycle for trees. In Israel, it ‘s basically the halfway point between fall and spring—the fruit trees are coming out of their dormancy and showing signs of blooms. Typically, the first tree to blossom there is the almond tree. It marks the beginning of the new fruit-bearing cycle of trees.

While my love for trees is without question, my dilemma with Tu B’Shvat is how it relates to us, here. We are still in the midst of winter with little sign of the trees coming out of their dormancy. So, how do we practice WISH: What’s In Season Here, and yet connect to the holiday?

For us in winter, it is a showcase of citrus fruits. More than 60 varieties of citrus exist in the world and here in the U.S. with warmer climates (CA/Arizona/Florida and Texas) is where citrus thrive. Citrus trees are fruit trees, but all fruit trees are not citrus… That’s especially important to know that during our Winter season, Citrus trees are evergreen, their leaves remain on the tree as opposed to those fruit trees that are now waking up (e.g. peach, apple, pomegranates, pears, apricots); these are deciduous, dropping their leaves in the fall, are dormant for a time before emerging in Spring.

Mandarin citrus (Photo by Debbie Togliatti)

As we prepare to celebrate Tu B’Shvat here, many activities are focused on trees and are expressions of Jewish values such as showing respect/kavod , to the trees and the earth, to practice hoda’ah/appreciation and to become a Shomrei Adamah/guardian of the earth. Another value, L’Dor v’ dor, from one generation of the next, is an example of how trees are planted now but won’t be immediately fruitful for years to come, meaning, we’re not just planting for ourselves but for generations to come.

Citrus trees are relatively easy to grow in one’s backyard or even in a container, provided it gets at least six hours of sun per day. They do require some citrus type of fertilizer and regular watering.

 Our preschool will celebrate Tu B’Shvat with a WISH tasting of varieties of citrus on Tuesday, February 7, 8:30–9:30 AM with a complimentary coffee cart because coffee is always in season!

Enjoy this blessing of abundance of citrus, it’ll provide all the vitamin C needed in these cold winter months.

“Let us learn to appreciate there will be times when the trees will be bare, and look forward to the time when we may pick the fruit.”

–Anton Chekhov

Debbie Togliatti, Gardenista

With Rosh Hashanah and the new year upon us, it’s time to celebrate this special Fall holiday. We’ll blow the shofar and dip apples in honey in hopes for a sweet new year.

Apples are prevalent during the fall. There are approximately 7,500 varieties of apples grown in the world with 2,500 apples grown in the US.  They are a great source of fiber, antioxidants and various vitamins and minerals.

Apples are a unique fruit that has a long storage ability, meaning that they can be kept for months, making them available essentially all year long.

This isn’t true with other fruits and vegetables that have a specific time or “season” to grow, be harvested and eaten. For example, here in California, peaches and other stone fruits are ready to consume in the summer. That is when they are at their peak of freshness and ripeness. Nothing compares to eating a sweet, juicy peach with the juices running down your chin! If it’s your first peach of the season, it’s definitely a Shehecheyanu moment.

While peaches are a summer treat, they are (unfortunately) available year long as they are grown and shipped from other countries. Why is this a concern? In order for fruits and vegetables to get to the U.S., they need to be picked before they’re ripe. This greatly affects the flavor and the nutritional value as well as the environmental impact, from increased air pollution to use of fuel.

So instead of buying corn, another summer favorite during the winter, or  asparagus, a spring delight, let’s put into practice WISH: What’s In Season Here.

WISH not only connects us to what is being grown locally but aligns with many Jewish values such as Hoda’ah—Appreciation, Kavod ha Teva—Honoring Nature and Brit Adamah—Partnership with the Earth. Perhaps a lesser-known value, Sh’mirat HaGuf—Caring for the Body, encourages young children and their families to develop lifelong healthy eating practices. In future blog posts, we’ll explore these values as they relate to WISH.

How to best engage in WISH? Ideally, we would each grow our own food; however, that isn’t possible for many people. Grocery stores can provide some in-season produce yet one needs to be mindful of whether it is actually being grown locally.

Farmers markets are an excellent source of in-season produce and make it possible to talk directly to the farmer. Often this produce is organically grown, making it an even greater benefit.

“U-Pick” farms and orchards allow you to come and pick your own, everything from local strawberry fields to apple orchards, just in time for Rosh Hashanah…

Shana Tova!

Debbie

“Food choices matter because they are the most consistent, ethical decisions we make throughout the day.”

-Rabbi Shmuly Yankowitz

While in the garden at the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center Leslie Family Preschool, the children experience and get to practice many Jewish values pertaining to nature and the environment. In my book Growing Jewish Values: Cultivating Your Jewish Roots in Your Own Backyard, I have emphasized ten values that can be easily performed at school or even at home.

Each month one of these values will be highlighted, demonstrating how OFJCC preschoolers are performing these good deeds or commandments (mitzvot).

Today we focused on: Hazan et Hakol: Feeding Everyone, Sharing the Bounty. Four children, accompanied by their teachers, came up into the garden to harvest an abundance of cherry tomatoes. While they had all had a chance to explore and taste from the garden before, they knew that, this time, these tomatoes weren’t for them to eat. They were being harvested to be given to people who didn’t have tomatoes and might be extra hungry. They happily picked a big bowl full of golden and red tomatoes.

The tomatoes were delivered to Jewish Family and Children Services in Palo Alto where they were received with much appreciation and gratitude. I was told that these nine baskets of cherry tomatoes, from our gardens, could potentially be distributed to nine families in need of fresh produce.

Over the course of the school year, we hope to regularly donate produce to JFCS, fulfilling this important value: Hazan et Hakol: Feeding Everyone, Sharing the Bounty.

The OFJCC Leslie Family Preschool’s beloved Teacher Debbie traveled to Poland this week to spend time volunteering and sharing educational insights with the Krakow JCC.

I’ve spent the past four days at the Krakow JCC, mainly in their preschool called “Frajda,” which means joy.

This school is merely a year old and has 15 students and three teachers. It has a loving, family-like atmosphere and everyone there seems very happy.

Along with my two colleagues from SOS International, Mara Bier and Fran Pfeffer, we were able to observe, share our experiences and offer ways to enhance their Jewish classroom environment. The children of Frajda are Jewish; however, the teachers are not. Our intention was to present them with basic Jewish values such as caring for the earth and how to welcome guests.

Prior to this trip to Krakow, I collected nearly $300 from our tzedakah boxes and used that to purchase classroom materials for them. Both the children and teachers were excited to use them and very thankful.

Thursday was a particularly special day as the children made challah from scratch for the first time. Even though they celebrate Shabbat in class every Friday, this was a totally new experience. Today, I’ll be able to enjoy Shabbat with them.

When I leave Krakow this weekend, I’ll take with me many memories of the happy children of Frajda: of how the older children serve breakfast to the younger students, the way they run onto the playground, hearing English sprinkled in with their Polish, their imaginative play with boxes, their delight at baking their own challah and so much more.

OFJCC Garden Pedagogista Debbie Togliatti ponders the impact of small actions in the big scheme of things.

It’s the eve of Earth Day, and I’m wondering how people will choose to honor the one day out of the year when we devote ourselves to thinking about our planet and/or taking action with the goal of making the earth a better place.

Perhaps some of us will go to a beach and pick up litter. Maybe you’ll get all new energy efficient appliances or commit to stop buying plastic water bottles.

When considering the state of the earth, from global warming to polluted air and water, it seems daunting that whatever we do may have little or no effect. Yet, doing nothing seems a greater offense.

When contemplating Earth Day, think simple and small. Whether you live on an acre or in an apartment, here are two places to get started.

Water. The drought may be over but water conservation is still critical. Make sure the garden hoses have spray end nozzles attached. If you haven’t converted to drip irrigation, for heaven’s sake (or earth’s sake!), please do so.

Bees. Yes, bees. Worldwide, bees are in trouble and we need to do all we can to help them. Add plants that will attract them to your yard, deck or balcony such as basil, lavender and rosemary.

Sometimes it seems silly that only one day is designated for the care of our earth. To me, these efforts require year-round love and attention. But perhaps the Mishnah sage Rabbi Tarfon had Earth Day in mind when he wrote these words:

“We are not obligated to complete the task, neither are we free to abstain from it.”

Happy Earth Day.

Beloved preschool teacher and Garden Pedagogista Debbie Togliatti shares her wisdom on respecting the land by eating according to the seasons.

Even though spring hasn’t arrived yet, I’m already dreaming about what’ll come in summer: juicy tomatoes and stone fruit, especially sweet cherries, crisp cucumbers, more zucchini than I’ll ever be able to use and sweet peppers in every color of the rainbow.

But wait I must. In order to really appreciate and savor those flavors, in order to let nature do its magical work, patience is required.

When it comes to food, we’re not so good at waiting. Instant, processed, microwaveable: we want something to eat and we want it now. Sadly, to me the same is true for fresh fruit and vegetables. Instead of honoring what is in season, many of us choose to buy produce that is not grown locally.

What does it mean to eat “in season?” Simply, it is consuming produce that is at its peak of freshness and ripeness, what is growing during that particular season. It generally means the food is being grown locally and in many cases, organically.

Teacher Debbie in the Leslie Family Preschool Garden.

I find Jewish values in observing seasonal eating. To me, it shows kavod, respect, to the land and to those who are growing our food. It is celebrating the goodness of this food in ways produce from foreign lands cannot deliver. In order for you to buy those cherries right now coming over from Chile, they are picked before they are ripe so they can be shipped thousands of miles. We don’t know the growing conditions of this produce nor the growers themselves. The produce is often packaged in plastic or clam-shell type containers. Is it really so important to have that flavorless cherry in the middle of our winter? Is it really so hard to wait until cherry season is here? When cherry season does arrive, imagine the goodness you’ll taste as well as having an opportunity to express hoda’ah, gratitude and appreciation.

People tell me I’m a little obsessive about this “in season” business. After all, we’re entitled to eat whatever we like, whenever we like. I agree; however, I also believe that as Jews, we can integrate some basic values into our fresh produce choices.

If you’d like to eat more seasonally but don’t know how, join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program.  You will be supporting a local farmer who will deliver in season produce to you. Or, merely go to a local farmer’s market. This season, you’ll find broccoli, cabbage, kale and other greens, a variety of citrus, but you won’t find any cherries…