Hazon Educational Library: Food

This lesson makes a connection between how both plants and people live in community. On the farm, plants and other organisms are giving and receiving help from one another all of the time. This is reciprocity. Companion planting is the technique of sowing two crops together for a specific purpose, often pest control, space use or yield maximization. Native Americans have been planting the Three Sisters (corn, beans and squash) in one plot for generations. Not only does this trio help each other grow and use nutrients efficiently, but they have higher yields when planted together, and form a nutritious diet. People also need each other: to learn, to pray and to live a spiritual life. When we work in chevruta (learning partners) or are part of a minyan (prayer group), everyone involved can benefit from the group. We are individuals, but our communities are greater than the sum of their parts.

This program provides an introduction to pickling and an overview of food justice issues. Participants will leave with a jar of pickles and knowledge of the pickling process, and with deeper insight into the importance of local food and workers' rights in the food system.

Learn about and enact the value of peah through harvesting a delicious summer treat and decide how much to donate. Share the remaining bounty with the camp community. Experience the joy in working hard and sharing the abundance (through recognition in the dining hall, working with a community organization, and leaving camp for a field trip)

This program is an opportunity for families to celebrate Tu B'Shvat through learning about local ecology, connecting to nature, and understanding the essence of this Jewish holiday on a community hike.

This program celebrates the holiday of Tu B'Svhat and includes both traditional rituals and modern connections to environmentalism and eco-friendly Jewish practice. The seder takes place as a full multi-course dinner, incorporating the four traditional types of fruit into four courses. Between each set of courses is a relevant activity or discussion, including a keynote panel with representatives from local environmental nonprofits.

Explore new ways to preserve and eat seasonal food with your children in this easy and fun hands-on workshop. Learn about the history of pickling and its connections to Jewish traditions. In this workshop, we will create two different types of pickles- a 'quick' pickle using vinegar and a fermented pickle that you can take home to watch develop.

This program is an introduction to the workers within the American food system, ranging from migrant farm workers, to CEOs of large GMO's, to the average consumer in Berkeley, CA. This program reflects on the Jewish morals of Oschek (how to treat laborers) and explores this morals' relevance to our American food system. Lastly, this program encourages participants to reflect on their role as a consumer, and how to use their privilege and power in a positive way.

Experience Sukkot as a celebration of the seasonal harvest while in an urban setting! Join us on an urban farm in downtown D.C. to celebrate the season's bounty with hands-on workshops and a farm-to-Sukkah feast grounded in the themes of the agricultural harvest festival. We invite you to end your week by taking a pause from the busyness of the city to connect with nature and eat from the harvest at Common Good City Farm. From a pickling lesson to tasting local seasonal ciders, we will come together and celebrate abundance both on the farm and in our lives.

This program combines a group walk to compost piles, and a look at vermicomposting bins, with a conversation about the Jewish value of distinguishing between rest and work. Participants will engage in text study and discuss the relationship between adding intention to our time with Shabbat, and adding intention to our space with the placement of compost.

This program is an interactive grilling lesson connected to the celebration of Lag B'Omer. Participants will have the opportunity to make several seasonal salads, learn about grilling methods and outdoor cooking, and learn what Lag B'Omer is in relation to the counting of the Omer and the Jewish Calendar.