A Sweet New Year

Shanah tovah u'metuka - these words express wishes for a good and sweet new year. We actuate these sentiments by dipping apples in honey, eating rich raisin-dotted bread, and reflecting on a year gone past. While the round loaf of challah bread represents the continuity and cyclical nature of a year, the honey is a reference to a 'land flowing with milk and honey' - Israel. Many other Jewish holidays also embrace sweetness, prescribing more ritual consumption of honey, dairy, and fruits.

We often, however, overlook the fact that the honey alluded to in biblical texts is not the bee-derived syrup so commonly used today, but rather a sweet liquid made from the fruit of a date palm. The date palm is suggested as the oldest cultivated tree, potentially originating in presentday Iraq, and feeding the populace of the Middle East for upwards of 8,000 years. But an equally extended history with humans exists for honey produced by bees, as well. Pre-dating the advent of agriculture by a hair (it is a forageable food), honey was probably first stolen from the hives of wild bees a bit more than 10,000 years ago. Apiarists may have started cultivating colonies in ancient Egypt, or perhaps back even further as documented in cave paintings. It was fit for gods, used as currency, and replete with medicinal properties. 

This is a sticky topic for a vegan. Yet while the staunch abstainers point to the poor oppressed worker bees, the fruits of whose labour are then cruelly seized, I'd argue that conscientious honey consumption is a more environmentally responsible. Local and in moderation, a recipe for healthier pollinator populations and more resilient ecosystems. While not quite at the level of concern as the recently declared endangered bee species in Hawai'i, bees do face huge pressures from habitat loss, pollution, pesticides, and more, while also playing pivotal ecological roles. We can do far more by supporting local cultivators who try to build a better environment for people and apids, than by boycotting the industrial segment. Let's leave it at that!

And because a Jewish holiday blog post is incomplete without a sweet recipe, here's one for the road...

Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake

2/3 cup sunflower oil

1 cup hot black coffee

1/2 cup non-dairy milk (or orange juice)

1 1/2 cup raw cane sugar

1 tbs treacle or molasses

1/2 cup honey (if you swing that way), agave, or golden syrup

10 large dates, soaked for 3-4 hours or overnight in ~1/4 cup water, pureed (or double and replace honey entirely)

3 1/2 cups plain or light wholemeal flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

3 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp allspice

2 tsp apple cider vinegar (if no orange juice)

1/2 green apple, chopped (optional)

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

1. Mix oil, coffee, milk, and sugary substances together.

2. Sift in the dry ingredients and then combine just until everything is incorporated. Fold in sliced apple or walnuts, if desired.

3. Transfer to a large cake round or two loaf pans. Bake for 35-45 minutes at 180°C, until a knife comes out clean. Don't overbake! Allow to cool completely.

Inspiration: The Jewish Fruitcake - NPR The Salt

No Bees and Not Enough Thyme

What am I doing leading with a 'bees' headline? We just turned back the clock from British Summer Time last weekend, and the crisp chill in the air is a sign of the imminent winter. This talk of bees is six months late, no? No. In fact, this may be the most relevant time to discuss bees, because Autumn is when we feel the impacts of plenty or a paucity of spring-time pollinators. 

It's been rather hit-or-miss this year, depending on which farmers or gardeners I speak to. Some have told me that a windy spring deterred their essential pollinators, resulting in a very light fall fruit crop. Others have attributed a bumper crops to the combination of a rainy August when fruit mature and dry weather during harvest. This surplus is what has made the news. It means prices for farmers will go down, and puts us in the territory of how market demand and consumer preferences influence what farmers decide to grow.

But what about when the bees really don't fly? Two years ago, heavy rainfall in the UK during April and May not only has left some growers with blemished fruit, but many without any at all. According to a BBC article, bees should have pollinated during those spring months, but wet wings do not fly well. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that the unfavourable conditions for pollinators is only going to worsen. Temperature changes, shifts in seasonality, and more extremes, all coupled with other threats from pollution, chemical use, and habitat change, does not leave a rosy future.

If there is one lesson we can glean from all this, it is that farmers are resilient. They are used to weathering variations from year to year, trying to keep a long-term perspective. We have a lot to do in the face of climate change, and not much time ... but we do have some time for apple pie.*

Rose(mary)-Coloured Glasses Apple Pie
Crust:

1.5 cup strong white flour

1 tsp salt

2-3 tbs sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup iced water

1 tbs apple cider vinegar

1 tbs fresh rosemary**, chopped finely

Filling:

8 medium apples, chopped

1/4 cup golden sugar 

1 tbs lemon juice

Lots of Cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg and allspice

(optional) 1 tbs arrowroot powder or tapioca starch

Crumble:

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3-1/2 cup canola oil
2 tsp rosemary, finely chopped

1. For the crust, use a fork to mix flour, salt, sugar, rosemary, and oils until flour is well mixed with the oil. Add the vinegar to the water and then add the water to the dough one tablespoon at a time, just until it comes together without being too sticky. 
2. Roll out dough on a floured surface and then transfer to a pie dish.
3. Fill with the apple mixture (optional thickener) and then top with the crumble.
4. Bake in a 360F/180C oven for 30-45 minutes. Consider covering with foil, so that crust doesn't burn and apples cook more quickly.
5. Serve warm with a nice cup of spiced cider!

*While supplies last...
** theoretically you could use thyme, instead, and which works better with my title and post content.