December 25th-27th, so long 2017 – May all your wishes rain true!

Last Thursday was the 21st of December, the official Beginning of Winter. Followed by a weekend that was warm and hazy. Bummer!

Then they promised rain on Sunday. Indeed, the skies were wintry and it was cold. Shivering, we anxiously combed the heavens for any sign of anything wet. Personally, we welcomed the cold weather   The unnaturally warm weather over the past few weeks has not been good for the winter veggies in our field. The broccoli and cauliflower have rushed to ripen too fast, bent upon opening up into great big bouquets and forgetting they are supposed to be heads of cauliflower and broccoli. Various warm-climate pests are convinced that this is their day in the sun, wreaking havoc on the vegetables who were just settling down for a seasonal cool-weather respite from the pests. Thank God it’s cold again.

Alas, Sunday brought only chattering teeth and no rain. Although Micha called in the afternoon to gleefully report a real flood in Tel Aviv, the Ayalon clouds over Chubeza remained dry and shuttered. Only at the end of our workday, as darkness fell upon our field, did the rhythmic concert of tiny raindrops bouncing against the tin roof of the packing house begin, creating loud percussion and the illusion of a lot more rain. We love this music to our ears that swells our chests with happiness, expands our lungs to let us breathe again, and relaxes our worried face muscles as the joy of the showers enters the rooms of our soul and stays for awhile.

        

As usual, we prepared in advance for the rain, and on Sunday hurried to harvest Monday’s vegetables to avoid dealing with a muddy field. The packing house was lined with abundantly-filled boxes: kohlrabi, fennel, turnips, green and purple vegetables, cauliflower and broccoli, red peppers, green cucumbers, carrots, beets, daikon and radishes, gentle green snow peas, onions, leeks and lots of leafy green delights. This assortment never fails to astonish me – such plenty and such blessing from the fertile field.

But as I was walking among the boxes, basking in the glory of the packing house, placing the stickers on the empty boxes for the next morning, flagging them to their various delivery routes, counting and recounting, well – the vegetables were not impressed at my awe. They stood chattering among themselves, as if they were on line at the post office. Every once in awhile a chuckle could be heard, or a throat being cleared or a hum, but all in all, they were definitely feeling good about themselves. At the end of the workday they were separated from one another – some were refrigerated for the night, others waited around the cool-of-the-night packing house. In the morning they will report for duty and be distributed to your boxes.

Although the rest of this week is dry and sunny, perhaps another rain awaits in the wings next week. Or not. This season it’s hard to know what lies ahead, but just in case the rain needs some encouragement, please join us as we cheer loudly, clapping and jumping up and down, begging the rain to not be shy. Rain, rain, don’t go away, come again another and another and another day!

Rain / Shel Silverstein

I opened my eyes And looked up at the rain, And it dripped in my head And flowed into my brain, And all that I hear as I lie in my bed Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head.

I step very softly, I walk very slow, I can’t do a handstand– I might overflow, So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said– I’m just not the same since there’s rain in my head.

Season’s greetings to all those celebrating, and to all of us – rainy days and a nice wintry week,

Alon, Bat Ami, Dror, Yochai and the Chubeza team

 _____________________________________________

WHAT’S IN THIS WEEK’S BOXES?

Monday: Coriander/dill, sweet potatoes/carrots, cucumbers, kale/spinach, tomatoes, cauliflower/cabbage, fennel/kohlrabi, lettuce, scallions/leeks/onions, broccoli/snow peas/cherry tomatoes. Small boxes only: celery/celeriac.  Special gift for all: arugula/mizuna/totsoi.

Large box, in addition: Daikon/baby radishes, Swiss chard, beets, eggplant/green bell peppers.

Wednesday: Coriander/dill/parsley, sweet potatoes/carrots, cucumbers, kale/Swiss chard, tomatoes, cauliflower, fennel/kohlrabi, lettuce, celery/celeriac, broccoli. Small boxes only: beets. .  Special gift for all: arugula/mizuna/totsoi.

Large box, in addition: Daikon/baby radishes/cabbage, spinach, eggplant/green and red bell peppers, Jerusalem artichoke/snow peas/cherry tomatoes.

And there’s more! You can add to your basket a wide, delectable range of additional products from fine small producers: flour, sprouts, honey, dates, almonds, garbanzo beans, crackers, raw probiotic foods, dried fruits and leathers, olive oil, sourdough breads, gluten free breads, granola, natural juices, cider and jams, apple vinegar, dates silan and healthy fruit snacks, ground coffee, tachini, honey candy, spices and goat dairy too! You can learn more about each producer on the Chubeza website. On our order system there’s a detailed listing of the products and their cost, you can make an order online now!

Top