Foraging for edible and medicinal plants is fascinating, fun, and an excellent entrance to healthy living, besides offering a unique taste – literally - of Natural Israel.
Wild plants silently bear witness to the march of time, bonding together places and people of the past, present, and future. Foraging makes Israel come alive - our heritage isn't just a bunch of half-buried buildings and stones!
Foraging also gives a hands-on experience of Healthy Jewish wellness:
Eat Well. Many wild leaves, flowers, and fruits are unusually packed with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and even medicinal compounds. People often ask on foraging walks, “So what is this plant good for?” My first answer is usually that it’s very, very good for food.
Move Well. Foraging was humankind’s original exercise: moving around in search for sustenance. When walking in nature to gather food, we're deeply aware that we're journeying through the world and life.
Be Well. Foraging teaches stability, equanimity, and balance. Plant life stems from far beneath the ground, its sustenance and growth rooted in the timeless, motionless earth. By directly connecting with the world of plants, we too can leave the frenzy of life’s activities and worries, becoming just a bit plant-like.
To learn much more about my foraging walks - in text, pictures, and videos, check out my many posts here about foraging in the Land of Israel.
For more information, email me at contact@healthyjew.org. Or just fill out the booking form below and reserve your walk today!
For short content about foraging in Israel, and to learn about upcoming open walks in the Ramat Bet Shemesh area, join my announcement-only Foraging Whatsapp group.
Testimonials:
“My children and I joined Shmuel Chaim Naiman for a one hour exploration of a local hilltop. I strongly recommend this tour for your family... With enthusiasm, a smile, and deep knowledge of both nature and Torah, Shmuel Chaim showed us the Niflaos HaBoreh [wonders of the Creator]. We saw a beautiful weed that is deadly poisonous, picked and tasted the flowers off the Sabra cactus, and discovered the real Maror of Pesach (tastes like lettuce but is VERY bitter) which grows wild on almost every corner here. In addition, we saw... a Second Temple period archaeological site which mass-produced pottery.” — Rabbi Michael Cytrin, Ramat Bet Shemesh
My family and I joined Shmuel Chaim Naiman twice already for incredible foraging walks through mountains and caves. His broad knowledge of Torah, history and nature combined with his fun personality made for a very enjoyable time. He was entertaining and informative for both the kids and adults. I strongly recommend a foraging walk with Shmuel Chaim. — Nesanel Goode, Ramat Bet Shemesh