After a long walk under a burning
sun we left Shivta tired and thirsty. We found shade in the car, but we were
still dreaming about freshly-squeezed orange or pomegranate juice. On our way
back to moshav, we told Iris about our wish, and she... grabbed her mobile and
after a short conversation with one of her friends, she told us to change the
route.
Several kilometers later, nearby
Be'er Milka moshav, we left the asphalt road and stopped at some farm
buildings. We didn’t know at that time that we were about to enter a
pomegranate paradise. Its owner, Eitan Cohen, gave us a warm welcoming, even
though we apparently came in a wrong moment. We didn’t want to disturb, so we
offered we could have a walk and help in the harvest of pomegranates and be
back with Eitan once he get his duties sorted. The idea was approved and
after a while we headed to the place the owner had indicated us.
The trees grew in long, even rows
and had the size of a small apple or cherry tree. The passages between the rows
were wide enough for a tractor collecting the boxes filled with fruits.
Later, Eitan explained us he uses a
unique method of cultivation. In the spring, he trims the branches and shapes
them in a special manner as to ensure the pomegranates have enough light while
they grow and to maximize the crop of the appropriate quality.
It was clearly a very effective method, because the fruits were exceptionally tempting and very juicy, as we learned ourselves (we tried them not out of covetousness, but for cognitive purposes, of course). We were instructed on how to collect pomegranates by volunteers working for Eitan. We joined them after a short walk in the premises of the farm. They were mainly female students, or future students, and not only from Israel, but from many other countries as well. We worked for a moment arm in arm to discover this demanding job was also very rewarding as we enjoyed the feel of mature, sun-warm fruits.
We were running out of time, so we
had to say goodbye to the girls and return to Eitan. We were determined to
learn something about his farm. It turned out that about a decade ago, only
sand dunes were there, and now, on this 7-hectare parcel, he grows delicious
fruits. The farm is irrigated by salt water, extracted and desalinated, from a
reservoir discovered deep beneath the surface.
Thanks to the wisdom, hard work and dedication of people like Eitan,
this unfriendly desert transformed into lush gardens, orchards and fields which
now belong to the inhabitants of Be'er Milka moshav.
The Be'er Milka moshav gives home
to several dozen stable inhabitants and a constant flow of volunteers from all
over the world. They come here for a week, for a month or event for a year and
help at work in exchange for accommodation and food.
Elitan mentioned that all people
willing to help are welcome: not only students, but also those a bit “older”,
like us - if we ever have enough of our work in corporate.
And, indeed, after we got back home
we found his offer on the Workaway portal:
And in the end, our dream came true
and we received two bottles of delicious pomegranate juice:
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