How to Cook for Tu Bishvat

Tu Bishvat is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month Shvat, which is at the end of January or beginning of February. Traditionally Jews weren't allowed to eat the fruit from their trees until the fifth year after planting and a tree's age was counted on Tu Bishvat. However, it's a nice holiday to bring family together and show respect for nature. Here's what you should cook on this holiday.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Eat wheat, such as whole wheat bread, at Tu Bishvat. This is the first of the seven species as defined in the bible. Cook quinoa or brown rice if you have a gluten allergy.
2. Include barley in your meal. Use it in soup or make a barley pilaf. Add green onion and mushrooms and whip it up in the slow cooker.
3. Buy Greek olives and set them on the table for your guests to eat with the meal. Olives are also a good ingredient in salads and mixed vegetable dishes.
4. Set raw grapes on the table for dessert, or put them in salads. The mild sweetness of green grapes goes well with slightly cooked broccoli and carrots in a mayonnaise and sour cream dressing. Add almonds for an authentic Tu Bishvat salad.
5. Offer figs to your family and guests to celebrate the holiday. Most people are familiar with dried figs, but try fresh ones for something different. You can also add dried figs to salads and pilafs for a different flavor.
6. Introduce your family to pomegranates, if they're not used to them. They're a fun fruit for kids to eat because they have bright red seeds.
7. Make a special Tu Bishvat treat by filling pitless dates with an almond. Dates are excellent sweeteners in cookies and cakes.
8. Use almonds in as many recipes as possible. They're a staple of the holiday because blossoms of the almond trees herald the arrival of Tu Bishvat in Israel.

Tips & Warnings

• Raisins are a great addition to barley pilafs and combine two traditional holiday ingredients.
• Don't forget to use olive oil in your salads and cooked vegetables in honor of Tu Bishvat.
• Be careful serving pomegranate to very small children, as they could choke on the seeds.