Two for Tu B'Shvat

Well in Hebrew, Tu does not mean 'Two'.  Instead it is the combination of two Hebrew letters, tet and vav which are equivalent to the number 15, which is not, as you probably realize, the number two!!! Fifteen, is the 15th of the month of Shvat, when fruit trees were tithed in ancient Israel. (See more about holiday in my last blog post.) However, I decided that I will provide TWO for TU which is not numerically equivalent but does have a nice ring to it, right?  So,as we approach Tu B'Shvat this coming Friday, I have offered two possibilities for different tastes, a recent poem from my own tool kit and of course a Tu B'Shvat recipe!

1)  Gentle Giants

It’s a gray day

In my hair that is

The wind whispered something

Between the white wisps

I could only hear faintly between the

Cries of delighted children

In the forest wielding

Twigs and crispy leaf litter



by Marie Brennen "The Chronicle" newspaper

It is true that the dew remains thick

Blocking the sun’s warmth
Magnifying the magical play
A gray day

A gray day filled with promise

Gentle giants watching over us
In silent serenity
Musing at the possibilities, for
“Trees do not scream for attention”^*
Merely smile, watch, wait
Anticipation, delight
These things too
Small children are made of
Free in this wild place
Mud-crusted snow, deer droppings, pine tar
A winter day overflowing

A winter day overflowing with gifts

Sinuous snakes in a children’s parade
Hissing exuberantly
Or hopping one foot then the other
A bunny’s brood
Barreling towards the final stretch
Mud streaks on the bathroom floor
Tell a story or maybe the segue to
Sweet luscious dates, figs, pomegranates
Born of ancient trees
Tethered to time
A different story about
Honor tradition holiness
Hugging these children firmly
With love and love and love and love

* From Cederic Wright’s “Consider the life of Trees”. Words of the Earth, 1960

I checked this cookbook, The Jewish Vegetarian Year Cookbook by Roberta Kalechofsky and Rosa Rasiel, out of our synagogue's library as our family is vegetarian.  There are lots of details about the various holidays as an added bonus.  Try this delicious recipe using lots of foods connected to this Jewish Holiday.

2)  Couscous with Dried Fruit

2 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons oil
2 cups couscous
1/4 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups dried mixed fruit, finely chopped
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint

I bet that the addition of chopped nuts would be fantastic too!! 

In 2 quart pot, bring water and oil to boil. Remove from heat and stir in couscous. Cover, and let stand 20 minutes.  Add raisins, chopped fruit, honey, juice and mint.  Fluff up with 2 forks and serve.  Serves 8.