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: A simple, inexpensive Israeli solution for storing staples is helping Africans, South Americans and Asians survive food shortages.

When the Biblical Joseph predicted that Egypt would suffer a major famine thousands of years ago, he told the Pharaoh to store grain for seven years. His foresight kept the people in the region from starvation. Prof. Shlomo Navarro, an Israeli environmental food specialist, is taking the same approach today.

Intuitively, Navarro suspects that the Biblical Joseph kept the grain underground, which today would be a costly and unwieldy solution. Since the Bible provides few details on how Joseph stored the grain, Navarro can only imagine he applied the same basic scientific principles: hermetically seal the grain so oxygen, water, sunlight and pests can’t get in or out.

Once the grain is inside this cocoon –– along with the insects and insect eggs naturally found in it –– if air can’t enter or leave, the carbon dioxide level will eventually rise and kill off the bugs. Sounds simple, but in practice this is harder to accomplish than one might think.

Navarro’s modern-day product, now owned and sold by the American company GrainPro as GrainPro Cocoon, is helping Africans, South Americans and Asians survive famines and save grain in a cost-effective and simple way.

The core technology is in the cocoon material, which is designed for open desert conditions, like in Africa and South America where storage facilities are poor or unavailable. The cocoons can be used multiple times for many years under harsh climatic conditions.

Wrapped in a Cocoon

The GrainPro Cocoon is essentially a large plastic bag, durable against tears and damage from sunlight. The unit is hermetically sealed so nothing can get in or out.

Cocoon in Action

“Why don’t farmers buy plastic bags and use them? To store grain properly, you need special features,” Navarro explains. “Not all plastic bags have the same flexibility or durability under the sun. You need something that is elastic and doesn’t tear easily. You need something that gives you a high level of probability that oxygen won’t enter the bag, or cocoon. These are important points.”

The idea came to Navarro when he was working as an agricultural researcher. “I thought the existing solutions, all the chemicals, are really harmful to the environment and to people. I thought we had to develop alternative, environmentally friendly solutions, like biological methods.”

This is what brought him to think of the ancient Joseph. “If you keep the commodity under hermetic conditions, the result is you get a healthy product without the damage that might be caused by the organisms,” he says.

Navarro estimates that millions of units of this very practical, inexpensive and effective grain storage technique have been sold since going commercial in the late 1990s. Developed through the US-Israel Science and Technology Foundation back in the 1980s, the cocoon was previously marketed by a kibbutz specializing in plastics.

Navarro, a serial entrepreneur, got his start as a principal scientist in the Department of Food Science of the Volcani Center-Israel Agricultural Research Organization in Beit Dagan.

His innovations for safe storage of pulses, grains, seeds, dried fruits and other stable bulk products were all, like the GrainPro Cocoon, developed to be user-friendly in order to protect food without toxic pesticides. Today he is a worldwide authority on durable commodities storage with a strong emphasis on insect control in a safe environmental way.

Recently, 4.3 million metric tons of rice were put into storage in a new facility in Colombo, Sri Lanka using the GrainPro Cocoon. In the past, because of poor storage capabilities, some 15 to 20 percent of that amount of rice would be lost.

GrainPro is also on display at a demonstration site in Rwanda, where Africans from far and wide come to see how this product can help them save grain, money, the environment and even people’s lives.

By Rivka Borochov

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PRAY, PLANT, GROW repeat!

Many of us are familiar with the Pray, Eat, Pray, pattern of Jewish practice. Well, in this Harvest Season- which is also the spiritual season of birth and renewal- a New Year brings us many opportunities for reflection, renewal and redemption. Today is Hoshana Rabbah, bringing us to the end of Sukkos, and time to put away our Lulav and Estrog- Let's take action and put into practice our words to connect mind, body and spirit, to live in a way that our life is our thoughts, deeds and actions. We jsut read in Koheles, that there is a time to plant and a time to sow- well if you want a harvest for next Sukkos, get ready to plant now!
It is a time to begin the cycle of a new year- not only in our minds and hearts, but in the very real gardens and grounds that we live on.
So here it is – a call to action: GROW YOUR OWN (Aravos- willows.)
Keep your Aravos in water and they will sprout roots. Plant the rooted willows into the ground, some sun, shade is good.
Become part of the pray, plant and grow cycle yourself.
The 'aravos' willows will grow here in the Northest, and almost anywhere- we live in the Philadelphia area and the Aravos I planted almost 20 years ago are now big bushes, whose branches are shared each year with many friends and neighbors and visiting family. In years past we have backed up several institutions even Penn Hillel! Our Aravos harvest seems to grow as it is used, the more you cut, the more it grows!
Each year my husband (the green zayda) cuts back the growth on Tammuz 17- (which as you may recall, is a Fast day) Once again breaking with the "pray eat pray" syndrome, it proves that even on days when you are fasting and don't eat, well, you can still foster new growth in the garden, as you cut, pray, cut!
If you are reading this after Sukkos, and or you don't have any Aravos this year to root- stop by some time and we will share our Aravos with you. The good thing about Aravos, just like 'bubbies' if they are 'green' they are still alive, ready and willing to grow.

Kayam Farm- the scene of "Planting Seeds: The First Jewish Early Childhood Conference."
It was better than imagined. It was the participants willingness to "dig deeply" on all fronts that mattered. People came from as far as Seattle,North Carolina, Texas, Boston and Worcester, Florida and New York as well as from nearby Virgina, Pennsylvania,New Jersey and of course Baltimore. There were nature specialists, ece directors, teachers, a rabbi and a great mix of ages and persuasions. There were the gardeners and the wannabes and together we weeded, worked on the farm, engaged with the farm animals at a distance of our choice and got to see red wiggler worms up close and personal. There were sessions on nutrition and healthy eating, and great meals for our own sustenance.
There was an ongoing discussion of what makes the garden 'Jewish' and how to bring the very young into this endeavor.
As the 'green bubbie' I gave the opening keynote, trying my best to weave together Richard Louv's wonderful book, "The Last Child in the Woods" with Jewish Identity and Inspiration from the Garden- For those of you not there, I used my actual weaving expertise to invite those present to image the 'warp' of the loom as Torah and the weft as the experiences in the natural world. The warp of the loom is the backbone and strength of the fabric..Sometimes that warp is invisible, and sometimes given the design of the pattern it becomes obvious and beautifully woven together- that's what create the design of the fabric. So too, if the foundation of what we do in the garden comes from our growing and continual study of what the Torah teaches us, that is the foundation of what we teach, of who we are, and what we do we the children. The stronger the warp, the stronger the fabric we create.
And just in case anyone thinks young children are too young,not so. There is no better example that the song, "Yom Rishon Avodah, Yom Sheni Avodah….Yom Shabbat Menucha" (with the hand motions of course) that demonstrates that even the youngest of children can participate in our Torah based tradition- 6 days of work, and on Shabbat we rest"
just like it says in the Torah!
So, as we prepare for Shabbos, let's try to think of all the work we've done all week- in and out of the garden- how we finish it, and rest on the coming Shabbat.
My hope is that this was only the first Jewish Early Childhood Gardening Conference- There is no way I can convey the extraordinary interplay of the parallel sessions of the Ashville JCCs' Early Childhood Cur brilliantly conveyed and shared by LAEL and JILL along with the workshops given by the incredibly knowledgeable staff of Kayam Farm. They live the life they are aspiring to and it is inspiring to work and learn along side of them.
I look forward to the next gathering and learning and bringing our field to new heights,
as together we dig deeply into our Jewish Tradition and into the earth from which G-d created us all.

Where:
Kayam Farm at Pearlstone Retreat Center
5425 Mt. Gilead Rd
Reisterstown, MD 21136

Driving Directions

Cost:
$300 per adult double occupancy
$400 per adult single occupancy
$50 per child 3-12
$18 per child under 3

You're invited to a wonderful event, and the first of its kind! A conference on Jewish Early Childhood Garden Education, hosted by Kayam Farm at Pearlstone, just outside of Baltimore, MD.

Conference participants will:
Learn from experts in Jewish Early Childhood Garden Education
Share best practices with other educators from around the country
Enjoy fresh delicious produce from the farm!
Have hands-on experience in the gardens of Kayam Farm
Get practical and personalized advice on:
How to start your garden
Curriculum training in Jewish early childhood garden education, featuring educators from the Asheville, NC JCC
Healthy foods, cooking and nutrition
Jewish Garden Design, including
Indoor gardening and container gardens
Jewish holiday gardens
Sensory gardens
-Plus individualized consultation and coaching with experienced Jewish garden educators

SO…

Register Now!
or CLICK HERE to get more information
This event is hosted by Kayam Farm at Pearlstone Conference & Retreat Center.
Planning committee members include:
- Ilene Vogelstein, 1st VP Pearlstone Conference & Retreat Center
- Ruth Pinkenson Feldman, PhD Greenbubbie
- Lael Gray, Programming Director at the JCC in Asheville, NC.
- Anna Klein, Early Childhood Educator in Baltimore, MD
- Aileen Freedman, Director The Learning Ladder at – Oheb Shalom in Baltimore,MD
- Bunnie Piltch, New CAJE MANAJE
- Carol Paster, Early Childhood Director at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel in New York

For more information please contact:
Jessica Weinberg, Programming Director
jweinberg@pearlstonecenter.org410-429-4400 x219
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Tefilla of the Shelah Hakadosh

This special prayer was composed by the Shelah Hakadosh to express the prayers of parents on behalf of their children. The Shelah said the optimal time for parents to recite this prayer is Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan , but it may be recited anytime. The holy Shlah Hakadosh left Europe in the 17th century and made his home in Eretz Yisrael, becoming chief Rabbi of Jerusalem.

The Artscroll website states:

"All parents want the best for their children — that they should be good and upright, that they have everything they need for a fruitful, joyous life.

(We recite the prayer anytime but especially…) on THE DAY BEFORE ROSH CHODESH SIVAN, for that is the month when God gave us the Torah, and when the Jewish people began to be called His Children. On that day, (the Shelah Hakadosh) writes, fathers and mothers should give charity to the poor and repent. They should even fast, if they are able to."

Below is the text of this special prayer:

English Translation

You have been the Eternal, our G-d, before You created the world, and You are the Eternal, our G-d, since you created the world, and You are G-d forever. You created Your world so that Your Divinity should become revealed thorugh Your holy Torah, as our Sages expounded on the first word therein, and for Israel, for they are Your people and Your inheritance whom You have chosen from among all nations. You have given them Your holy Torah and drawn them toward Your great Name. These two commandments are, "Be fruitful and Multiply" and "You shall teach them to your children." Their purpose is that You did not create the world to be empty, but to be inhabited, and that it is for Your glory that You created, fashioned, and perfected it, so that we, our offspring, and all the descendants of your people Israel will know Your Name and study Your Torah.

Thus I entreat You, O Eternal, supreme King of kings. My eyes are fixed on You until You favor me, and hear my prayer, and provide me with sons and daughters who will also be fruitful and multiply, they and their descendents unto all generations, in order that they and we might all engage in the study of Your holy Torah, to learn and to teach, to observe and to do, and to fulfill with love all the words of Your Torah's teaching. Enlighten our eyes in Your Torah and attach our heart to Your commandments to love and revere Your Name.

Our Father, compassionate Father, grant us all a long and blessed life. Who is like You, compassionate Father, Who in compassion remembers His creatures for life! Remember us for eternal life, as our Forefather Avraham prayed, "If only Yishmael would live before You," which the Sages interpreted as "…live in reverence of You."

For this I have come to appeal and plead before You, that my offspring and their descendants be proper, and that You find no imperfection or disrepute in me or them forever. May they be people of peace, truth, goodness and integrity in the eyes of G-d and man. Help them to become practiced in Torah, accomplished in Scriptures, Mishnah, Talmud, Kabbalah, mitzvos, kindness, and good attributes, and to serve you with an inner love and reverence, not merely outwardly. Provide every one of them with their needs with honor, and give them health, honor and strength, good bearing and appearance, grace and loving-kindness. May love and brotherhood reign among them. Provide them with suitable marriage partners of scholarly and righteous parentage who will also be blessed with all that I have asked for my own descendants, since they will share the same fate.

You, the Eternal, know everything that is concealed, and to You all my heart's secrets are revealed. For all my intention concerning the above is for the sake of Your great and holy Name and Torah. Therefore, answer me, O Eternal, answer me in the merit of our holy Forefathers Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya'akov. For the sake of the fathers save the children, so the branches will be like the roots. For the sake of Your servant, David, who is the fourth part of Your Chariot, who sings with Divine inspiration.

A song of ascents. Fortunate is everyone who fears the Eternal, who walks in His ways. When you eat of the toil of your hands, you are fortunate, and good will be yours. Your wife is like a fruitful vine in the inner chambers of your home; your children are like olive shoots around your table. Look! So is blessed the man who fears the Eternal. May the Eternal bless you from Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life. May you see your children's children, peace upon Israel.

Please, O Eternal, Who listens to prayer: May the following verse be fulfilled in me: "'As for Me,' says the Eternal, "this My covenant shall remain their very being; My spirit, which rests upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth nor from the mouths of your children, nor from the mouths of your children's children," said the Eternal, "from now to all Eternity." May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing before You, Eternal, my Rock and my Redeemer.

If a tree can grow in Brooklyn

If a tree could grow in Brooklyn, certainly a garden could grow in a New York school yard.Returning to the kindergarden, the Green Bubbie was thrilled to see the progress of the seeds she had planted with the children. They were eager and curious how a garden could grow in their playground.
We built a "raised bed" a 3×3 foot wooden ' box' used lanscape fabric on the bottom and filled it with gardening soil. We planted the peas and zuchinni which we had grown from seeds and some additional lettuce and flower seedings. The children loved learning how to hoe, to shovel, to dig an adequate hole and of course, watering the garden.
For over 2 hours over 30 children were transformed into urban gardeners!
and now, a vegetable garden grows on a city play ground!
The miracle of growth can happen anywhere you are willing to take root.

Green is still a color

Today I received a letter in the mail addressed to "Green Bubbie(TM)" You know, even a great idea is only an idea. Even if you write about it, you need to see if it resonates with others outside of your own head. Do other people ever know what you are imagining? As a 'visionary' thinker, I can tell you that there is nothing more exciting then to see/know that your idea is understood by others, and used by them.

So, imagine my delight when during my recent visit to my grand daughter's kindergarten, I was asked by the teacher what I would like the children to call me. Finally, my chance to try this 'green bubbie' idea out on a group of five year olds. So, I said, they can call me "Green Bubbie" – I paused and whispered to the teacher that for the moment, I would skip my usual monologue about energy-efficient grand parenting. (see initial green bubbie blog posts)

About a moment later the teacher returned and told me that a number of children commented that I didn't look green, and that I didn't appear to be wearing anything green either. There is nothing like the reality focus of young children. So, I proceeded to explain to them that, in addition to being a color, 'green' is also the color of vegetable greens, and gardens, and that a
"green bubbie" is 'someone who helps children plant gardens.'

We did several activities involving different seeds, gardening catalogs, and each child had an opportunity to plant their own chosen seed in an organic, biodegradable planter with their own scoop of organic planting soil. I don't know who had the most fun. We even discussed the life cycle of beans- and while they were admittedly more familiar with beans that go into making 'cholent' for Shabbos, they were wide eyed at the stages where beans can be eaten off the 'pole' or bush. But, it was the idea of the 'zipper' that opens the pea pod that captured the most interest. I taught them 'Five little peas in a pea-pod pressed" and they sang and popped up at just the right moment.

The next day I spoke with the teacher to follow up. She said they took my suggestion and bought fresh peas and shelled them for a snack. While they loved them, my grand daughter assured the children that fresh picked peas from your own garden will be even better. The teacher told me that the class wrote me a thank you note- and that there was a big discussion as to whether to write, "Dear Green Bubbie" or to 'The Green Bubbie" whatever…. When the letter arrived in today's mail, I got all of the validation I could ever want from the seed of a germinating idea-I have no doubt that "the Green Bubbie(TM)" will be a welcome addition gardens and young children wherever they grow.

So, become a Follower or contact me so I can add your name to the 'green bubbies' and join me in planting for the future, with our current crop of kids!

Today I received a letter in the mail addressed to “Green Bubbie(TM)” You know, even a great idea is only an idea. Even if you write about it, you need to see if it resonates with others outside of your own head. Do other people ever know what you are imagining? As a ‘visionary’ thinker, I can tell you that there is nothing more exciting then to see/know that your idea is understood by others, and used by them.
So, imagine my delight when during my recent visit to my grand daughter’s kindergarten, I was asked by the teacher what I would like the children to call me. Finally, my chance to try this ‘green bubbie’ idea out on a group of five year olds. So, I said, they can call me “Green Bubbie” – I paused and whispered to the teacher that for the moment, I would skip my usual monologue about energy-efficient grand parenting. (see initial green bubbie blog posts)
About a moment later the teacher returned and told me that a number of children commented that I didn’t look green, and that I didn’t appear to be wearing anything green either. There is nothing like the reality focus of young children. So, I proceeded to explain to them that, in addition to being a color, ‘green’ is also the color of vegetable greens, and gardens, and that a
“green bubbie” is ‘someone who helps children plant gardens.’
We did several activities involving different seeds, gardening catalogs, and each child had an opportunity to plant their own chosen seed in an organic, biodegradable planter with their own scoop of organic planting soil. I don’t know who had the most fun. We even discussed the life cycle of beans- and while they were admittedly more familiar with beans that go into making ‘cholent’ for Shabbos, they were wide eyed at the stages where beans can be eaten off the ‘pole’ or bush. But, it was the idea of the ‘zipper’ that opens the pea pod that captured the most interest. I taught them ‘Five little peas in a pea-pod pressed” and they sang and popped up at just the right moment.
The next day I spoke with the teacher to follow up. She said they took my suggestion and bought fresh peas and shelled them for a snack. While they loved them, my grand daughter assured the children that fresh picked peas from your own garden will be even better. The teacher told me that the class wrote me a thank you note- and that there was a big discussion as to whether to write, “Dear Green Bubbie” or to ‘The Green Bubbie” whatever…. When the letter arrived in today’s mail, I got all of the validation I could ever want from the seed of a germinating idea-I have no doubt that “the Green Bubbie(TM)” will be a welcome addition gardens and young children wherever they grow.
So, become a Follower or contact me so I can add your name to the ‘green bubbies’ and join me in planting for the future, with our current crop of kids!

It was the afternoon of the evening of January 12th, 2011, also known as Erev Rosh Chodesh Shevat and I went to visit my grandchildren.
I have always loved the holiday of Tu B'Shevat- simply named, the 15th of the (Hebrew) month of Shevat. When I was a child I loved the 'treats' we were given in Hebrew School- especially the bokser that I couldn't even bite. I did love trying to make music with it. I was very skeptical of a land called Israel which produced this inedible, strange 'bokser' was it a seed? a fruit? Way before there was 'fruit leather' there was something called 'bokser' (carob)
This harsh and ugly fruit certainly had an effect on me. I can't explain why, but I loved the physical connection to a foreign Eretz Yisroel. Years later, I was struck by how the hard inedible 'tree candy' of my childhood had become a brown paper tree covered with super soft cotton balls, dipped into pink paint and pasted together in classrooms across North America! The meaning and magic of Tu B'Shevat had escaped generations!
Now the TuB'Shevat Seder has begun to rival the Passover Seder- becoming the quintessential holiday of the environmental movement. Creativity, Kabalah, and agricultural enthusiasts of all ages have joined forces to connect so many different people, on so many different levels to this one day on the Jewish Calendar, Tu B'Shevat- the 15th day of the month of Shevat, arriving this Thursday, January 20.

But let me return to the almond, the moon and the cupcake tree. Think of them as three essential ingredients for the development of the 'spiritual imagination' – just add a Y (why?) and you have the beginning of a new (or re-newed) 'holistic' Tu B'Shevat! It's physical- you can taste it, you can feel it, see it. It's intellectual- you can contemplate the changes in the moon, you can see by the light of the full moon and learn the ins and outs of every fruit and kind of tree. And, it's good for the soul- the Rabbis say that, "Whoever blesses the new moon, brings the Shechina (the Divine Presence) into their lives."

Let's take it slow.
the almond + "Y" ? it's a nut! it's a flavor! it's a tree! it's a blossom! It is way more than a pink painted ball of cotton! When I was a Jerusalem Fellow, we lived in Israel for over a year. I came with my paints. I was on a mission to see and understand the mystery of the "Shekadia" the almond tree- the musical star of the TuB'Shevat.

We lived in the neighborhood of Har Nof (mountain view) which borders on the Jerusalem forest. I walked the forest frequently and traveled the roads of Israel for months from August (Av) until February- Shevat. It seemed like a miracle- as most physical changes in Israel do.
Overnight there were 'puffs' of pinkness- appearing like dots over barren hills in the distance.
Sure enough, on the very day of the 15th of Shevat, on my walk in the Jerusalem forest, there it was up close: the Shekadiah itself! Up close and personal, the almond tree and me. I saw the blossoms, with delicate pink tinged white petals all along the twigs, where soon the almonds would begin to form. Dangling from a few of the branches were dark brown hard shells- the remnants of the almonds from the previous season. It looked like a dogwood tree. I used my watercolors to translate my "Shekadiah' onto paper. That was many years ago. The painting now hangs on the wall in the home of my oldest grandson. So, when I mentioned the word, "almond" he said, "We have a story about that on our wall." Paintings and stories… they
intertwine- both beg for interpretation, their imagery setting the foundations for shared imagination, for memory, and for great debates.

almonds+ moon+ Why? When we bake 'almond moon cookies" we can see them rise and change shape and 'grow' just like the moon itself! – And of course, why talk when we can eat?

A child is never too young to see and connect with the moon. Is there anyone in our universe who has not read, "Good Night Moon?" A true test of green 'bubbie-ness' is the urge to take everyone out to see the moon and try to touch it. It is never too cold to look for the moon. And the really great thing about the month of Shevat is how early in the evening the moon appears in the dark sky.

Hint: the 15th of the Hebrew months is always the Full Moon. So, if you want to
watch the moon "grow" or "change" you can begin on any night. And then go look at the moon the next night, and the next, and the night after that. Unless it is cloudy, you will always see changes. If you are a parent or a green bubbie and you live far apart from your 'grand children' you can compare your observations of the moon by phone or by skype.

We looked for the moon on Rosh Chodesh- we saw a very tiny slice of moon! We made 'almond moon cookies' – tiny crescent moon shapes just like the new moon. We talked. As we rolled and shaped the dough, we made round flat moons, sphere moons, half moons, and even cinnamon covered moons because the 5 yr old said that he had heard the moon is sometimes red!

When you think of the moon, you may think 'blue' 'harvest' or 'red' Whether your moon is full or new, start baking and sharing almond "moon" cookies for Tu B'Shevat. No matter how old or young the people in your life are, make, bake, or suggest 'almond moon cookies' to accompany a real "tea party" (you know, it is make-believe, with little chairs and imaginary tea)

And now for the 'cup cake tree.' Don't forget about the 'Y" as in, "Why a cup cake tree?" (I actually encountered several young adults who were stumped trying to figure out what a cup cake tree is!) A cup cake tree is something I just thought of, I made it up. It can be whatever you want it to me- but "Why?"

At a certain stage of life we begin to talk about how quickly the years go by. TuB'Shevat is known as the "New Year of the Trees" At each passing year those blossoms seem to appear more often, or sooner. With each new "blossoming" we see on deeper levels, and may begin to appreciate the inter connection of all of God's Creation.

For young children, it's birthdays that have meaning, and birthdays mean cupcakes! So, if the trees are having a birthday, let's make some 'cup cakes' for the party.
I am not going to tell you what my 'cup cake tree' will look like- just try to imagine, as I try to imagine yours! Ask the people in your life how they might make a cup cake tree- it's a great way get to TuB'Shevat- and let us see those creations!

So as the years go by, stop and appreciate the 'renewal' that comes with each new blossom. Give the kids in your life " big bite" of Tradition. Savor the taste of the almonds. Get to know the trees in your life. Let their renewal, renew you.

And give the little ones the ingredients to develop their own 'religious imagination.'
Maybe someday they will ponder that "God made the trees, and God made me"
But don't tell them.
Even if it takes a lifetime to understand God's constant and continual presence, we get a hint with each new year, and with every day, and with every night, in between.