Strawberry stew - The Jewish Standard

Strawberries banned (Aug. 29)!

The question of fruit and vegetables being considered “kosher” is a strange one.

It is virtually impossible to eliminate insects from produce regardless of the amount of washing, straining, or scrubbing that is done. I remember well the amount of rinsing needed simply to clean rice, lentils, and legumes in Israel. Often not even that was sufficient, though boiling would cancel out any pestilence. To ban strawberries or grapes or any fruit for that matter that is living in accordance with the laws of nature is making kashrut a farce. Can there possibly be a way to make kashrut a little less fanatic and more realistic for simple humans to live with? ( By the way, chocolate is often riddled with insects, as is much of the candy in Israel. Flour is full of small creatures, as are figs, nuts, and other such fruits.)

So much for strawberries.

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