On the farm where Suheil and Asmahan have spent most of their lives, there is a big writing on a wall that reads in Hebrew “Death to the Arabs” and is signed below by the term “price tag”. This is a sign that the vandalism has been carried out by a group of fanatic Jewish settlers in order toto wreak havoc and perpetuate attacks on people and property aiming to terrorize Palestinians. Suheil’s land lies in a strategic location Area C where confrontations often take place. To the northern edge lies the Gush Etzion settlement block and a bypass road surrounding the land.
The specialty and uniqueness of the Hebron region in the production of delicious grapes is renowned and incomparable. Apart from the fresh grapes that enter every Palestinian home during the season, there are many local products made out of grapes that reflect the ingenuity of local producers, such as Malban. Imagine layers made from concentrated grape juice and decorated with small pine kernels (Arabic: Kriesh) that are the tastiest and most addictive sweets that helps farmers generate an extra income from the fresh grapes they cannot sell during the season.
In his efforts to highlight the plight of the Palestinian farmer, Suheil designed a Palestinian flag made out of Malban. He stressed that his family has always been working the land, educating his children, and making a decent living out of the produce he and his wife grow. Asmahan is ever so creative and tries to come up with new products from grapes all the time. For instance, she created Hala Dibs out of grapes molasses, a sweet that resembles chocolate in taste and texture. Suheil and Asmahanalso created Sumac El Husrom, which is a powder with an acidic taste that can be added to food to give it that acidic punch.
Shaddeh, the specialty of Asmahan and Suhail, has now kicked off as their most ordered product. The ingredients of Shaddeh include grape dibs (molasses) mixed with a number of spices, herbs and pulses, like sesame, black cumin seeds, olive oil, and baladi (traditional) wheat. Moreover, they have created Shaddeh without using grapes molasses for people with diabetes, in which they use verjus (unripe grapes) or Husrum molasses and honey instead. This is believed to be an important food supplement that boosts the immune system. She has also worked on developing a new juice product from cactus, custom made for a seller in Germany.
Suheil and Asmahan are excellent hosts and are welcoming of people coming to volunteer, visit the farm, help with the harvest, or even to enjoy watching the process of making Malban. Their farming method is traditional, without the use of chemicals and they produce and preserve the seeds from the previous season.
Working for decades now with women cooperatives, Asmahan shares her frustration with how many of them replicated each other’s work and most of them failed to continue operating after the donor support of their project ended. The lack of commitment and thinking in a project-oriented mentality weakened any long-term support for women in cooperatives and only a few active ones remain in business today. Asmahan believes that innovation knows no boundaries and encourages producers, especially women, to keep trying to invent and produce distinct and unique products.
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Product Availability: Seasonal vegetables and fruits year-round.
Product Selling Points: Orders are made through the Facebook page and delivery is available throughout the West Bank .
Volunteering Opportunities: Volunteers are welcome depending on the season and will be mainly working in farming and making dairy products.
Other Services: Tours can be arranged with prior coordination.