In the JNF kitchen: Simple farm-to-table quiche

Quiche a la Maayan Eilat Palti-Negev. 

This #RecipeOfTheWeek comes from Earth's Promise, a Jewish National Fund partner that promotes urban agriculture to support sustainable growth in Israel's Negev desert.

Maayan Eilat Palti-Negev, a 28-year-old who got her masters degree in social leadership at Ben-Gurion University, spent her school years living in the Gimel neighborhood adjacent to Earth's Promise. She watched the farm develop and thrive and soon became a regular customer. 

Green dreams: Innovative urban farm in Negev wins environmental prize

An Earth's Promise member works with 
Ethiopian children at a Be'er Sheva urban farm. 

By June Glazer

In keeping with Jewish National Fund's Blueprint Negev initiative, which aims to revitalize Israel’s southern region, the country’s environmental ministry last week awarded its prestigious Environmental Prize of the Negev to Earth’s Promise. Earth’s Promise, a JNF partner, is an organization that promotes environmental sustainability and urban agriculture in Be'er Sheva and other Israeli cities. 

Be'er Sheva, once a sleepy, dusty desert town, today is a sprawling, bustling city that is often referred to as the "capital of the Negev." It is the seventh most populous city in Israel, and in recent years, has become home to a large influx of Ethiopian immigrants. It is for them that Earth’s Promise was started in 2007. 

"The idea behind it was to help make our city green, but to do it in a community fashion,” said Ethelea Katzenell, an Earth's Promise founding board member, who recounted how a committee was formed to work with the Kalisher Absorption Center, where many Ethiopians lived. "Since their background was mostly agrarian, we thought we could help them to literally sink new roots into their new country by starting a community garden with them," she said. 

Farm-to-table events serve up a new kind of delicious in the Negev

Photo: Earth's Promise

Attendees of a recent Earth's Promise farm-to-table event enjoy a fresh, locally sourced meal in Be'er Sheva.  

By Adam Ganson

It was a rainy evening in Be'er Sheva, an unusual and rare occurrence in Israel's south, and a steady downpour had fallen since the afternoon. Many people remain indoors during this type of weather, complaining of the cold and only interested in staying warm. Good thing, because a perfect indoor opportunity presented itself. Inside a finely decorated cafe, about 40 guests filed into the cozy interior as servers prepared for a unique evening, Earth's Promise "farm to table" event. 

"Farm to table" is a worldwide movement that's now making its way to Be'er Sheva. The purpose is to encourage people to make local and fresh food choices. Many restaurants have started sourcing their ingredients from nearby farms and charge a premium for a quality meal. 

Earth's Promise, a Jewish National Fund partner, promotes urban agriculture in the south of Israel in order to support sustainable growth in the Negev region. Earth's Promise recently teamed with local restaurants to promote the farm-to-table idea and provide interesting local food and urban-agriculture opportunities for residents in the south.