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What to do with an etrog
when Sukkot ends:
 ideas collected though not invented by

 by Rabbi Goldie Milgram, author of

 Reclaiming Judaism as a Spiritual Practice, Meaning and Mitzvah, & Make Your Own Bar/Bat Mitzvah
 
large lulav and etrog.bmp (1258038 bytes) Turn your etrog into a
Havdallah spice holder

Puncture holes throughout the etrog with a nail and place a dried clove in each of the holes. 

As the etrog dries and hardens, it holds all of the cloves in place!  Becomes a spice holder for Havdalah.


Turn your etrog into a
hanging sukkah decoration

Run a string through the etrog after Sukkot while it is still soft, it can be hung up as a decoration next year.
Create a L'chaim opportunity

Slice the etrog after Sukkot and put the slices into a bottle of vodka and put the bottle into the freezer until the following sukkot and use this liquid to make a "l'chaim" (to life) toast in your sukkah. If you have any history of alcohol addiction, please do not consider this project.
Etrog in Folklore

Sent by Netanya:

If you want to have a baby:

Put the lulav under your bed with the top pointing towards
the head of the bed.

Some say bite the pitom off the etrog.

Some say eat the etrog. (Make it into jam or candy...or pull an "Ushpizin" and put it on your salad.)

If you are expecting a baby:

Bite the pitom off the etrog if you want a baby boy.

Save the etrog and bring it with you to the hospital when you go into labor.

Jewish women have been said to give birth to multiples (twins, triplets, quads, etc) under etrog trees, without pain. Having an etrog with you during labor is supposed to make it less painful.

B'Sha'ah Tovah!
Make ETROG Jam

Some candy the etrog to serve at Tu Bishvat in January. Louis Reiser writes: "I have a friend who gathers all of the etrogim she can every year and makes a jam with them -- usually mixed with apricot of some other fruit. It has a very good reputation among those who have used it. It also, however, comes with the advisory that it carries the fruitful blessing of fertility. Not scientific, but..."

(Recipe for Etrog Jam from Reba's Aunt Molly:

1                etrog   
1                orange  
                  sugar   
                  water   

        Wash the etrog and orange and cut them in half lengthwise and then
very thinly slice them.  Remove seeds. 

        Soak the fruit overnight.  Change the water to cover the fruit and
bring to the boil.  Change the water again and bring to the boil once more.

        Pour off the water.  Weigh the fruit and add an equal weight of
white sugar.  Cook over a low heat for about 45 minutes until the jam
begins to jell. 
How to RECYCLE a LULAV

Our family used to save our lulavim and use them for schach (branches on top of the sukkah) the following year.  (A teaching from Rabbi Brian Glusman. Thanks!)

Recipes for Sukkot
Cherry Vischnik (sp???) Recipe from Karyn Berger
   also delightful for Sukkot and other special times

Ingredients:

Pint-sized jar (although you can also you larger or smaller jars, too) that
are sterilized, seals, and lids
Sour cherries
Sugar
Vodka (100 proof of higher).*
Water

*Note:  You can also use some other flavorless alcoholic beverage

1.  Fill the jars approximately 1/2 way with cherries.  You don't need to
pit them.
2.  Make a light sugar syrup solution (approx. 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of
water.  I heat the water to make the sugar absorb more fully).
3.  Fill the jars of cherries approximately 1/2 way with the  sugar syrup.
4.  Fill the remainder of the jars with the vodka.  Be sure to fill it to
the very top of the jar.
5.  Seal the jars *very* tightly.
6.  Store in a dark cabinet or closet for at least 6 weeks.  Check the seals
after a week or so, and tighten if necessary.
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