7th April 2025 Bulletin Eco-Corner

Spring and PesachPesach is traditionally associated with the barley harvest, while Shavuot (which comes in June) is the festival of first fruits.  However in the UK there is not such an abundance of crops at this time of year, so we look to hotter climes (such as Spain or Italy) to source some of our fresh produce. 
 
While not exactly local, buying a box of fresh fruit or vegetables from crowdfarming (https://www.crowdfarming.com/), where you buy direct from the grower, is a more ethical and fair way to buy fruit and vegetables than buying supermarket products.  It is often also organic and may well be cheaper than supermarket prices.  (One of our team has just ordered a box of blueberries at £13.67per kilo where the supermarket price is £18 to £20 per kilo.)  Products currently available are avocados, blueberries, oranges and lemons.  If you live on your own or find the box size too big, why not share a box with nearby members of the community?
 
All of this is in line with Judaism’s emphasis on Tzedek or justice, and our Eco-Judaism principles of buying organic and Fairtrade.  It is also supporting biodiversity as you are supporting the farmers and their work in caring for their environment in the best way they can.