17.01.2009 – Hunting Meat in Hula Valley

A late afternoon visit to the Nature Reserve of the Hula Valley to meet the cranes and the flocks of other wild birds gathering for their evening feed and slumber. A meeting with the local hunters of the area and on to Kibbutz Ayelet HaShachar to enjoy a meal of their B.B.Q'ed meats.

21.03.2009 - Biodynamic Agriculture in the region

The subject of the meeting was Biodynamic Agriculture and a visit to the local herb gardens of the Dor Family where there is no use of any toxic substances and afterwards the group listened to a lecture by Dr. Shaltiel-Harpaz one of the initiators of methods of farming friendly to man and the surroundings in this area.

Back to Pausa Inn where a tasting of varied salads and herbal dishes brought by each participant was savored.

06.05.2009 – Mushrooms Farming

The group traveled to the Western Galilee to learn about the growth of mushrooms. Some 60% of mushrooms produced in Israel are to be found in this area. The group visited manufacturing plants where the compost necessary for the production of edible mushrooms for the market is produced. Two main types of mushroom are produced in Israel the Portobello and the regular culinary mushroom which is locally referred to as "champignon". Both only for home consumption. However there is presently extensive investment to increase both the production and quality of the mushroom;

An out of doors picnic was crowned by a delicious mushroom quiche produced by Avigdor Rothem.

06.06.2009 – Fish Farming in Dan River

This meeting was a visit to the fisheries of Kibbutz Dan where one of the notable achievements is the breeding of sturgeons for caviar. The project was started in the mid-nineties when the large immigration of Russian proved that not only was there local demand for this product but that overseas markets were open due to the fall in production in areas such as the Caspian Sea . It was decided that the variety would be the most suited type to produce in the ponds of Dan Fish Farms. Permission was given to import a small number of mainly female sturgeons from Russia and experimentation began. The focus of the project was to learn how to breed and grow the fish artificially in ponds where water had to be kept fresh and below a maximum temperature of 23 degrees Celsius. After that it was a must to find a way to speed up the fertility stage and reach profitability for the Galilee Caviar farm. The female produces the eggs required for the production of caviar and the time required for her maturity was successfully reduced by them from 15 to 7 years. The initial fish farm, developed back in the 1940ies, breeds trout and present day methods were also shown and described to the group.

"Fished" out the group retired to the nearby avocado plantation to savor the dishes brought along by the participants and sample some of the local wine.

08.09.2009 – The Tomato season

Slow Food members met in the garden of the Reshef Family to celebrate the main harvest of the tomato season.

Information was given with regard to tomatoes by Slow Food Members Einat Lev-Ari, dietician, and Igal Chen, agronomist. We learnt that the best nutritional value of the tomato can be obtained from the cooked product. Freshly cooked tomatoes can help to protect against heart conditions, cancer – both of body and skin and even neurological problems such as Alzheimer.

From Igal we heard that Israel now exports tomato seedlings world-wide. Today there is also intensive research regarding the production of tomatoes to provide bio-diesel "green petrol. More interesting information was provided by Schmil Platkovitz with regard to tomato production for side-products such as paste, concise, dried tomatoes and food colorants. The tomato contains a high percentage of leucopenia and presently research continues as to the advantages of this substance in beauty products.

A feast of foods made from the tomato was prepared at home by the members and they each introduced their dish savory and sweet. The delicacies were high-lighted by a tasting of wines from the Stern Wineries of Kibbutz Gadot.

12.09.2009 – The Apple season

Apples brought the group up to the Golan Heights where Druze farmer Magid Tsafadi welcomed us to his orchard in Migdal Chams. Tsafdi produces both cherries and apples and the views from his verdant orchards are stunning. (See online – www.slowfood,org.il/Album.asp ) . Apple orchard lands in the Golan until 1967 were some 500 dunams however today over 18,000 dunams are in production. Altogether Israel produces between 110 – 125 tons of apples per annum for a year-round market. 95% of production is now in the North of the country and a number of new breeds have been produced that prolong the period required for ripening and thus shorten the need for cold storage for long periods.

Much experimentation is carried out in watering systems and it has also been proven that better results in production and quality can be obtained by shading and protecting the trees with cover.

We were also told about the opening of the border with Syria to permit the export of apples produced by the Druze farmers to Syria with the assistance of the Red Cross. Some 20 lorry loads per day were delivered to the crossing. This is the fourth year of operation and some 8,000 tons were already delivered, fresh and ready for the Syrian markets.

Time for food and the consumption of dishes from apples – both savory and sweet, accompanied by wine – a Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 from Mishal Wineries of Shear Yishuv, made with grapes from the 750 meters altitude of the Miron Hills.

12.12.2009 - Terra Madre Day

World-wide Terra Madre Day which was celebrated at the Pausa Inn hosted by Avigdor and Einat. Rafram Hadad and Tsali Reshef spoke not only about Slow Food, Israel , but also told of the background and the world-wide work carried out by the organization and its respect for all aspects of the production of food. Skype connected us with Michele, Slow Food Mediterranean contact in Italy . It was recalled with regret that modern life had caused the loss of as much as 80% of the world's natural growth of plant and animal for human consumption over the last century. Slow Food tries to reconstitute respect for both the land and ways of food production besides how and what we eat. In 1999 Slow Food brought the attention to small, independent farmers and encouraged them to continue to farm in the natural way and gave them support wherever possible.

This year the aim has been – through Slow Food organizations across the world – to "Eat Locally". This means eating natural and healthy food grown, marketed and prepared with respect.

So those gathered to respect the day introduced the foods they had prepared and brought to the meeting – dishes that came from their multi-national family backgrounds. The food was varied, interesting and of course delicious!