By Anastasia Pixler, Federation Social Media Coordinator
Tu B’Shevat, the 15th day of the month of Shevat on the Hebrew calendar, is known as the New Year for Trees. It begins on the evening of January 16th and continues the following day. In contemporary Israel, the day is celebrated as an ecological awareness day and is also commonly called Israeli Arbor Day. Another observance is the Tu B’Shevat seder, a meal that honors the seven agricultural species of Israel: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranate, olives, and dates.
I took on the challenge of using some of these ingredients to create a Tu B’Shevat inspired meal of Maple Pomegranate Roasted Chicken with a Barley Arugula Salad. The chicken has wheat, grapes, pomegranate, and olives. The salad has barley, figs, dates, and olives. I’ve also added goat cheese and date honey to honor Israel as “the land of milk and honey.” Enjoy the recipes!
