The squill (chazav in Hebrew) is blooming and summer is escaping,

When the days get shorter towards the end of summer (the squill tells us that this is happening), the squill sends up a flower stalk, erect and proud, a meter or two tall and so begins its seed production phase.

This flower stalk is the only part of the squill plant that is outside of the ground.

Summer Alert -in the garden and at home

Hot, hot, hot for us and for the vegetables :)

The juicy summer fruits give us energy and strength.

This week a small overview of who is growing in the garden.
This heat is hard on the leafy vegetables. Most of them like some cold, humidity and shade and the Israeli summer - high temperatures, eight hours of direct strong sun light and extreme dryness - makes for a difficult growing process. Some plants get infected by many insects because their distress makes it hard for them to ward off the attack. Some hurry to produce seed and fulfill their destiny (producing the next generation) - they detect that the conditions are not suitable for their needs so instead of broad and beautiful leaves they develop a blossom and go to seed.

Hi friends,
I'm sure that all of those who read what I write have already made the choice to receive and consume the most organic and freshest produce that can be obtained :) (unless, of course, you grow it yourself). But it is so hot that even the freshest and strongest vegetables can actually "faint" by the time it reaches you. Even I already dehydrated this summer... :)
The reason it is so important for us to receive your orders a day before the delivery, is so we can pick (and send picking lists to other growers) at the optimal time to ensure that you actually get the produce at its freshest.

Dear vegetable lovers,
It is still cool in the mornings, but later in the day it gets hot hot hot and the garden is now busy with the many summery crops' activities - families of different plants and their different treatment by us.
A photographic tour!

The garden in Nataf, which is relatively high elevation and also has trees and wild plants in it, is somewhat shadier and cooler than the fields of our fellow organic farmers with whom we work.

One of the Ancient Israelites' favorite vegetables, mentioned in their longing while wandering in the desert is ".. the zucchini and the watermelons ..." that they ate in Egypt (Numbers XI, E). The names then and now are unclear and often mixed together. The Zucchini our ancestors longed for are actually cucumbers, which today is an essential ingredient in our Israeli salad.
From the Mishnah we understand that Zucchini's were eaten raw and fresh, such as we eat cucumbers.

Hi,
Everything is moving fast. The fruits and vegetables are growing quickly and so are the movements of all the dwellers in the garden, including insects. Remember - all garden dwellers are all important links in the chain of events that happens in our nature, and we mustn't harm any one of them in order to not ruin the entire chain. This is so even if it seems at times that they are "harming" our crops. These pests of course go especially to those crops that are having a difficult time, so take that into account when ordering winter leaves that struggle through the summer.

קיץ , קיץ אל הים
קיץ, קיץ כמה חם
חופש, אהבה וחול,
כמה טוב
בצלאל אלוני

Hello everyone,
I want to apologize in advance for my diminished communication and my shorter than usual weekly updates during the summer vacation. I hope that you understand and accept this. The garden, however, is less understanding, and I made a deal with my children that the week will be divided into workdays and vacation days.

Good week, dear vegetable lovers,
First of all messages:
I apologize that my recent mails have been shorter and less informative than usual. Due to the summer vacation I'm juggling between the garden, the "office" and the kids. Also, I am taking a much needed long weekend off next week, so I will be out until Tuesday. Accordingly, there may not be a weekly mail on Sunday, only the expectation list on Tuesday. Please, I request your understanding and forgiveness. Still, I will need you to advise me by next Tuesday at 11:00 if you wish any changes to next weeks boxes .

The abundance of summer,

In the recent weeks, as in previous summers, we have been blessed with many tomatoes, of all sorts, sizes and shapes. So, now is the time to prepare sauces or even basis for future sauces and freeze them! If, after reading below, you want any extra tomatoes, please let me know!
This year we are having a problem which I'm encountering for the first time - the bug acarine in tomatoes. But before I go further on the bug of the week , a few things about tomatoes for those who do not want to read about this.