Sukkot

Sukkot 2014

Tonight is the start of Sukkot, a 7-day Jewish harvest festival that begins at the full moon in late September or early October.

The word Sukkot means “Booths”; Jews all over the world build outdoor booths for Sukkot, like the simple huts that farmers in ancient Israel lived in during harvest time. The roof is always made of leafy branches, open to the sky so that you see the stars through the leaves.

Each family decorates their hut, makes it comfortable, and eats at least two meals there; they invite guests, light candles, and say prayers of thanksgiving for the harvest.

Agenda:
1. Build a sukkah
2. Make luminaries
3. Bake stuffed apples and eat in the sukkah

1. Build a sukkah:
We've made many sukkahs over the years, with leftover lumber tacked together. A sukkah needs to be just big enough to fit a table and pillows,

Two years ago we rigged one on the back porch because we were in the midst of a thunder storm!

My favorite was a few years ago when we pieced together this large hut from wood scraps, branches, and African fabric.

2. Make luminaries:

You can make paper lanterns with Hebrew words- very pretty.

Supplies: Brown paper lunch bags, crayons, oil, cotton swabs, sand, votive candles

1- Choose a short Hebrew word, like peace, love, beauty, harvest, or autumn.

2- Open a bag, and flatten it so you can spread the word out around the sides and front. Make sure you use the side with no seam.

3- Outline the Hebrew letters near the bottom of the bag, then color around the letters with crayons. Color pretty thickly, to prevent the oil from spreading. Dark crayons give the best effect.

4- Paint inside the letters with oil, using a cotton swab; don't use too much- the oil will spread. Blot up the excess with a paper towel.


5- Fill the bag with about 2 cups of sand. Add a tea light, and light it very carefully!

3. Bake stuffed apples and eat in the sukkah:

It's traditional at Sukkot to eat fall harvest foods, especially anything stuffed, because these are a symbol of all the plenty we have been blessed with.

Ingredients:

• 4 large apples
• 1/4 c. chopped pecans,
• 1/4 c. dried cranberries
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• butter

Yield: 4 servings-

1. Preheat oven to 375º and boil water in teapot.
2. Cut off about 1/4 inch from the tops of 4 large apples, and save the "hats". Remove the center, creating a 1-inch hollow in the middle of apples- use a paring knife or grapefruit spoon.

3. Combine chopped pecans, dried cranberries, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a bowl.

4. Fill apples with the nut mixture, and place into a baking dish. Put a piece of butter on top of each apple's filling and then press on the hats.

Our back porch sukkah during a thunderstorm.

5. Pour 1-1/2 cups of boiling water into the baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes. They are ready when apples are soft but not mushy.