The beauty of challah baking is that it has so much symbolism, so much meaning and significance, yet is also so simple – hands on, physical, made from just a few ingredients.
Challah: Simple and Significant
About the Author
Tanya Tolchin grows vegetables and flowers on her family farm in Maryland just 20 miles from Washington, DC. She is a manager of Israeli Harvest, which supports Israeli farmers by selling their organic olive oil and dates in the US. She writes about farming, parenting and Jewish life on her blog and elsewhere.
Potatoes and Putting Stakes in the Ground
For Tanya and her family, planting potatoes on their new farm in Vermont is symbolic of the risk they took to become farmers in the first place.
New Potato Salad
New potatoes—those dug just a few days before cooking—are a whole different story than the usual varieties you find at the supermarket. They are full of moisture and will cook up very fast. Poke often while boiling, as they will soften faster than you expect.
Tomatoes to Stay Grounded
With everything so new following a big move from Maryland to Vermont, Tanya and her family are adjusting. But there’s one thing that hasn’t changed: the tomatoes that peek out in August.
Spiralized Cucumber and Cherry Tomato Salad
This recipe starts at your local farmers market. Arrive early for the best selection and buy every color tomato available and a few cucumbers. Of course, this salad can be chopped, but the spiralizer is lots of fun if you have one and works great with cucumbers.
Slowing Down for Summer
The last few weeks of school feel like a race to the finish line—and with so many emotions! Tanya is looking forward to resting—and making popsicles—with her children.
Strawberry Lemon Balm Popsicles
Popsicles are almost synonymous with summer. I recently treated my kids (read: myself) to a new set of colorful silicone popsicle molds. They create the push-up-style popsicle, and I like that they are not made of plastic. Popsicles are super easy to personalize with endless variations. We have made a few batches using our own…
Digging Deeper for Meaning
On Lag b’Omer it’s customary to make a big bonfire and grill meat and potatoes. Although they won’t be ready for Lag b’Omer, Tanya and her family recently planted spuds on their farm.
Roasted Potato Salad with Asparagus, Herbs and Feta
Here is one way we enjoy potatoes on the farm—a roasted potato salad tossed with feta and herbs. Our potatoes will not be ready quite yet for Lag b’Omer this year, but we will be able to pull some green onions and cut some herbs for this recipe. Although it is not prepared on an…
Under Hoophouses, A Patch of Spring
Just when it seemed that winter would never come, winter storm Jonas hit. On the farm, Tanya and her family played outside, enjoyed the quiet and then found a bit of green in the hoophouse.
