Souk El Tayeb in Beirut has always been more than a farmers’ market. It is a small miracle in the heart of Lebanon—a community place where farmers, cooks, refugees, artisans, and city dwellers gather around the simple idea that food can heal a country.

Founded in Beirut during a time of deep political strains, Souk El Tayeb became a meeting place where sect, class, and region dissolve into the shared pleasure of tasting ripe tomatoes, kneaded manousheh, or warm kebbeh made by someone whose village you may have only heard about.

What makes Souk El Tayeb remarkable is not only its insistence on local, seasonal produce, but its belief that dignity and sustainability must go hand in hand. Farmers are paid fairly. Villages are uplifted. Traditional recipes are kept alive not as nostalgia but as knowledge systems: real food is carbon-light, waste-free, and is adapted to the land.

In a region where instability and terror threatens the smallest things, Souk El Tayeb remains defiantly hopeful, stitching Lebanon back together one shared meal at a time.(Related: The Pope was just visiting Lebanon uplifting the spirits even more).

And now Lebanon prepared for Eid el-Barbara, a celebration as rooted in the soil as in faith, it’s like a kind of Halloween, but gentler. As Souk El Tayeb writers described it: “It tells the story of Barbara (Saint Barbara), a pious Christian in Roman times, whose father, the pagan ruler of Baalbek, wanted to kill her for her forbidden Christian beliefs. It’s celebrated December 5 in the Middle East, and December 17 in Europe.

“To escape him, she disguised herself (hello costumes!) and ran through bare fields that miraculously grew into tall wheat to hide her as she fled.”

To remember the miracle of the wheat, families cook amhiyeh and atayef, and children plant soaked wheat, beans, or lentils on beds of cotton.

By Christmas, the sprouts become a soft green carpet for the nativity scene, the مغارة الميلاد.

This ritual also exists in Provence, where wheat is planted on Sainte-Barbe’s Day. Lebanon, France, and a shared tradition of sprouting hope in the darkest month of the year.

Another tradition is eating qatayef, a stuffed cookie, which is also eaten at Ramadan.

Eid il-Burbara or Saint Barbara’s Day, and also called the Feast of Saint Barbara, is a holiday annually celebrated on 17 December or 4 December amongst Middle Eastern Christians in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Turkey. It is also celebrated as Barbaroba amongst Christians in Georgia.

The post Slow food market Souk el Tayeb in Lebanon celebrates food and Eid El Barbara appeared first on Green Prophet.

It’s 2020 and the world is slowly becoming more environmentally conscious. For most of us, it’s about creating better habits in our day-to-day lives with positive, sustainable changes.

The thing is, when was the last time you considered this when it came to choosing the place for your next date? I know I haven’t and chances are, it’s the same way for most of us.

In this article, I’m about to give you 7 fun date ideas that are also a positive for the environment. After all, the more areas of our lives where we can make this a priority, the smaller our footprints can be.

Heck, if Las Vegas can work on going green, I don’t see why it’d be a struggle for the rest of us!

Go on a picnic

Not just any old picnic but a zero-waste picnic, at that. If you’ve never tried this before, the challenge in itself can be part of the fun.

While being truly zero-waste might not be practical, the closer you can get the better. Rather than disposable plastic cutlery and cling wrap, find better solutions. Reusable containers, regular cutlery and beeswax wraps all make a big difference.

You could even take it a step further and make your own beeswax wraps too! If you’re a little intimidated by sitting face-to-face for a couple of hours you can always look up a great list of flirty questions to ask that will keep the conversation going.

Cook at home together

You can either integrate this into your picnic plans or do it as a standalone activity, but either way it’s a great option. It’s fun to get creative with the food you’re taking and it also helps to keep the costs down.

On a recent date, I invited her over to make vegetarian sushi together. We experimented with different ingredients, packed it all up and went for a walk to a local lookout to enjoy it.

I find it far more interesting than just ordering food at a restaurant and it’s nice to work together as a team, too.

With around ⅓ of the world’s food going to waste each year, even the act of cooking can help reduce our total waste!

Go for a bike ride

Bikes are one of my favorite eco-friendly ways to get around downtown and explore new things. Get out in the sunshine, exercise and enjoy the sights and sounds around you.

This makes it a fun date idea too. You can explore so much of the city together and stop at anything that takes your fancy.

Visit the local farmers market

Farmers markets are a great way to support local and buy plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. They’re about so much more than local produce though, often packed with local artwork and performances too.

This makes for a fun date with so much to see and do. No matter what you’re both into, you’re bound to find something of interest.

Since farmers markets tend to have a strong focus on sustainability, you can also do it with a clear conscience. You might even come across some helpful products or ideas you hadn’t thought about before.

Walk to your favorite vegan or vegetarian restaurant

Whatever your stance on the topic, reducing meat consumption does have a positive impact on the environment.

You don’t have to “be a vegetarian” to eat at one of these restaurants and they’re a very simple substitution to make. Believe it or not, both of these diets are about more than just eating salads.

Walking to and from the restaurant is a great opportunity to work off some of your meal and chat too. I find it to be a relaxing end to a date and the perfect time to escalate if things are going well. Far better than driving two cars there and finding parking spots.

Explore new parts of your city together on foot

Just like cycling around downtown, doing it on foot can be a great option as well. Unlike in a car where you’re so insulated from your surroundings, you have the opportunity to slow down and take it all in.

Enjoy the sights and sounds around you, appreciate each other’s company and make it up as you go. In fact, my favorite way to do this is to start with a single plan and let the day unfold on its own.

Since you’re both making it up on the fly, the possibilities are endless and nobody feels pressured for time. Depending on the weather and fitness levels, you can really cover some ground this way.

I did this last year and a casual Saturday stroll turned into lunch, healthy snacks, dinner and over 20 km of walking! Things were going so well, we were enjoying our time in the sun and neither of us were in a hurry to leave. Personally, I’d consider that a successful (and eco-friendly) date.

Pick an outdoor sport you can both enjoy

If physical activity is something you’re both down for, outdoor sports are ideal. You’re getting some fresh air and exercise and don’t have a need for gas or electricity.

For some added fun you can both find something you haven’t done before and figure it out together. There’s something very disarming and humbling about being bad at a new activity which I find to be helpful to dating.

So long as you keep a positive attitude and remember that it doesn’t actually matter if you’re any good, things go well. The idea here isn’t to show off your skills at a sport, it’s about spending time with your date and doing something unique.

You just never know, today might be the day you find your new favorite activity and you get to do it with someone else.

–

There’s seven simple, fun date ideas to get you started. Once you start to build these eco-friendly habits into your dating life as well, it’ll slowly become second nature.

We all have a responsibility to do our part and it’s really not that hard to do it in this context either.

The post 7 Great Eco-Friendly Dates appeared first on Green Prophet.

According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz organic food only comprises one and half percent of Israel’s agricultural output. A whopping 90% of it is exported abroad, mainly to European markets.

An annual Agriculture Ministry survey in 2011 discovered that 37.4% of the organic produce sold in Israeli stores was mislabeled. The produce may have contained pesticides or in other ways fallen short of the ministry’s organic regulations. This may be part of the problem.

Organic chain supermarkets the paper points out struggle to compete with private farmers and open markets. Shuks [or markets] such as Machane Yehuda in Jerusalem, are cultural symbols and centers in Israel, each brimming with its own traditions.

It’s impossible for a store to replicate the diversity, communal chaos, smells and hustle, the haggling and booming voices of the shuk. Even beyond traditional shuks, through budding programs like Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Israeli farmers can now take their produce directly to consumers without the hassle of a middleman, which generally provides superior freshness for the customer and higher profits for the farmer.

Despite these difficulties five major Israeli chains specializing in organic food emerged over the past two decades.

The oldest, Nitzat Haduvdevan (The Cherry Bud in English), opened its first branch in 1986. They now have 17 stores throughout Israel. Next came Teva Castel, established in 1999, which now operates five outlets in and around Tel Aviv. These were later joined by Eden Teva Market, with 20 locations including nine branches within mega supermarkets.

There are also the eight venues of Organic Market, which was bought up by Super-Sol in 2011. The fifth and final company is a sub-organization within Super-Sol called “Green.” It is essentially its own section within 15 regular Super-Sol supermarkets.

Prices for organic produce from a store are drastically more expensive than their conventionally grown counterparts or organic produce purchased at a market. As with many industrialized food distributors, the larger companies typically offer the lowest prices. Of the five Israeli chains Super-Sol’s ‘Green’ generally offers the cheapest organic produce. Organic cucumbers that cost merely NIS 6 per kilo at ‘Green’ cost NIS 13 per kilo in Organic Market – a 116% difference.

While offering organic produce in stores and major outlets are a step towards public awareness and general accessibility, CSAs and open markets provide the most sustainable outlet for Israel’s organic market to continue expanding.

In a culture where the shopper’s battle cry is “Ani lo friar!” (I am not a sucker!”), hunting for the best and cheapest from a diverse spectrum of sellers is half the fun.

::Haaretz

Images by Wikimedia Commons and Leigh Cuen

The post Corporate Organic Food Struggles to Compete in Israeli Markets appeared first on Green Prophet.

As the political conflict rages on, drought-hit farmers in Syria struggle on and the aid trickling in to help is severely inadequate

In March 2011, the political situation in Syria began to unravel. Syrians took to the streets in places like Homs and Hama in an uprising against president Bashar al-Assad, who responded with mortar and grenade attacks. The intensity of the conflict only increased in subsequent months and now the political situation appears at breaking point. For example, farmers and herders in Syria are being forced to deal with political instability, recurrent drought and also the lack of funds donated to humanitarian programmes in the country.

“We are willing and able to reach many of the farming communities affected by the drought and the crisis, provided resources are made available by the donor community,” explained Abdulla Tahir Bin Yehia, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) representative in Syria. “[But] no single donor has given us a single penny this year. Funding from the donor community is absent,” Bin Yehia said to IRIN.

Due to the political crisis, around 18,000 migrant farming families who had fled to urban centres back in 2006 and 2010 due to droughts have been forced to move back home. This has left them with no source of income and in need of humanitarian assistance to restart their agricultural and herding activities.

So despite better rainfall in 2011, many of those who returned to their farmland did not plant because they had no seeds. They are now also struggling to afford petrol for their water pumps and the limited amount of exports leaving the country. Herders on the northeastern drought-hit areas are also constrained in their movement due to the political conflict and animal fodder prices have increased due to petrol price rises.

The UN FAO states that it has supported 7,000 small herders in Hassakah, Deir-ez-Zor and Homs governorates with animal feed; 2,000 farmers in Deir-ez-Zor with seeds; and 500 women-headed families with income-generating activities in Hassakah and Idlib governorates. But as Bin Yehia points out, “this is a small number out of 65,000 households who need humanitarian assistance.”

According to IRIN, a total of nearly 300,000 households have needed “life-sustaining assistance” in the last three years. Yet due to lack of funding, less than 20 percent of them have received it.

: IRIN News.

:: Image via Bombardier/flickr.

For more on Syria see:

Millions Go Hungry in Syria, Libya and Yemen

500,000 Syrians Flee Drought-Stricken Zone

Syria’s Dustbowl Attributed to Wasted Water

The post Syrian Farmers Increasingly Vulnerable appeared first on Green Prophet.

What good is a farmer’s market if it only appeals to a small group of people?  Beirut’s Souk el Tayeb reaches out to the community.

Whereas some farmer’s markets can set an elitist tone – appealing mostly to a yuppy or wealthy clientele instead of delighting in bringing good food and good values to the masses – this does not seem to be the case for Beirut’s first farmer’s market, Souk el Tayeb.  Started in 2004 by Lebanese celebrity chef Kamal Mouzawak, the market encourages organic farming practices but does not limit its offerings to strictly organic food.  As part of its approach to reach out to a greater number of people regarding healthy and eco-friendly eating practices, the market also focuses on small-scale local farmers and local community development initiatives.

The market’s mission, while of course fueled by environmentalism, is also defined by:

• Supporting small-scale farmers and producers
• Carrying out advocacy, research, and education about food traditions, food heritage, and an organic and healthy lifestyle
• Contributing to local community initiatives
• Creating a “platform” that brings together people of different regions, origins and beliefs around a shared goal

In accordance with these goals, the market is constantly organizing activities that attract people to the market and to the idea of conscious eating.  Today the market hosted a “Tayeb el Organic” event where people could learn more about organic certification, meet local organic producers, taste organic foods and send their kids to the organic storytelling hour (see the flyer on the left).

And the market holds many such events.  Appreciating local (and often organic) food is presented as a way to get back to one’s Lebanese roots, and eat the way people of previous generations ate (and ate well).

The Souk organizers recently opened TawLet, an open kitchen where different farmers or cooks prepare a typical food from his/her region each day.  On Mondays through Fridays TawLet hosts a producer’s/farmer’s buffet for lunch, on Saturdays there is a souk brunch, and once a month a special food guest is invited.  Cooking classes are offered there as well.

: Souk el Tayeb

Read more about green living in Beirut::
Beirut’s “A New Earth” Provides Lebanese Urbanites a Place to Shop for Eco-Products
BeBeirut Offers Eco-Friendly Tours in Lebanon’s Capital
Darreja Campaign Encourages Sustainable Transportation in Lebanon

The post Beirut’s Souk el Tayeb Farmer’s Market Celebrates Healthy Local Food Traditions appeared first on Green Prophet.

If you knew a giant flood was coming, what would you put in your ark?

Teva Ivri, a non-profit organization committed to Jewish environmental responsibility, understands that the Biblical Noah saved humanity and animal species from annihilation in a major climatic change with his ark.

And they want to give him a break this time around.  So they are hosting a Flood Festival – a Jewish environmental celebration – in Emek Refayim in Jerusalem this Friday (October 8th) to show others how they can do their own small part to help our species and our planet survive a potential future climate change.

The festival will include a variety of events, happening between 10am and 1:30pm, that are intended to help celebrate Jewish environmentalism.

The events will include:

A farmer’s market with an ecological orientation taking place in the yard of the Ginot Ha’Ir Community Council.

Learning together chai shop operated jointly by Teva Ivri and Ma’agalei Zedek.  Learning circles on the environment and society will be held throughout the festival for adults, with workshops for children as well.

The Flood Ahead parade where colorful and humoristic animals of the ark will take to the streets of Jerusalem and convince its residents  to take more environmental responsibility (and not leave all the hard work to Noah).

Sculpting of an environmental statue by artist Jonathan Segal, which will convey a message of species conservation.

Lectures will also be held throughout the festival at Cafe Ben Ami:

10:00: Rabbi Beni Lau – To Be a Sustainable Jew: Are We Sons of Noah or Sons of Abraham?

11:00: Dr. Michael Kagan – The Secret of the Jews: What We Have to Contribute to Saving the Planet for Future Generations

12:00: Community of Choice Panel – a panel featuring various members of communities on the subject of building communities, environment and society

13:00: Rabbi Michael Malkior – Looking from the Ark on Society Environment and the Treasures of Nature

For more information about the event please visit the Teva Ivri blog.

Read more about Judaism and the environment:
Aish HaTorah Starting an Eco-Fellowship Program about Jewish Responsible Living
Recycling Mikveh Water to Put God and Environment on Same Page
Eco-Activist Yeshiva Offers Summer Session That Brings Torah Down to Earth

Image via: Laughlin Elkind

The post “Teva Ivri” Hosts Flood Festival to Give Noah a Break appeared first on Green Prophet.

Tel Aviv is home to all types of trendsetters – including the green ones.

This past week the Miami Herald reported on what we’ve known for years: that Tel Aviv, while hot in general, is also one of the hottest green destinations of late.  Their article reported on Tel Aviv’s urban farming, vegan/organic/local food options, green drinks, farmer’s markets, eco-friendly forms of transportation, sustainable design, and more.  And so in light of the Miami Herald stepping up and noticing, we decided to put together our own mini-green guide to Tel Aviv.

Food

Whether your food cause of choice is vegan, organic, or local (or all three), Tel Aviv has options for you.  If you’re shopping for yourself, organic and local farmer’s markets can currently be found in two spots in Tel Aviv.  Orbanic (an urban/organic farmer’s market) takes place every Friday at Hatachana, the newly renovated Turkish train station between Neve Tsedek and Jaffa.  And if you’re in the northern part of the city?  Tel Aviv’s Port hosts another organic farmer’s market every Tuesday and Friday.

Vegan and/or vegetarian diets more your thing?  You can check out a Meatless Monday at Tel Aviv University, in the northern part of the city.  In the southern part of the city, at the corner of Yehuda Halevi and Herzl (or at their alternate branch on Ibn Gvirol) you can bite into a juicy vegan burger or shwarma at Buddha Burger, a completely vegan restaurant with an extensive menu.

Architecture

Tel Aviv is known for its Bauhaus architecture, which is kind of green in and of itself since one of its characteristics includes cross ventilation (reducing the need for energy-guzzling air conditioning).  But beyond that, Tel Aviv has been developing greener architecture.  The Azouri Brothers are currently building Tel Aviv’s first eco-high rise (which will be 20 stories tall, check out the image on the right).  There are many other green spaces in the White City, however, which are celebrated in Tel Aviv’s annual architectural weekend (usually takes place in May).

Transportation

Sure, walking is eco-friendly, but in a city as hot and humid as Tel Aviv you might want to get where you’re going a little faster.  Which is why cycling is a great option.  If you’d like more of a leisurely, sightseeing ride then EcoBike offers Bike & Beer tours (a 3 hour bike ride through many of Tel Aviv’s sites followed by a cold beer on the beach).  Or wanna pick up some extra cash while in Tel Aviv?  Become a Greenie Bicycle Courier for a day or so.

Fashion

The residents of Tel Aviv have, historically, always been fashion conscious but now they are becoming more eco-conscious as well.  Some local designers are integrating more sustainable materials into their lines, such as organic cotton.  Cotton boutique, on the northern part of Dizengoff, offers a completely organic cotton fashion line (check out one of their dresses above).  PopLove Designs, a team of two Tel Aviv-based designers, brings a different approach to sustainable fashion with their upcycled fabric clothing.  Zendegi, in Neve Tsedek, offers organic and fair trade clothes from a range of designers.

Adults aren’t the only ones who stand to benefit from Tel Aviv’s sustainable clothing trend, though.  Katanchic, in Dizengoff Center, offers organic clothes for oh-so-trendy green babies.

Shopping

If shopping for green clothes isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other green products.  There are plenty of sustainable designers working out of Tel Aviv, finding creative ways to reuse our junk.  One of these is Hasadna (or, the “workshop”), appropriately located in the Jaffa flea market, and among their products is a chandelier made out of plastic ice cream spoons (check out the photo on the left).

Other Tel Aviv-based upcycling design studios include Studio Mesila, Studio Ubico, and Junktion.

[image at top of post: Meir Jacob]

The post Miami Herald Considers Tel Aviv to be the Latest Green Destination appeared first on Green Prophet.

Visitors to Israel’s best fruit and vegetable markets already know the country’s two most famous landmarks: The Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, which winds down from trendy Sheinkin Street right down the Mediterranean the Sea.

And Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda market, which anthropologically speaking, is most interesting on Friday afternoons as religious Jews shop frantically before the Sabbath. There you can find fruits, nuts, meat, veggies, good hummus, fish, clothing, and sweets. Also look out for the crazy Kabala juice man.

On another level, there is a group of “market wardens” see the picture of my Canadian mom (below) checking out the ultra-Orthodox men, with fur hats, warning stall owners in Jerusalem to shut down before twilight, or else. She got a real kick out of that when she visited Israel.

As the saying goes, variety is the spice of life, and when it comes to food market shopping, Israel is very much spicy, and alive. Speaking of spices, all the country’s best chefs, and restaurant owners know that there is only one place to get the country’s best offerings of spices, nuts and specialty cheeses. The place is Shuk Levinsky in South Tel Aviv. Like the big fruit and veggie market –– the Carmel Market –– which also sells cheese, meat, fish, kitchen wares and clothing, the Levinsky Market is open 6 days a week, from Sunday early am until after sunset, closing before sunset on Friday late afternoon before the Sabbath rest.

Also in recent years, Israel has gone beyond its basic needs for olive oil, tomatoes, cucumbers and pita bread. It’s taken the cue from countries like Canada and France and a new class of markets have opened, being touted as farmer’s markets. Now these aren’t simple hoedowns you’d find in North Bay region villages, but specialty farms that have come to Tel Aviv to offer some of the finest hand-made cheeses, baked goods and organic veggies.

According to the Tel Aviv Farmer’s Market website, the market represents about 50 producers from all over Israel, who are selling their local, fresh, small scale and quality produce. Look for fruits, vegetables, herbs, cheese, bread and cakes, honey, olives and olive oil, halva and tehina, wine, beer and flowers. All sold without the middle man. Instead of going to top quality restaurants or flown out of the country as exports, the market brings these products to you the people.

Don’t expect to bring your goods home in plastic though, so carry a fabric bag or cart to wheel your purchases back home or to your hotel. Also – expect a little snobbery visitors to the Port Farmer’s market have pointed out. (See tasty but elitist).

Last on our list: Taking advantage of a renovated train station in the north of Tel Aviv, is the city’s latest farmer’s market called Orbanic. It’s probably the city’s hippest, accessible by foot from the city’s boardwalk, right beside the not-to-miss historic neighborhood of Tel Aviv Neve Zedek where I used to live. It’s a must see.

Situated in “Hatachana” (or, “the station”) Orbanic is Tel Aviv’s first and only all-organic farmer’s market. Run jointly by Hatachana and the Organization for Organic Agriculture in Israel, you can visit Orbanic every Friday from 8 am to 2 pm. From farmer’s organic fields to your mouth, expect high quality organic and natural delicacies, and ecological products.

The market, reports Green Prophet, also holds lectures about ecology and nutrition on a weekly basis, at 11 am and 1 pm. Additional perks include Tai Chi in the morning at 8 am. And for those who just want to relax while snacking on some organic goat’s cheese brie, check out the jazz and world music shows at 10.

To recap: 5 best markets in Israel:

1. Carmel Market in Tel Aviv (Links to Google map) – Open Sunday to Friday sundown
2. Machane Yehuda in Jerusalem (Links to Google map) – Open Sunday to Friday sundown
3.Shuk Levinsky in South Tel Aviv (Links to Google map) – Open Sunday to Friday sundown (links to Google map)
4. Tel Aviv Farmers Market at the Port (Links to Google map) – Open every Friday 8 am to 3 pm
5. Orbanic organic market, south Tel Aviv (Links to Google map – Menashiya) – Open from 8 am to 2 pm

A Quick Guide to Market Shopping in Israel:

If you are going for food, and not for the experience, best to go to the traditional markets on days other than Fridays. The farmer’s markets we recommended of course, are only open on Fridays. Generally though Fridays are the day of the week in Israel when last minute or lazy Sabbath shoppers head out for supplies. Check ahead first before you head out to see if the market is still on.

Bring a bottle of water to drink, a hat to wear and comfy shoes. Yes, many Israeli women zip around on their bikes with platform heels, but if you don’t want to tire easily, wear comfy shoes for walking.

Don’t be part of the plastic problem in Israel. Take canvas bags, and a shopping cart if you have one to lighten the load. Don’t worry about looking like a grandma. Everyone in Israel uses them.

Take small change. Prices in Israel are negotiable. Carry small change, in shekels, 5 shekel and 10 shekel coins. Chances are you’ll get a better deal than waving a 200-shekel bill at a stall owner, especially in the Carmel Market or Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda market.

If you go late in the day, especially on Fridays, ask for deals. Stall owners want to clear out their goods, and in Israel bargaining is open season all year long. Prices for organic food and boutique wines and cheeses aren’t cheap, so don’t expect to come home with a pile of stuff that you’ve paid less for in Canada. Prices might be the same, and for some goods, even more.

What’s Israel is good at? Olive oil. Olives. Nuts. Fruits that are in season. Watermelon, oranges. Bananas. Tomatoes. Fresh cheeses made from goat’s milk, not the hard varieties like cheddar.

That’s Israeli market shopping in a nutshell.

Now print this out and enjoy your travels!

(This post was first published on Canada’s Israel blog)

The post 5 Israeli Fresh Food Markets – Traditional, Farmer's and Organic appeared first on Green Prophet.

Amman’s Souq al Balad Farmer’s Market is the place to go for organic and local produce (and some other fun stuff, too).

The warm weather sweeping across the Middle East must be putting people in the mood to pay more attention to their produce and spend time shopping outdoors, because farmer’s markets are popping up everywhere.  Just last week, an all-organic farmer’s market opened up at the historic Turkish train station in Tel Aviv and it looks like there’s another farmer’s market – Souq al Balad – going strong in Amman.

Operating every Saturday since April, the Souq al Balad Farmer’s Market in Amman will continue to operate every Saturday through June.  It is held at the YWCA behind Le Royal Hotel at 3rd Circle, from 10am – 2pm.

The products sold at the market include organic and local produce, traditional pastries, baked goods, potted plants and flowers, hand-made soaps, traditional and innovative handicrafts (including the beautiful work of Rima Malallah’s Love on a Bike), fresh dairy, breads, olive oil, preserves, and more.

The market has been organized jointly by Entity Green, Shams Jordanie, Hamzet Wasel, and others with some specific goals in mind:

1. To enable direct relationships between customers and producers to improve the livelihoods of the farmers and provide the consumers with access to high quality products (including organic and niche produce).
2. Reduce carbon footprints by offering locally grown and produced food and crafts.
3. Create a network of local producers, and provide a venue for producer development in marketing and product design.
4. Build community by providing a space for meeting and sharing goods, ideas and skills.

Read more about Farmer’s Markets in the Middle East::

Lebanese Farmers Market Makes Food Not War

Palestinian Organic Farm EcoBaladi to Market in Jerusalem

“Orbanic” Weekly Organic Farmer’s Farmer’s Market to Begin This Friday at Tel Aviv’s Historic Turkish Train Station

The post Get Your Organic Produce at Amman's Souq al Balad Farmer's Market appeared first on Green Prophet.

Traditional organic agriculture and gorgeous historic architecture come together at Tel Aviv’s restored Turkish train station.

The historic Turkish train station between Neve Tsedek and Jaffa in Tel Aviv, which in its former glory operated trains from Jaffa to Jerusalem, has laid in ruins for decades.  Over the past few years, though, the Tel Aviv Municipality has been restoring the complex and its beautiful historic buildings.  Someone must have thought it would be appropriate to restore traditional agricultural methods on the site as well, since this Friday “Hatachana” (or, “the station”) will be starting the city’s first all-organic farmer’s market.

The urban/organic farmer’s market, organized jointly by “Hatachana” and “Tov Hasade” (the Organization for Organic Agriculture in Israel) will be nicknamed “Orbanic” and take place every Friday from 8am to 2pm.

The market will exclusively offer organic produce sold directly from the fields, high quality organic and natural delicacies, and ecological products.  The market will also hold lectures about ecology and nutrition on a weekly basis, at 11am and 1pm.

Those arriving early at the market will be able to join some Tai Chi exercise at 8am.  And for those who just want to relax on Friday, live jazz and world music performances will take place at the market at 10 am and noon.

Skeptical about the eco-friendliness of this market?  Think it will be another yuppie-fest like the farmer’s market in Tel Aviv’s Port that fellow Green Prophet Jeff so eloquently described?  The following two facts should settle some of your fears: the market is a completely plastic-bag free zone and vendors will not be offering them, AND home deliveries are available with Cicleta bicycle messengers.

Take that, yuppies!

Orbanic Farmer’s Market, weekly every Friday as of May 7th at Hatachana from 8am-2pm.

Read more about sustainable urban food::

Slow Food Movement is Active in Beirut

Palestinian Organic Farm EcoBaladi to Market in Jerusalem

Na Laga’at Brings Slow Food Farmer’s Market to Jaffa

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