I'm going to Israel June 3rd to the 13th! Any tips on getting fruit??

Has anyone here gone on birthright while being 811? I'm so excited and would really appreciate any advice on finding fruit there!!

Tags: Israel, birthright, fruit

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Permalink Reply by Sunshine on May 25, 2012 at 7:57am

make friends with Palestinian farmers

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Permalink Reply by Iron Clad Ben on May 25, 2012 at 8:00am

For 10 days... hmmm... are you going on a birthright trip? I was there 4 years ago, only vegetarian at the time but there were produce stands EVERYWHERE. The key is, they expect you to haggle, so whatever price they give you is a total highball and you have to talk em down. There are a few Israeli's on 30BAD, hopefully they can give you some time tips.

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Permalink Reply by Nikkal on May 25, 2012 at 8:26am

Yep, it's a birthright trip. Were you there on a birthright trip as well? That's good to hear thanks for the tip! =)

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Permalink Reply by Iron Clad Ben on May 25, 2012 at 8:51am

Yes I was. Israelis almost always have tomato cucumber salad for breakfast. I was never able to adjust to the "vegetables for breakfast" thing. They will eat a whole cucumber plain like it's a carrot. But there should be lots of fruit and veg available to you. Whether it's enough to do 811 on a birthright trip, I can't say. We drove by tons of banana farms. Other advice would be to take tons of pictures and make friends with everyone in your group, including the soldiers. I went on my trip when I was 26 (last year eligible) and I wish I had done it much earlier, most everyone in my group was college-age.

Also: I still distinctly remember the produce over there tastes SO much better. Things just have more flavor because almost all of it is local/organic. All the vegetables have TONS of flavor, you eat some spinach and it tastes like SPINACH.

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Permalink Reply by DURIANRIDER on May 25, 2012 at 10:48am

Do a Dates + water fast.

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Permalink Reply by Shery on May 26, 2012 at 6:35pm

Harley, you should come to Israel and see that this is the last thing anyone wants to do when they're here. Our fruit is too awesome! :)

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Permalink Reply by James bananaman Bailey on May 26, 2012 at 3:39am

make friends with Palestinians

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Permalink Reply by Shery on May 26, 2012 at 6:34pm

Hi! I live in Israel, and I can tell you not to worry; wherever you go, you're going to have easy access to lots and lots of fruit. Fruit and veggies are a staple of the diet here, regardless of your lifestyle, and it's rare to find people who consume none of it.

Prices in most supermarkets are average-reasonable. If you go to markets, you'll find them for even cheaper (and you'll get cheaper prices per kilo (not pound) towards the end of the day than you will in the morning).

Smoothie/shakes/juice stands are at every corner of the big cities (Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, etc), but remember to emphasize to the juicer person NOT to put added sugar in your drink.

Someone suggested haggling; that will only work in supermarkets.

As for the Palestinian farmers, I've never actually heard of anyone who does that since it's not exactly the easiest thing to get to the Palestinian territories (as far as I am aware).

Really, go wild here with fruit. The fruit and the veggies here are bloody awesome. Getting to 3-4k calories with fruit here is easier and cheaper than with a 'normal' diet. There will also be berry-picking meetings of the local 811 community. If you want any direct help or anything feel free to contact me on skype :)

(my skype is Shery_deWinter)

ETA: You can also find farmer's marks (typically, every city has 1 day a week for this). From my personal experience in the Tel Aviv district, that's the best place to purchase your greens, though fruit tends to run on the high-price end at them.

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Permalink Reply by Janne Schaffer on May 26, 2012 at 6:44pm

wow 'birthright trips' sounds really 21st century. I don't think any other country on earth could get away with that sort of stuff these days

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Permalink Reply by Shy Precious on May 26, 2012 at 6:55pm

hey nicole :)
i think shery got most of the things covered.
you really have nothing to worry, israel is a fruit paradise compared to other countries.
it's everywhere and mostly cheap.
for example, you could find great watermelons in 2.5-4 shekel for kilo in the markets, or bananas for 5-7 shekels.
(1 dollar= 3.8 shekel)
do you know where you are going to stay? it will be easier to give you tips.
you can also get my number so you'll be able to contact me if you will have questions :)

here's a link to our group on facebook,
https://www.facebook.com/groups/293416820736063/
it's in hebrew, but you could join and ask for help in english as well.

have a great trip!

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Permalink Reply by Nicky on May 26, 2012 at 7:13pm

Israel is amazing for fruit, organic too. Great variety at excellent prices. Fruit is very easy to access.

Best dates!!!! Stay til August and you'll have the best mangos in the universe!!! I'm out of the country for a while and boy do I now appreciate what I had. Enjoy and eat some extra medjools for me :-)