Food

New market offers variety of global, kosher specialty foods just in time for Pesach

On April 1, Inbal Shtivi posted this photo of kosher for Passover items she purchased at the Al Basha grocery store on the Kosher in Tucson Facebook group page. Shtivi is the director of Tucson’s Weintraub Israel Center. (Inbal Shtivi)

Al Basha’s Grant Road grocery store is like a mom and pop corner shop. The neatly stacked shelves are brimming with a variety of global goodies, in these days when finding well-stocked market shelves is a challenge. And, there’s no price gouging here — the prices are extremely reasonable.… Read more »

Meet the challah-tinkering yeast scientist who’s helping pandemic bread bakers get a good rise

Sudeep Agarwala is a yeast scientist and challah enthusiast whose guidance for home bakers has taken off online. (Courtesy of Agarwala)

(JTA) — Few people have any great solutions for this difficult moment in human history, but Sudeep Agarwala is one of them. As a yeast scientist, Agarwala spends much of his time thinking about the single-celled fungi that allow bread to rise. So when he learned that home bakers… Read more »

Jewish farms are booming. Now the farmers want to grow their community.

Sarah Julia Seldin, left, and Shani Mink are founders of the Jewish Farmers Network. (Ben Harris)

REISTERSTOWN, Md. (JTA) — When Sarah Julia Seldin arrived at the main national gathering of Jewish foodies in 2016, she was disappointed to find no programming aimed specifically at people like her. There were sessions on kosher cooking, Jewish food ethics and the realities of kosher animal slaughter. But… Read more »

Pick from a plethora of fun-filled community Purim festivities

Kenny Mirman and Marlene Burns celebrate Purim at Chabad Oro Valley. (Photo courtesy Chabad Oro Valley)

A full array of Southern Arizona Purim parties will ensure that this most fun holiday of the Jewish calendar is action-packed. Take your pick from a string of family-friendly events, submitted by area synagogues and agencies. Friday, March 6 6 p.m.: Purim Shabbat Early Shabbat tot and child-friendly service;… Read more »

Bet Shalom’s midbar (desert) farm project goes to the chickens

Volunteers pitch in with chores at Congregation Bet Shalom’s Tu B’Shevat Farm Festival Feb. 9. (Courtesy Cong. Bet Shalom)

Congregation Bet Shalom’s first Tu B’shevat Farm Festival brought about 80 community members of all ages together, including congregants, University of Arizona Hillel Foundation students, youngsters, and young adults connected to local farms and outdoor education programs. “The Midbar Project is a way for our people to connect with… Read more »

UArizona researchers join team studying viability of vertical farming

Leafy greens being grown under red and blue light wavelengths, which supports efficient chlorophyll absorption. (Photo courtesy University of Arizona)

A rapidly growing global population, ecosystem degradation, changing climate conditions, and water and land scarcity all contribute to the need for integrated and innovative food production technologies. Researchers at the University of Arizona are testing a vertical farming approach. Fueled in part by a $2.7 million grant from the… Read more »

The Jewish history of America’s most famous ice cream

(Getty Images)

This story originally appeared on The Nosher. Chunky Monkey. Rum Tres Leches. Banana Nut Fudge. Who gave the world the gift of these delectable ice cream flavor inventions? While Italian immigrants are traditionally given credit for opening the first ice cream parlors in the United States in the early… Read more »

Chickpeas are set for world domination in 2020

(Getty Images)

This article originally appeared on The Nosher. The 2010s saw chickpeas rise to fame in the manner that God always intended. The king of chickpea dishes, hummus, turned from a hippy health food to a fridge staple. This was great in terms of accessibility, but not so great for… Read more »

Got a question about latkes? There’s a hotline for that.

(JTA) — Are you stressing out about burning your latkes? Now there’s a quick way to assuage your fears. On Tuesday, The Nosher Jewish food site launched a hotline where readers can get all their latkes-related questions answered by Jewish food expert Shannon Sarna. Readers use their cellphone number… Read more »

Lemon ricotta fritters: Easier and just as delicious as jelly doughnuts

I know that sufganiyot — jelly doughnuts — are traditional and beloved for Hanukkah. But I feel confident that once you try these easy and incredibly delicious ricotta fritters, you will be converted to these sweet fried treats. And if I’m making a confession, I have actually never loved… Read more »

Annual Project Isaiah food drive to help the hungry

A food drive collection box is available in the lobby of the Harvey and Deanna Evenchik Center for Jewish Philanthropy, home of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, at 3718 E. River Road. (Phyllis Braun/AJP)

Project Isaiah, the Jewish community’s annual High Holidays food drive benefiting the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, begins Sept. 15 and runs through Oct. 15. When asked why we fast on Yom Kippur, the prophet Isaiah responded, “Is it not to share your bread with the hungry?” (Isaiah… Read more »

Five hacks for the best Rosh Hashanah celebrations with family, friends

Traditional apples and honey dish on Rosh Hashanah table; apples and honey are traditionally eaten on the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah to symbolize wishes and prayers for sweetness in the new Jewish year, San Ramon, California, September 9, 2018. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

I can’t help but wonder why Hallmark and the retail world at large haven’t co-opted the Jewish New Year. True, while there may “only” be some 5 million to 7 million Jews in the U.S. (depending on who’s counting), Rosh Hashanah is a particularly important holiday on the Jewish… Read more »

Classes offer free ‘Taste of Judaism’

The Union for Reform Judaism’s Taste of Judaism classes, taught by Temple Emanu-El’s Rabbi Batsheva Appel, will be offered at the Tucson Jewish Community Center on Sundays, Sept. 8, 15, and 22 from 2:30-4:30 p.m., and at Temple Emanu-El on Thursdays, Sept. 12, 19, and 26, from 6-8 p.m.… Read more »

Here are 6 favorite Jewish foods you should stop eating

A bagel with lox and cream cheese is supremely unhealthy. The bagel alone has the nutritional equivalent of five slices of white bread. (Fudio/Getty Images)

With summer barbecue season finally here, Americans everywhere will be firing up their grills and feasting on their favorite foods. But many of our culinary indulgences come with a cost. We’re not just talking about foods that are overly salty, fatty and sugary. There are foods that actually raise… Read more »

Tucson natives, plus Italian chef, make Frost gelato a hit

Frost co-founder Jeff Kaiserman, left, enjoys a sorbettini (dairy free milkshake made with sorbet and sparkling water); Chef Nazario Melchionda, center, indulges in marble black cherry gelato, and Stephen Ochoa has a cone with stracciatella and creama di biscotti gelato, May 29. Photo courtesy frost A Gelato Shoppe)

It was a sunny afternoon this May with temps in the ’90s, a preview of this month’s triple digit coming attractions. After lunch at a local café, I craved a dessert that was at once scrumptious and refreshing and wouldn’t break the calorie bank. Light bulb moment! I hurried… Read more »