Rejuvenation: Purple Carrots and Flying Strawberries [audio]

Photo Credit: Uri Alon

While tour guiding in the Southern Negev, Eve was on the ‘Salad Trail’ and met Uri Alon on his educational food farm in moshav Talmei Yosef. An Israeli Navy vet, Hebrew University graduate and expert in agricultural pest control, Uri and his wife are now teaching Israelis and tourists of all varieties about vegetables, fruits and herbs. Pop into your mouth many types of (Israeli invention) cherry tomatoes, strawberries grown in Sri Lankan coconut shells 6 feet off the ground, carrots in a rainbow of colors, smokin’ hot peppers and edible flowers; just some of the tastes, smells and textures that one meets in this corner of the country where the desert now blooms. The challenges of growing healthy foods are many and Israel is a world leader in seed development and export. Sending off homing pigeons – a la Uri’s family’s pre-state history- and culinary competitions are just some of the activities that await, making food fun for for all ages. You say tomato, we eat tomatoes. Many.