A Real Treet
ing ceremonies
and celebrations.
In the United States, some
families make it a tradi-
tion to eat fruits and
nuts, especially those that grow
in Israel. These include oranges,
pomegranates, pistachios, figs, al-
monds, olives, dates, grapes and
carob.
Tu b'She-
vat, celebrated each year
on the 15th of the
month of Shevat
(this year, Jan.
23), is the holiday of the trees.
It's a minor holiday (nothing is
prohibited except fasting), but
still a lot of fun in Israel where
there are parades and tee-plant-
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What's To Do?
Even though
it's pretty cold
outside, you
can celebrate
the new year
of the trees
indoors with
these projects:
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* Legend holds that just as man is judged on Rosh Hashanah, so trees
are "judged" on Tu b'Shevat.
If you can still find a green leaf, you'll have fun making
a "leaf skeleton," which will teach your child how a tree
feeds itself through a network of tiny ducts and stems.
Begin by gently pounding the leaf with an old brush.
Those with animal bristles work best;
you can try synthetic ones, but they
can be harsh. Gently pound leaf
against a firm but soft background,
such as low carpeting. This will
take about 10 minutes, after which
all that will remain are the leaf's veins,
(most easily seen when held up to the
light). To preserve, glue in a scrapbook or press between
two sheets of glass.
' Plant a candy tree that's beautiful and edible. Fill a clear, plastic
cup with layers of crushed brown cookie and chocolate or chocolate-
chip ice cream (that's the "dirt"). Top with green candy sprinkles or
coconut tinted with a touch of green food coloring. Insert a short
wooden stick or straw, which will become the tree trunk. Freeze for
about one hour. Meanwhile, select a cookie with a soft middle, or a
large marshmallow, to stick atop the straw. Using peanut butter as
your "glue," affix leaf-shaped candies to the cookie or marshmallow.
You'll find these in the confection department of many grocery
stores. You also may be able to locate spearmint-flavored, leaf-shaped
candy. Or you can "paint" the marshmallow entirely with cake frost-
ing made a lovely shade of green with food coloring. Attach leaf-
adorned cookie to straw and begin eating away!
THE APPLETREE
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* The Torah mentions the fig as Israel's most important fruit, and ar-
chaeological excavations have shown that fig trees were present in
Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel, since the earliest days. Figs were said to
possess medicinal cures (Isaiah used one to aid King Hezekiah) as well
as offer excellent nutritional benefits. The famous expression "honey
from the rock" refers, in fact, to the sweet juice produced by figs,
whose trees often grow in the rockiest of areas.
* With no more than an apple and a little dirt, you can start your
own apple tree right now, in the dead of winter! Simply plant three
apple seeds about 4" deep into a flowerpot filled with soil and about
1/2" of nitrogen fertilizer. Cover seeds and keep soil moist, with ac-
cess to sun on a window sill. Plant outside in the spring.
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easy to make a paper tree out of newspaper. It should be
about 12" long and 21" wide.
First, roll the paper into a tube 1 1 /2" wide. Place a
strip of tape in the middle, another about 1/2"
down from the top and a third 1/2"
up from the bottom. With scissors,
make three cuts into the top. These
should be about 4" each. Bend strips
down toward the bottom. Slowly and care-
fully pull center of the "tree" up and out.
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