Here's our second installment of the Kosher Market Haul series (the first one is here)! Shabbat is tonight and the market was BUSY yesterday morning.
Here are some of the things we saw and what we ended up buying. Fruits, veggies and boring stuff excluded as we're sure apples and cucumber don't interest you.
As always the fresh challah was out and ready.
There were juices galore! These are wonderful to have on hand and make for something different to offer guests. Cherry, strawberry, passion fruit, and even banana. These large 1.5 liter containers were on sale for $3.99.
They carry Fruit Gems which are a bar/bat mitzvah classic. If you don't know, the tradition is to throw these at the bar/bat mitzvah girl or boy after they'd chanted their Torah portion and said their speech. We attended a bat mitzvah a few years ago where a harder candy was used. For the sake of the everyone, we recommend the softer fruit gems.
Do you eat rice crackers? Would you eat them with chocolate? We didn't buy these but they are intriguing! A nice option for gluten-free people and guests.
Regular rice krispy treats have gelatin in them from the marshmallows. The source of gelatin is unknown and we don't eat pork. These are a great treat.
Bamba, an Israeli classic. Did you know: Israel has the lowest rate of peanut allergies in the word and doctors think it is because babies start eating Bamba at approximately two minutes of age. Is this the healthiest snack? No. But we don't have many peanut allergies!
Some bubble gum in your pocket to help a child get through those extra long High Holy Day services. You can do it, young ones! Just don't let anyone catch you chewing gum in shul.
This store carried multiple kinds of date syrup. This one was 100% dates and organic, but also just over $10.
This was was 60% dates and not organic. The price was around $4.
This one was 100% dates, not organic and $6. Winner (in our book).
There were at least seven types of halva, probably closer to 12. If you haven't had it, halva is a sweet Middle Eastern dessert made from tahini (sesame paste), flour, semolina sugars, and more depending on the recipe.
Here are some of the pantry items we ended up getting. Some items are for Shabbat, others for the week, and others still for many months down the road.
Matzah ball soup is enjoyed in our home during Passover and at other times, and while it is still seven months away, this boxes were on sale for less than $2 a box. I know a family who buys pesach grocery items right after the holiday ends when they are at their lowest price and stores them for a year. Planning ahead saves time and not having to search at the same time as everyone else is less stressful as well. One of these boxes will probably get used during Hanukkah.
Juices you don't normally have are nice to have on the table during shabbos meals and are a nice thing to offer guests. Something as small as having a juice or drink you only buy for Shabbat helps set the day apart and add a little extra excitement for children, too.
These are also nice to have on hand during the week. If you are gluten-free or love someone who is, you know snacks they can consume safely are a novelty.
More desserts (I promise, we do eat real food). Taking good care of Shabbat guests, Sukkot guests or ushpizin (Aramaic for "visitors") and guests in general is a very big part of Jewish tradition. It probably goes back to when Avraham entertained angels who looked like normal people in Bereshit 18.
Having guests on any day is special but on Shabbat, it is a true honor. It is nice to have deserts, drinks and meals to offer them. These will look very nice arranged on a tea tray. It doesn't need to be a fancy affair. Invite your neighbors over, especially elderly or anyone who lives alone, or is new to the area.
If you know someone who is sick, bringing a plate of food or snacks to them will be a gesture not soon forgotten. The shalom of Shabbat is even more beautiful when it is shared.
These instant meals are a not a staple in our house as they have quite a bit of sodium, but on erev Shabbats we don't make cholent or another kind of slow cooked Shabbat meal, it's nice to have an easier hot option. Cold cuts, sandwiches and salads are perfectly good Shabbat lunch or dinner if it's seudat shlishit season, but sometimes if you're not feeling well or are plain tired, a cup like this does the trick.
We keep a plugged in electric kettle full of hot water or extra crock pot of water going for Shabbat for coffee and tea, so all one has to do is pour in some water and wait. You can add vegetables or cubed cold meat.
(It's not our belief electricity is forbidden on Shabbat, this is the tradition of our family and how we enjoy Shabbat. Please do not feel as if you must).
Electric kettle. There are many Shabbat kettles and urns used and depend on the size of the family, needs, and observance tradition. If you've ever watched a TV or movie show featuring observant Jewish people, you've probably seen one!
Next week we are planning some Chinese food stir frys with chicken and vegetables. The bigger brand sauces often contain shellfish. These ones are shellfish-free and at our store cost the same if not less as their mainstream counterparts. We will also use them as ingredients dips for rice paper and vegetable spring rolls that are on the menu for lunch next week.
We made the mistake of grocery shopping hungry and very much love pudding. These pudding and jellos contain no gelatin.
Lemon
Always eat before grocery shopping.
Hot sauce for next week's stir frys. Most sriracha brands are vegan and therefore not a big kosher issue for us, but it was a good price.
I wanted to include a photo of this salami that was opened before I could get. photo of it.
These will be hidden in a safe place.
That's all! Here's the plate that was made almost before all of the items were put away! On the plate is horseradish (it's not just for pesach and is so hot it will clear your sinuses and some memories, be careful), cucumber with salt and pepper, crackers, beef salami, pickled herring and sriracha.
This is also the kind of cold Shabbat lunch snack one can make- a lot of small things that require heating up. Thank you for reading and Shabbat shalom!
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