ORGANIC IN ISRAEL
Friday, December 21
Organic cucumber growers planted their seeds in the ground this year in anticipation of successful exports to Europe. But in recent years huge shipments of organic Egyptian cucumbers (Egypt and other North African countries have planted thousands of dunams of organic crops), have sent prices plummeting, leaving farmers with cucumbers on their hands.

Once upon a time, farmers used to plant crops from which their grandchildren would be able to ensure their livelihood. In a world with a global economy and fickle market fluctuations, this situation has become a lot more complex. Local agriculture has also been changing: The advent of shopping malls and expanding suburbs has pushed the farms and fields away from the center of the country, to the large, unsettled expanses of the south.

It's a spectacular view: Thousands of citrus trees growing amid the sandy hills, which have just begun to be covered with a fine green, post-rain fuzz and are dotted with tall, thorny cacti. These hundreds of dunams also play an important role in preserving the nation's so-called "green lungs." One could easily feel a blush of Zionist pride at the sight of all this burgeoning agriculture, which is painting the Negev in orange and green hues - if it weren't for the fact that these giant orchards belong for the most part to big companies that are making life difficult for small farmers.
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One of the main attractions along this road, aside from the agriculture and the archaeological sites dating back to different eras, is a hanging rope bridge, about 80 meters long, which you can cross while imagining yourself on some exciting adventure with the aging Indiana Jones.

Derech Habesor; entrance from Highway 222 about 1.5 kilometers northwest of the Tze'elim junction; the road is passable for all types of vehicles

Uri Alon is bursting with energy and information: He is the national champion in carrier-pigeon racing. Actually, it is Julie, his beloved pigeon who survived an arduous journey from Cyprus to Israel, that is the official title-holder. Alon is a farmer who grows flowers and herbs, and is cultivating a collection of rare mint plants; he is also an agronomist who gives guided tours of the region's agricultural fields.

Then you move on to the hothouses of the "flying" strawberries - where a forest of the red berries hangs in the air, just waiting to be swallowed up by eager mouths. The strawberry plants are grown up high here, on a bed of ground coconut trunk, in planters or what seem to be hollow tubes, to avoid contact with pests on the ground and with mold.

Shvil Hasalat (The Salad Trail), Talmei Yosef, 052-8535442; www.talmeyyosef.co.il/shvile

Amnon Uziah, one of the country's first organic farmers, is determined to refute the prevailing notion that organic produce is much more expensive than regular fruit and vegetables. His direct-marketing system, which bypasses the big wholesale distribution companies that leave farmers with only meager profits, is proving itself: Almost 500 families, from Ra'anana to Be'er Sheva, are awakening each morning to find crates of fresh organic produce, picked that very day, placed on their doorstep - beets, fennel and fragrant celery stalks, all at very reasonable prices and of high quality.

"The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a revolution." Painter Paul Cezanne may not have had an organic revolution in mind when he made this statement, but anyone who has eaten a sweet carrot straight out of the ground, or tasted little round peas two hours after they were picked from a friendly, toxin-free field, will understand: Taste is always subjective, but freshness is a very important component of it.

Uziah offers a fascinating tour of his large farm, which contains a giant vegetable garden divided by beautiful furrows; the dates when seeds are planted there are carefully recorded so as to preserve the soil.

Teva Habsor, Priel 56, Ein Habesor; guided tours focusing on organic farming are available, as well as tastings, must be coordinated ahead of time, and there is a fee. 1-800-259090; www.teva-habsor.lanegev.co.il

Beit Livne, Ein Habesor, 052-8284152, 08-9982306; www.beit-livne.lanegev.co.il

Upon entering the guest house, you take off your shoes, sprawl on the bed and gaze at the little waterfall flowing over the basalt rocks in the isolated Japanese Zen garden. Or you may sit down at low tables of the kind used by Japanese geishas for thousands of years in the traditional tea ceremony. You'll find it all at Yin and Yang, the two guest units built by a local family after a sojourn for many years in the Far East.

Called Rakuya, the whole place is built according to the rules of traditional and minimalist Japanese aesthetics: with materials taken from the natural world, like rice paper, bamboo, wood and stones, and a palette based on red, black and white. The proprietors' perfectionism is also reflected in the beautiful carpentry work and calligraphy that adorns the units.

By Ronit Vered

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