Super Summer Breakfast, Pineapple & Watermelon

One of our Shabbat guests brought us a perfectly ripe pineapple. I served most of it at the meal, and it was enjoyed by all.  This morning I cut off a bit to have as part of my breakfast.

As proof of its ripeness it was very easy to cut, and I enjoyed eating the "inside" of the peel. I added some watermelon and then sesame paste for protein. 

To be honest, I was very curious about the relative calorie counts and nutritional benefits of those two summer fruits. I knew already that watermelon is surprisingly low in calories, but I knew nothing about pineapples. 

Pineapple, raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	209 kJ (50 kcal)
Carbohydrates	13.12 g
Sugars	9.85 g
Dietary fiber	1.4 g
Fat	0.12 g
Protein	0.54 g
Vitamins	Quantity%DV†
Thiamine (B1)	7% 0.079 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	3% 0.032 mg
Niacin (B3)	3% 0.5 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)	4% 0.213 mg
Vitamin B6	9% 0.112 mg
Folate (B9)	5% 18 μg
Choline	1% 5.5 mg
Vitamin C	58% 47.8 mg
Minerals	Quantity%DV†
Calcium	1% 13 mg
Iron	2% 0.29 mg
Magnesium	3% 12 mg
Manganese	44% 0.927 mg
Phosphorus	1% 8 mg
Potassium	2% 109 mg
Sodium	0% 1 mg
Zinc	1% 0.12 mg
Other constituents	Quantity
Water	86.00 g

Watermelon flesh, raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	127 kJ (30 kcal)
Carbohydrates	7.55 g
Sugars	6.2 g
Dietary fiber	0.4 g
Fat	0.15 g
Protein	0.61 g
Vitamins	Quantity%DV†
Vitamin A equiv. beta-Carotene	4% 28 μg 3% 303 μg
Thiamine (B1)	3% 0.033 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	2% 0.021 mg
Niacin (B3)	1% 0.178 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)	4% 0.221 mg
Vitamin B6	3% 0.045 mg
Choline	1% 4.1 mg
Vitamin C	10% 8.1 mg
Minerals	Quantity%DV†
Calcium	1% 7 mg
Iron	2% 0.24 mg
Magnesium	3% 10 mg
Manganese	2% 0.038 mg
Phosphorus	2% 11 mg
Potassium	2% 112 mg
Sodium	0% 1 mg
Zinc	1% 0.1 mg
Other constituents	Quantity
Water	91.45 g
Lycopene	4532 μg

While I'm at it I'll add the nutritional information about sesame paste:

Sesame Paste (Sesame Butter Made From Whole Seeds)

Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1 tbsp Amount Per Serving Calories 95   % Daily Values* Total Fat 8.6g 11% Saturated Fat 1.205g 6% Trans Fat - Polyunsaturated Fat 3.77g Monounsaturated Fat 3.248g Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 18mg 1% Total Carbohydrate 3.39g 1% Dietary Fiber 1.5g 5% Sugars 0.08g Protein 2.72g Vitamin D - Calcium 68mg 5% Iron 1.43mg 8% Potassium 66mg 1% Vitamin A 0mcg 0% Vitamin C 0mg 0% * The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Just Peachy

The other day I was pleasantly surprised to find nice looking peaches at a decent price in Machane Yehuda, so I bought a few. Once I got home, I saw that they weren't 100% perfect, but they are exactly what I need for my breakfast.

Ginger "scrapings," apples, goat yogurt* and peaches are a great breakfast combination.

I guess summer really has arrived!

*In addition to the peaches, I found a nice supply of my favorite goat yogurt, the one from Susiya, in a grocery store on the same shuq street as the peaches.

Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush... Yum

As I was growing up, that song/dance was a constant. I've known it all my life. But to be perfectly honest, I couldn't pick out a mulberry or mulberry bush to save my life.

A couple of weeks ago, a Shabbat guest brought us a bunch of small berry-like fruit from her garden and said that they are mulberries. They were from her garden, and she also told us that there's a mulberry tree in the little park right across from our house.

Local kids like to eat straight from the tree, although the berries actually tend to have bugs that should be rinsed out.

The mulberries were delicious, and I'm glad to finally know what they look and taste like.

Apparently, they are extremely healthy and rather low in calories, too.

Finally Checked Out The "New" Store in Shiloh

A few years ago, honestly, I haven't a clue as to how long ago, a fruit and vegetable store opened in the Shiloh Industrial Zone which is over a kilometer from my house. It's on the way to the Shiloh Junction. The Shiloh Industrial Zone has all sorts of businesses, small factories and offices. It's also the location of the Meshek Achiya Olive Oil production. For those with cars, it's very convenient, but for us, it isn't. I don't mind walking down to it, though walking up is quite an effort, since when I say "up," I mean UP!

Since my husband goes to the shuq, the Machane Yehuda open market a couple of times a week, we really don't need to patronize a local greengrocer. I also buy some fruit and vegetables in Rami Levy Discount Supermarket. And until about a month ago, when stuck especially for potatoes and onions, we'd go to a small greengrocer which was next to the regular large makolet/grocery. But that small convenient store finally closed.

Yesterday I needed to buy fruit, so I decided to go down and check out this new store. Well, I discovered something very surprising. It has become enormous and sells a lot more than onions and apples. 

Apparently, it has been expanding. It is really has lots of different foods and other things as you can see in the photos.

And the transportation wasn't all that complicated. I got a ride down, after walking less than a quarter of the way. And there were plenty of people who offered me rides up.  It's nice to know there's another option when necessary. And the fruits and vegetables were nothing special, but that's more because it was just after Shabbat and on the Eve of Simchat Torah. No store could offer any great selection and quality yesterday.

No doubt I'll be checking it out again.

All of the contact information is here on the bag:

Delicious Watery Watermelon!

We may not have true summer weather yet, but we do have watermelon. I've already bought two this year. One was for a party, and the other was for dessert on Shabbat, since we had invited friends over. Of course there is plenty left over, so I eat it, lots of it.

Schlepping home a watermelon isn't easy when you don't have a car, but I have managed to find them rides.

Many health experts say that watermelon is healthy and good even for dieters. That's good enough for me.

What's your favorite summer fruit?

It's משמש Mishmish Apricot Season!

Yes, it's משמש Mishmish aka apricot season in Israel!

Apricots are only good this time of the year. The season lasts barely a month, and only for a week or so are prices almost reasonable. I bought a couple of kilo last week. I'm now keeping them in the fridge. There are hardly any lest, and they may be the last this year for me.

Apricots are extremely healthy and have a terribly short shelf-life. They only taste good in season when fresh. I rarely eat the dried ones, because they are so sweet and hard to limit. I just keep eating and eating them. In the states I've seen gorgeous ones, but they have less flavor than Styrofoam, not that I'd ever eat Styrofoam. The few times I've tried American apricots, I've been disappointed and do not plan on trying again. I believe that fruit should only be eaten in season, and this season, this week is still apricot time. Enjoy!

Best Prices in Machane Yehuda, Off The Beaten Path

I try to get to Jerusalem's excellent open air market, Machane Yehuda, every week especially in the spring and summer. That's when it's easiest to get prices that are much lower than I see in Rami Levy. The big discount supermarket chain, Rami Levy, has a principle to keep the staples, carrots, apples, potatoes, onions etc and citrus in season at prices that favorably compare with the shuk/shuq (market.)

It's in the summer, when seasonal fruit is too delicate to store very long when he really can't compete as well. I found peaches and nectarines for NS6-7 in Machane Yehuda, while they were over NS10 in Rami Levy. Rami Levy has been selling large apples for a relatively low NS8.90 if I remember correctly, but that works out to close to NS2 for just one albeit delicious apple. I found slightly smaller apples for NS7.80 as you can see here. When you're trying to reduce your weight and expenses, these shuk apples are the best deal.

This stand, which I always check out, has different foods each week, but the prices are always fantastically low. I get my melon from him and decided to buy one of his very large zucchinis. At NS2 a kilo, how could I pass them up?

I only discovered this section of the shuk relatively recently. It's pretty much hidden away, off the beaten path. It's actually not far from Rechov Yaffo, Jaffa Road and paralel to it. You can enter by taking the first turn from the shuk street. No, it isn't the "Iraqi Shuk" which is large and has pretty much uniform prices of all of the standard vegetables. It's closer to town.

There's also a stand that sells greens for salads and soups for just NS1 per bunch. And it's actually a lovely "square" with a bench an view of the street via a restaurant. It's connected to one of the warrens of little "lanes" off of the main drags of Machane Yehuda, which are the best locations for bargains.

Enjoy in good health!

Shuk/Shuq Shopping, Annoyances

One of the good or bad (best or worst) things about shopping in Jerusalem's open air market, Machaneh Yehuda is its prices. 

Last week I was there wandering around with my granddaughter before taking her to see the JEST performance of "The King and I."  It was Tuesday afternoon and the prices of even the best summer fruits was temptingly low. 

But logic got in the way.  I knew too well that I wouldn't be able to schlepp them safely for hours, so I didn't buy any.  Less than twenty-four 24 hours later I was back raring to shop, and the prices were much higher.  I did buy some fruit but it was hard, ok, actually-impossible to find such prices.  And I did re-trace my steps.

The lesson is that if you really want great bargains, you must choose your shopping days wisely.  The
first half of the week has prices lower than the last half, but they drop extremely low the last couple of hours before Shabbat, because nobody likes to have to store the fresh produce until Sunday.