[Avodah] Satmar growing wheat in Arizona so that no rain falls on it

[Zev Sero]

On 2/07/2013 9:08 AM, Marty Bluke wrote:
> Can someone please explain the reason for this? Since when can the
> wheat not become wet while growing? What did the Jews in Eastern
> Europe do? To the best of my knowledge it rains in Europe while the
> wheat is growing as it does just about everywhere in the world where
> Jews live. Has something changed in the last few years in terms of
> the way wheat is grown?

As soon as the wheat is ready, it must not become wet.  In Europe they
would cut it while still a bit green, but one must be careful not to cut
it while *too* green, which makes it a difficult call.  And not-quite-
ripe wheat has its own problems; it has to be dried and checked for fungi
that will grow on it.  Using Arizona wheat, which is watered by irrigation
and hardly ever sees rain, solves this problem.  The wheat can be allowed
to fully ripen and dry before harvesting.

(Incidentally, this may be the origin of the minhag not to eat garlic on
Pesach; Areivim member Joe Slater found a memoir about this process of
checking the wheat, which refers to some sort of fungal growth as "knobblach",
i.e. "garlics", presumably because its shape is somehow reminiscent of garlic.
If one has to remove "knobblach" from the wheat to make matzah, then it makes
sense that this would develop into a minhag not to eat actual knobble.)


-- 
Zev Sero               A citizen may not be required to offer a 'good and
zev at sero.name          substantial reason' why he should be permitted to
                        exercise his rights. The right's existence is all
                        the reason he needs.
                            - Judge Benson E. Legg, Woollard v. Sheridan