Palestinian Products

Last year, we offered five West Bank products from PARC in a Farmers' Box on a limited, subscription basis. The individuals, congregations and groups in the U.S. who supported the pilot program made it a huge success. Because of this, starting in September 2019, we're pleased to offer many of the same Palestinian products on our webstore. You can order them by the individual package, by the case, or together, in a whole new Farmers' Box.

The four products in the box this year are maftoul, freekeh, almonds, and dates. (We're waiting to see if za'atar will be available in the fall and will notify you if it is.)

Enclosed in each box is an insert with some delicious recipes, which includes these instructions for cooking the grains.

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These dates come from small farmers in the Jordan Valley and are processed in a PARC date packaging house, where they are inspected for quality, cleaned, sorted, graded and packaged.

This cooperative was established in early 2000. Water shortages in the area forced farmers to grow crops that could use less water. Medjool dates not only require less water but can grow using the slightly salty water that sits under the reservoirs of fresh water.

Date cooperative membership: 12 farmers

Buy Dates

The word "maftoul" means "hand rolled" in Arabic. It's couscous that is made in the traditional way, upholding the Palestinian tradition.

The wheat for the maftoul comes from small farmers in the Jenin area. It is produced from ground flour, which goes to a women's cooperative in Jericho, where it’s processed under PARC supervision.

Maftoul has been produced in Jericho for many years. But after 2007, when the Israelis imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip, five women's maftoul co-ops went out of business because they couldn't ship their product to PARC on the West Bank. As an alternative, PARC decided to assist a group of women in the West Bank. Most of them weren't educated and had limited access to good jobs.

Maftoul cooperative membership: 40 women

Buy Maftoul

Freekeh is green roasted wheat which is processed by farmers in the field. It's produced by harvesting the wheat early when it's still green. Afterwards it's roasted in open fires in the field, cleaned from the husk, dried and then crushed.

The wheat for the freekeh comes from small farmers in the Jenin area who depend solely on farming to make a living.

Buy Freekeh

These almonds are collected from Palestinian farmers from the North West Bank where they are dried then roasted at a local roaster under the supervision of PARC. The Om Al Fahim almond is a local variety which is relatively rich in favor.

In the 1990s, the members of these cooperatives received hundreds of thousands of seedlings from PARC in order to start their almond businesses.

The Fruitful Tree Cooperative: 40 members
The Aqqaba Cooperative: 90 members

These almonds are available only as part of the Palestinian Farmers' Box.

This delicious olive oil is truly a miracle from the Middle East, since olive trees survive and produce fruit for decades under severely arid conditions. The PARC oil has a rich, peppery flavor and is derived from the Nabali olive variety, which is native to the region.

Palestinians have very few ways to support themselves. Small-scale olive farmers, through their cooperatives, have been able to lower the costs for pressing their olives and storing, bottling, and shipping the oil; they also share best practices for pruning, plowing, and olive collection. PARC assists farmers in all of these areas and helps to supply water infrastructure, critical in the West Bank. PARC also helps to provide social services for women, children and families.

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Butternut Squash Stuffed with Maftoul

Maftoul, or Palestinian couscous, makes a great vegan or vegetarian filling as it cooks quickly, absorbs additional dressings or sauces, and tastes great with any addition of herbs, vegetables, fruits nuts, or legumes. You can also use spinach instead of swiss chard, or golden raisins instead of cranberries for this stuffed squash filling.

Freekeh Porridge with Dates, Coconut, and Almonds

While Palestinians generally add freekeh to their soups and chicken dishes, freekeh makes an excellent and hearty breakfast porridge. This recipe calls for cooking the freekeh in plant milk, and soaking the freekeh in advance quickens the cooking time. The dates and almonds add more sweetness, chewiness and crunch that pairs well with the freekeh.

Maftoul Chicken or Lamb Soup

A delightful soup featuring this hand-rolled couscous along with the meat of your choice and a delicious blend of spices and aromatics.

Date Almond Truffles

Dates are a great source or magnesium, potassium, and fiber so they pack a nutritional punch alongside their deliciousness. These date truffles reap the nutritional benefits of dates, as well as vitamin E, protein and fiber from the almonds too!