Sweet pine cones

Sukkot is over – the palm branches that covered the sukkah can be removed after they had reminded us how nice it is to sleep outside,occasionally, to smell the wind rather than the air conditioner and look at the stars instead of the yellow light of the bedside lamp. 

Those who find sleeping in the sukkah as an irresistible attraction are usually the younger members of the family, and they are also the ones who usually like to sleep in a tent, fall asleep with the sounds of howling jackals and wake up with the chirping birds.

This lockdown has caught usduring the hiking season, when the weather is so tempting, inviting us to walk around and watch the approaching autumn all around, increasing our longing to load a backpack on our backs and go out for a walk in nature.

Meanwhile, the children are setting up their tents in the yard, and some – even in the middle of the living room. They are content as long as they can whisper and giggle in the light of the flashlight.

Autumn is a relatively short season – just yesterday (literally yesterday) a hot and dry wind blew here, the afternoon air was completely steamy, like walking inside a pot of soup.

But tonight is already considerably cooler, and my friend told me “it’s suddenly getting dark early”.

Autumn, the period in which it is most comfortable to wear a long but thin sleeve or jacket, lasts here only a few weeks (in Israel one can go through life with a wardrobe that contains only short T-shirts and sweaters), and with it also the season of autumn fruits. Like the shelf life of the annona.

To me, the annona is a small, green, smooth, fragrant and charming pinecone. It combines the best of all worlds – its peel is smooth, not prickly and brittle (and even if I gave it a small bite it is not the end of the world); Its pulp is sweet, reminding me of something similar to a very ripe guava, but unlike guava –I don’t need to hide it and cover its smell from half of humanity who for some reason cant stand guavas (guess which camp I belong toJ).

Its seeds do not take up most of the volume of the fruit (like with lychees, for example) and are relatively easy to remove from the fruit.

The annona’s flavor is balanced, pleasant, not too sweet and makes any fruit salad really fun. And also – although it originates from the tropical Americas (the area of Ecuador, Chile, Peru…) it is cultivated well here.

The tree needs heat and moisture, and both can be easily provided in the country. Although most of us buy our annonas, they can be grown in the yard relatively easily.

The annona grown in the country is a kind of hybrid between the scaly annona, called sugar-apple or sweetsop, popular in Chile, and the smooth pineapple, which is more popular in South America (the Annonaceae family contains approximately 100 species of trees and shrubs, many of which grow edible fruit).

The tree appears to be evergreen as it replaces its leaves slowly and gradually – except for a short period of time during the spring when all the leaves drop, to allow the growth of new leaves.

How to choose a good annona? The peel should be green, the color should be uniform with no brown spots, and the fruit itself should not be too soft to the touch, but rather buttery, and also not too hard when pressed with the finger.

Nutritionally, the annona is full of good – lots of vitamin C, potassium and calcium. Despite its sweetness, it has a low glycemic index, and it is rich with nutritional fiber that assist and speed up digestion.

In alternative medicine it is used to strengthen the immune system, lower blood pressure and balance blood sugar, and even to treat dandruff.

Eat and enjoy!

Yours,