Current Edition About Subscribe The Jerusalem Center

Daily Alert Archive

Every Daily Alert Since 2002

Search

Search more than 90,000 news items by topic, author, or source.
Use " " to search for multiple words and phrases.

Trending Topics

June 4, 2010       Share:    

Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-israel-crops-20100529-45,0,5046116.story

Israel Plows New Ground in Exotic Crops

(Los Angeles Times) Edmund Sanders - Want a lemon-scented tomato or a chocolate-colored persimmon? How about some miniaturized garlic cloves for the home chef who doesn't have time to chop, or a purple potato that tastes buttery when cooked? On Israeli farms you will find carrots shaped like potatoes, strawberries shaped like carrots, star-shaped zucchini and "watermelon" tomatoes - dark green on the outside with a juicy red flesh. There are also specially bred red peppers with three times the usual amount of vitamins, and black chickpeas with extra antioxidants. Not to mention worm-shaped berries and blue bananas. An Israeli tomato breeder, Hazera Genetics, has created a boutique crop worth more than its weight in gold. It developed a yellow cherry tomato that became a hit in Europe, where the seeds sell for about $160,000 a pound. "Israelis are a naturally curious people," said Avi Almogi, head of Israel's Exotic Fruit Association, standing beside a display of fuzzless peaches. "We take fruits, even things that may not be from here, and we play with them to make them better."

View the full edition of Daily Alert

Back to Archive

Subscribe to Daily Alert: