Tu B'Shevat Seder

Enjoying the Fruits

This Tu B'Shevat Program was created by:
Foundation for Family Education
Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner, President
Site: www.jewishfreeware.org
Email: bdlerner1@comcast.net

4. WHAT TO DO WITH THE FRUIT

A. Platters
Create platters of various fruits and nuts that can be sampled as you reach the historical period in your discussion or saved for the conclusion. You can also serve sweets (cookies or candies) made from these fruit ingredients, such as sesame candy, banana bread, etc.

B. Smoothies
Make Smoothies using a blender or a smoothie maker. Remember to always have some liquid in the jar if you are using frozen fruit or ice. Don't attempt to pulverize ice or frozen items in your smoothie machine or blender without liquid – e.g. orange juice, apple juice or even some milk or yogurt. Otherwise the motor may burn out under the strain, and you’ll be left having taught, lectured and the students or participants will be greatly disappointed.

The following have been borrowed or adapted from items on the Internet, Fruit Cookbooks and the brochures that came with my smoothie machines. No attempt is being made to intend originality. I encourage every teacher and program presenter to mix and match ingredients. Drink and enjoy.

FRUIT SMOOTHIE
1 medium peach, ripe
3/4 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 banana, peeled
2 cups skimmed evaporated milk, chilled
4 tsp. frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tsp. vanilla
4-6 ice cubes
cinnamon (optional)
Combine everything in blender except ice and cinnamon. With blender running, add ice cubes one at a time. Divide Smoothie into 4 chilled glasses and sprinkle with cinnamon.

BANANA BERRY SMOOTHIE
2 bananas
1/2 cup blueberries
1 cup plain yogurt
Peel bananas, slice and place on a cookie sheet. Put in freezer and freeze until solid. Remove from freezer and place in blender. Add to blender. Pour in yogurt. Blend until smooth.

FRUIT 'N' HONEY SMOOTHIE
1 scoop vanilla frozen yogurt
8 ounces apple juice
frozen fresh fruit
a squeeze of honey
ice
Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.

POWER BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE
1 cup orange juice
3/4 cup pear, peeled and diced
1 banana, frozen
3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. smooth peanut butter
2 Tbsp. wheat germ
Place all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.

5. RESOURCES

A. Online Smoothie recipes

1. RecipeSource.com
2. HomeSchoolZome.com
3. RecipeZaar.com
4. PersonalBlender.com
5. Recipe Rewards
6. AllRecipes.com
7. Smoothie Recipes
8. FatFree.com
9. National Smoothie Week

B. BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. California Rare Fruit Growers
2. Chez Panisse Fruit, Alice Waters.(New York: Harper Collins, 2002).
3. Eat and Be Satisfied, John Cooper (New Jersey: Jason Aronson, 1993).
4. 2. England's Orchard and Nursery - A Kentucky nursery specializing in nut trees but with other things of interest, such as pawpaws.
5. Fruit Links
6. Fruit Trees Nursery of Moshe Wallach an Israeli Fruit trees Nursery. Common fruit trees and also over 50 kinds of exotic fruit trees for sale.
7. Garden of Delights in Davie, Florida has an excellent selection of rare fruit trees.
8. Minor Tree Fruit Species Project. Coordinators: E. Bellini - E. Giordani, Dipartimento di Ortoflorofrutticoltura, Florence, Italy Covers: fig, strawberry tree, pomegranate, cornelian cherry, persimmon, medlar, loquat, jujube, cactus pear, azerole, quince, sorb, European chestnut, mulberry tree, pistachio, carob tree.
9. Nature & Man in the Bible: Chapters in Biblical Ecology, Yehuda Feliks (Jerusalem: Soncino, 1981).
10. Nicolee Routhier’s Fruit Cookbook, (New York:: Workman’s Press, 1996).
11. Olive Tree Sources - nurseries in Northern California who carry fruiting olive trees (thanks to the California Olive Oil Council for this link).
12. Sephardic Holiday Cooking: Recipes and Tradition, Gilda Angel. (New York: Decalogue, 1986).
13. The Banana Tree Inc. tropical plants and seeds: online catalog of tropical plants and seeds from around the world.
14. The Flowers and Fruits of the Bible, John Chancellor. (New York: Beaufort Books, 1982).
15. The Foods of Israel Today, Joan Nathan. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001)
16. The Fruits of the Holy Land, Asaph Goor and Max Nurock. (New York: Israel Universities Press, 1968).
17. The Jewish Holiday Kitchen, Joan Nathan. (New York: Schocken, 1988).
18. The Vilnay Guide To Israel: A New Millennium Edition, volumes I and 2, Zev, Rachel and Oren Vilnay. (Beit Or: Atlit, 1999).
19. The World of Jewish Entertaining, Gil Marks (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998).
20. Torah and Flora, Louis I. Rabinowitz (Jerusalem: Keter, 1977).
21. Uncommon Fruits and Vegetables: A Commonsense Guide, Elizabeth Schneider. (New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc. 1986).
22. Your Biblical Garden: Plants of the Bible and How To Grow Them, Allan A. Swenson (New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc. 1981).
23. 1,000 Jewish Recipes, Faye Levy. (New York: IDG Books Worldwide, 2000).