Q&A
Biur Apricots why it is so late
On the calendars you wrote that the bi'ur time for apricots is early September (mid-Elul), but the apricot season was over several months ago. It began around Pesach time (April) and was over around Sivan-Tammuz (July). Why is bi'ur only in early September?
Shemitah status of wheatgrass
I heard that if grains are harvested before being edible or before the grain reaches a third of its development, they do not have kedushat shevi'it and shemitah laws don't apply to it. Since wheatgrass juice is consumed, does that change things? Is there an issue of sefichin?
Any other considerations or special laws?
Sumac during shemitah - KS
Hi, I was given a gift of wild sumac. I don't know if it's primarily used in food or medicine in Israel. Is it sefichin, and does it have kedushah? I have no idea what to do with it but I'll offer to anyone who wants if I know its status.
Shemitah Mangoes: Pits and Peels, KS
I just bought my first shemitah mangoes. What do I do with the peels and pits?
Sefichin and eggplants
I have an established eggplant planted in my back yard well before shetmiah. During the winter it was dormant, and now it is beginning to wake up and produce eggplants. I looked up on the sefichin calendar and it says that eggplants are sefichin starting November this year (Kislev).
I'm confused, though. I thought that plants that behave like perrenials are not sefichin and, anyway, I planted it before shemitah. What is the status of the eggplants?
Pruning a fruit tree with unripe fruit
Our pomegranate tree is blocking part of the staircase. The pomegranates aren't completely ripe yet. On the same branch there are fruits of different sizes and stages of ripeness. It is a real nuisance. Am I allowed to prune the branches?
Guidelines for preparing shemitah wine and grape juice at home
How can I prepare Shemitah wine at home?
Do pomegranate peels have kedushat shevi'it?
We have a pomegranate tree in our yard. We generally use the pomegranates for Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot. What is the status of the peels? Am I supposed to put them in the shemitah bin?
Grape leaves and kedushat shevi'it
What is the status of grape leaves? They are sometimes cooked or pickled.
Grapes, seeds, and stems
I just got our first grapes with kedushat shevi'it. Do I have to put the stems and seeds in the pach shevi'it? Note that often there are bits of fruit stuck to the stem.