Fruit & Fruit Products

Question: Why aren't Jews allowed to interbreed plants? Why aren't we allowed to grow fruits like clementines or tangerines? Answer: First of all, it's important to realize that we can't understand the full reason for any commandment. There are different ...

The correct blessing on cantaloupe is Ha'adamah—the blessing recited on "vegetables," or "produce from the ground." When determining the proper blessing to say on produce (other than the five grains – wheat, barley, spelt, oat and rye – or wine), our sole...

Your innocent question is actually quite complicated. I’ll try to make this as concise as possible—so bear with me! First the biblical source (Leviticus 19:23–25): When you come to the Land and you plant any food tree, you shall surely block its fruit [fr...

Apples are kosher. If grown in Israel or from a young tree, more considerations come into play.

Nuts are essentially kosher, but there are more particulars.

Question: I just got an e‑mail about celebrating the New Year for Trees in January. I don’t know about where you live, but where I live, it’s freezing, with plenty of snow covering the trees. If you want to celebrate the trees, do it in spring. Why now, r...

Why is it necessary for us to know the date of the “New Year for Trees”? The dispute: When is the New Year for Trees? And what lessons can we learn from the tree?

On Rosh Hashanah it is customary to eat foods with symbolic importance. According to some, these foods serve as cues to help us focus on the agenda of the day: prayer, repentance and resolution to do good. According to others, the physical act of eating t...

Why not mangoes dipped in maple syrup, for example?

What Is Carob? You might have seen or heard of carob powder or carob chips (like chocolate chips, but not). It’s often used as an alternative to cocoa because it has a similar warm, nutty flavor, although carob is naturally sweet, unlike cocoa. Carobs are...