Special Update About Local Hawthorns

I recently found a some huge hawthorn trees - and they're the highlight of Sukkos foraging walks this year.

Almost one year ago, not long after that fateful October day, I shared with you how Israel’s wild plants and fruits, such as hawthorn berries, can help us find wellness and meaning during these turbulent times.

Hawthorn Harvest

Here’s the video from then:

Those red hawthorn trees were planted by the Bet Shemesh municipality inside a local park. But it’s much harder to find good hawthorns in the countryside - by the time they turn ripe, they’re usually teeming with maggots or dried out.

But just the other day, on a run over my favorite local foraging hill, jumping around the ancient and not-so-ancient ruins of Bait Natif, I happened upon this huge tree filled with delicious, mostly worm-free yellow hawthorns.

On this Sukkos holiday’s foraging walks - thank God, despite the turbulent security situation, I’m booked solid - we’re making sure to visit this tree, allowing it to share its gifts with all of our foragers.