CHANGES IN CHUBEZA’S DELIVERY SCHEDULE FOR THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS:
THE WEEK OF ROSH HASHANA:
Monday, 30.9 Regular delivery
Wednesday deliveries will arrive on Tuesday 1.10
THE WEEK OF YOM KIPPUR:
Monday, 7.10 Regular delivery (except for Modi’in and the Mevaseret Tzion area, which will be moved to Tuesday, 8.10)
Wednesday, 9.10 Regular delivery
THE WEEK THAT SUKKOT BEGINS:
Monday, 14.10 Regular delivery
Wednesday Delivery will arrive on Tuesday 15.10
THERE WILL BE NO DELIVERIES OVER THE WEEK OF CHOL HAMOED
No deliveries on Monday, 21.10 and Wednesday 23.10
We cordially invite one and all to Chubeza’s Open Day in the Field on Monday, 21.10 from 13:00-17:00.
May the coming New Year bring beautiful, peaceful times blessed with good tidings, the return of all the hostages to Israel, a speedy end to the war, and the return of all the evacuees to their homes!
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Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There’s a land that I’ve heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream, Really do come true.
Someday I’ll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops,
High above the chimney tops, That’s where you’ll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow Why then, oh why can’t I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, Why, oh why can’t I?
- Lyrics: Yip Harburg
In this very difficult year that we are enduring, there are moments when we long to fly right along with that blue bird over the rainbow, to a place where pain fades like dew… But here we are in Chubeza’s field, quite connected to the earth, unable to soar with the birds. Yet over the past weeks, we’ve been trying our best to send you a touch of rainbow colors and vitality in your box, through the vivid, multi-coloured sweet potatoes we’re growing this year.
We’ve actually been growing the well-loved, tried-and-true orange sweet potato for 21 years, from Chubeza’s very first harvest. But this year, we’ve added new purple and white sweet potatoes, blending to create a rainbow emerging from the depths of the earth to land into your boxes and onto your plates.
Unlike most root vegetables which thrive in cooler conditions, the sweet potato grows in summer and autumn, not winter. It adores warmth and despises the cold (as you will see later). We’re harvesting them now, but the sweet potato’s journey began about five months ago as bare vine cuttings which we planted into moist mounds of earth. Within several days, they began to sprout, with green leaves emerging as if they were coming back to life.
Several weeks later, the field was covered in a uniform green strip of plants. After some two months, the entire plot was transformed into a dense, tangled carpet of vines, leaves, and lilac flowers. Nestled beneath this green chaos, over the course of some four to five months, plump roots were growing—orange, purple, or white, sweet and yummy. Sweet potatoes! In a Newsletter several months ago, I documented the sweet potato’s journey for you in a photo montage, from a bare stick to a hidden root beneath that thick, verdant carpet. Here it is!
Sweet potatoes belong to the esteemed Convolvulaceae family, with their cousins the field bindweed, dodder, and the lovely morning glory appearing frequently in nature and gardens. Within the Convolvulaceae family, sweet potatoes are part of the Ipomoea genus, hence their official name Ipomoea batatas, “edible sweet potato.” This name suits them well, as the yummy sweet potato is one of the few Convolvulaceae family members grown for food, and the sole one to be commercially cultivated, a rare phenomenon indeed.
Like many family members, the sweet potato is a twining, climbing plant, shooting out vines in every direction. If you allow it, the go-getter sweet potato will even climb the nearest fence, covering it with heart-shaped green leaves, and later with beautiful, light purple symmetrical flowers that open in the morning and close promptly at midday under the intense sun.
Sweet potato blossoms
Besides being tasty, sweet, and comforting, all types of sweet potatoes are greatly beneficial for your health. They abound in vitamin C, and are rich in vitamin B6, potassium, magnesium, iron, and dietary fiber. This champion team helps maintain healthy blood pressure, strengthen bones to prevent osteoporosis, aid proper brain function, and promote learning abilities in children and infants.
Beyond all this goodness, the varying colors of the sweet potato give us clues to the specific phytochemicals unique to each color, each boasting its own benefits: Orange sweet potatoes, like other orange veggies, are rich in carotenoids. These antioxidants are a proud source of vitamin A, which supports cancer prevention, is essential for vision, bolsters the immune system, maintains skin health, and supports normal growth.
Purple sweet potatoes possess their own set of phytochemicals—anthocyanins, also found in purple cabbage, berries, red wine, and red vegetables and fruits. These powerful antioxidants help fight free radicals and inflammation, reducing the risk of chronic diseases. Anthocyanins also serve as an energy source for the friendly probiotic bacteria in the digestive system, supporting healthy digestion.
While white sweet potatoes are bereft of colorful phytochemicals, their low sugar content and drier texture make them a special delicacy that absorbs less oil when baked or fried. The result: a very special treat — somewhere between a potato and a sweet potato.
As we enjoy Chubeza’s current sweet potato bonanza, we’re striving to include two varieties of sweet potatoes in your boxes. Enjoy featuring a dual-colored feast in your menu— a delight to the eyes, the palate, and the stomach…
Wishing everyone peaceful days ahead in the final stretch of this challenging year, as a New Year dawns abounding in blessings and goodness,
Alon, Bat-Ami, Dror, Einat, and the entire Chubeza team
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WHAT’S IN THIS WEEK’S BOXES?
Monday: Leeks/onions, slice of pumpkin/butternut squash, lettuce, long Thai lubia/short Iraqi lubia, coriander/parsley/dill/nana, sweet red peppers/hot peppers, golden or red potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes/cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, orange sweet potatoes.
Large box, in addition: Chard/kale, basil/Malabar Indian spinach/New Zealand spinach, carrots/white or purple sweet potatoes.
FRUIT BOXES: Pears, bananas, green/yellow/red apples, pomegranates. Large box: Larger quantities of all the above, plus carambola, kobo.
Wednesday: Leeks/onions, slice of pumpkin/butternut squash, lettuce, long Thai lubia, coriander/parsley/dill/nana, sweet red peppers/hot peppers, golden or red potatoes, eggplant/white or purple sweet potatoes, tomatoes/cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, orange sweet potatoes.
Large box, in addition: Chard.basil, kale/Malabar Indian spinach/New Zealand spinach, carrots.
FRUIT BOXES: Pears/carambola, bananas, green/yellow/red apples, pomegranates. Large box: Larger quantities of all the above, plus avocado, kobo.