Rubies from my back yard

Growing up, I always wished for a house with a garden. I was born and raised in a city and lived most of my life in apartments. So when finally we managed to buy a house with a backyard just a few years ago, it was for me a childhood dream come true.

It is a very small piece of land I admit but it's mine. (Well, almost. Half of it belongs to the Bank). One of the first things my husband and I planted was a pomegranate tree along with an olive tree and a vine. The area where we live is mentioned in many biblical stories so it is very rich in relics and reminders of Jewish history. We felt here a strong connection to past generations of Jewish settlers and wanted to keep the tradition of growing olives, vines and pomegranates.

The tree in my backyard

I love my pomegranates. I am so pleased the tree is thriving in my back yard and gives fruits we eat and use. I don't need to go to the supermarket for pomegranates anymore. In addition I find this fruit to be so beautiful. The red seeds look like gems, like giant rubies. I can understand why throughout history so much symbolism and tales evolved around the pomegranate.

 Organic pomegranate juice 

In Jewish tradition for example the pomegranate is used as a metaphor for wisdom and good deeds because it is full of juicy seeds. The book of Torah is decorated with silver pomegranates. In many ancient Jewish settlements pomegranates motives were used for decoration. Even the current Israeli coin for two Shekels uses the pomegranate motif from coins used during the Roman Empire. I feel a part of very old agriculture tradition. Pomegranates are common in other cultures as well; in Greek mythology for example it symbolizes life and fertility.

A two Shekel coin from my purse

Come autumn followed by Jewish New Year and the holidays, we find ourselves gathering produce almost every day, the tree is bursting with fruit. Since our tree is organic (no pesticides or herbicides) we use the fruits mainly for juice. According to recent scientific researches, pomegranate juice is really good for you. They're full of antioxidants, anti-cancerous agents; it lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels and can boost the immune system. It is also very tasty.

It is traditional to eat pomegranates  in Jewish New Year ceremonial dinner (you can read more about it in this post: http://www.sarahmelamed.com/2011/09/symbolic-foods-of-rosh-hashanah/). It symbolizes hope for a year full of good deeds like the fruits' seeds. 

So later tonight we're bringing with us a bag full of pomegranates to the feast and we'll celebrate the coming of a new and hopefully good year.

Shana Tova!

Pomegranate blossom in the spring

My travel log: The best breakfast in Newfoundland

Tablelands trail

 We woke up early that day, packed all our suitcases and many bags, managed somehow to cram everything into our already battered hired car and hit the road. We planned to have breakfast at the restaurant next to our room, but it was firmly shut and "opened at nine", as the note on the door said. It was Saturday morning. Although we were a bit hungry, we couldn't stay. Our mission of the day was to get our eldest girl to Lomond Camp Ground on the south part of Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland. There she joined my friend Sarah and her adventurous family for a day of hiking: sixteen km of the Green Garden trail. 

We thought that 16km were too much for our three years old to walk and too much for his dad to carry him on his shoulders. Therefore we needed to devise other plans for the day. After bidding farewell to our daughter our next mission had to be food. My younger daughter already expressed her apprehension and a dire need for some carbohydrates. We didn't find any restaurants or eateries driving around this remote part of the park dotted with little fishing villages, but we found a nice picnic spot. A little clearing in the forest, scattered with a few benches.

There in the middle of nowhere, my DH demonstrated once more what a capable cook he is and made us the best breakfast we had on our entire journey through Canada. Mushrooms were cut, cheese and eggs beaten, bread was toasted, Canadian bacon sizzled, using only the little propane camping burner purchased 2 weeks earlier at a local Walmart and a 10 dollar pan.  Who needs restaurants when you have such a cook at home? For dessert my chef of a husband took some bananas, sugar, and a bit of rum and voila: Banana Flambé in the middle of the forest. Even the squirrels came down of the trees to see what's cooking.  We were lucky with the unpredictable weather of Newfoundland and had a lovely day with only light drizzle and fog.  

The rest of the day was dedicated to exploring the nature and amazing scenery of the Tablelands Mountains, Trout River and the lovely picturesque town of Woody Point. I am no poet so I lack the words to describe those views; I let my camera speak for me.

Trout River

The lighthouse at Woody Point, Gros Morne National Park

Our Canada voyage in short: Landing in Montreal and spending a few days exploring the city, from there driving to the Mauricie National Park and further to Quebec City; a 1000km drive with only one stop on the way brought us to North Sydney where we took the ferry to Newfoundland. After 10 days we took the ferry back and stayed 2 days on Cape Breton, Nova-Scotia. Drove from there to Prince Edward Island, after 5 days on the island we got back to New-Brunswick's Fundy Bay area. All the way back to Montreal via Grand Falls, NB and Ile d'Orleans ,Quebec. We took the train to Toronto, and there we boarded the plane back home, to hot Israel. 

My travel log: The oldest city market in North America

Hello all, after five adventurous weeks travelling in East Canada, I'm back. I have so many photos and I've seen, heard, ate and done so much that I'm still overwhelmed. Not to mention the jetlag that made me feel like my head is full of maple syrup. At first I didn't know where to begin. I have so much to tell about so many things: gluten-free travelling, eating and travelling abroad with kids, Atlantic Canada cuisine, and so much more. The past week I sat in front of the computer staring at the photos we took and couldn't write a single word. So I decided I'll just start somewhere, and I chose to start with the day we spent at the city market of Saint John, New Brunswick. In the following weeks I'll add more posts to my Canada Travel Log from time to time.

Truth be told, I didn't consider a stop at the city of Saint John, we planned to hike around the Fundy Bay area and then drive back all the way to Quebec City. But after reading in my Canada guide book about St. John's city market, I changed my mind. Saint John is situated at the mouth of the St. John River on the Fundy Bay and it is the largest city in the Province of New Brunswick. Arriving the city from the Fundy Bay National Park region, we were greeted by a beautiful, warm sunny day which was quite refreshing after three days of fog and rain. We got to the market just before lunch time and it was already very crowded. The atmosphere was very lively and vibrant and although the market space is relatively small; it is packed with everything you can think of: from fresh produce to Chinese grocery, from ham sandwiches to lobsters, I found it quite charming. I bought cherry, scallions and a pair of silver earing made by a local artist. There is great emphasis on locally grown products.

The Saint John City Market is the oldest continuing farmer's market in Canada, with a charter dating from 1785 and it was completed in 1876. The current market building has a unique roof structure that resembles an inverted ship's keel. According to Wikipedia some of the businesses in the market have been operating continuously there for more than 100 years. The market was designated a National Historic Site of Canada 25 years ago.

Naturally sea food and fish are very prominent in the market, and among the lobsters, clams, fish and crab I found a curious plant sold as a delicacy. 

Dulse (seaweed)

Dulse is dry seaweed, a red alga actually named Palmaria palmate, and it is a good source of minerals and vitamins compared with other vegetables since it contains all trace elements. Dulse is commonly used in Ireland, Iceland, Atlantic Canada and the Northeast United States both as food and medicine. It is also used in cooking because its properties are similar to those of a flavour-enhancer such as MSG. Fresh dulse can be eaten directly off the rocks before sun-drying. Sun-dried dulse is eaten as is or is ground to flakes or a powder. It can also be pan fried quickly into chips, baked in the oven or simply microwaved briefly. I've stumbled upon this site,http://www.theseaweedman.com/recipes/dulse if you're in the area and got some dulse. Unfortunately we didn't buy any, so I can't attest to the taste and quality of dulse. It doesn't look very inviting. Maybe next time.

We decided to join the crowd and have our lunch at the market. Simple yet very tasty fish and chips and a salmon sandwich ended our lovely time at the market. The kids satisfied their sweet tooth with maple toffee lollipops and we were back on the road. Driving  300km to Grand Falls, NB but that is another story that will be told some other time.

Our Canada voyage in short: Landing in Montreal and spending a few days exploring the city, from there driving to the Mauricie National Park and further to Quebec City; a 1000km drive with only one stop on the way brought us to North Sydney where we took the ferry to Newfoundland. After 10 days we took the ferry back and stayed 2 days on Cape Breton, Nova-Scotia. Drove from there to Prince Edward Island, after 5 days on the island we got back to New-Brunswick's Fundy Bay area. All the way back to Montreal via Grand Falls, NB and Ile d'Orleans ,Quebec. We took the train to Toronto, and there we boarded the plane back home, to hot Israel.