April 13, 2023, Updated April 7

Luscious local vegetables and fruits always await vacationers in Israel, starting each morning at our famous hotel breakfast buffets.

But why settle for a passive produce experience? Pick it yourself on a guided tour, in English, at farms throughout the country.

This is a great opportunity to get to know growers, get your hands dirty in a good way, and taste the nutritious and delicious goodness of the land.

8 farms in Israel where you can pick fresh produce

Shirat Ha’Midbar (Song of the Desert), Halutza
Five Senses Greenhouse and Sunshine Chef, Kibbutz Elifaz
Root and Leaf Farm (Havat Shoresh V’Aleh), Moshav Ben-Shemen
The Salad Trail, Moshav Talmei Yosef
Pull Carrot Farm (Mashoch B’Gezer), Moshav Tzofit
The Spice Way (Derech HaTavlinim), Bethlehem-of-the-Galilee
Idan Fruit, Moshav Betzet, Western Galilee
Leket Israel, Rishon LeZion

1. Shirat Ha’Midbar (Song of the Desert), Halutza

A man wearing a plaid shirt at the Shirat Hamidbar farm, speaking with three women outdoors near flowering trees. One woman holds a camera, and they appear engaged in conversation, surrounded by a natural landscape. — Visitors getting a taste of Shirat Hamidbar’s organic rosemary, guided by owner Golan Cohen. Photo by Daniel Bear

Permaculture designer and alternative medicine therapist Golan Cohen will give your group a fascinating tour of the medicinal herbs, spices, argan trees, grapes, and other fruits that he and his wife, Noa, have been raising sustainably on this organic western Negev desert farm since 2007.

In addition to the 90- to 120-minute tour of the plants and produce with an explanation of their folklore and medicinal uses, your group can request special workshops and/or healthful lunches served onsite. Not only is Shirat Ha’Midbar a great Israeli farm to visit, this is also a great opportunity to learn more about the future of agriculture in the Israeli desert.

Each visit (recommended for ages 10 to adult) begins with a cold or hot drink under the shady palm trees.

Visit this Israeli farm: To arrange a tour at Shirat Ha’Midbar, click here.

2. Five Senses Greenhouse and Sunshine Chef, Kibbutz Elifaz

A man with a baseball hat sits at a wooden picnic table with large metal bowls at Kibbutz Elifaz. Arranged on the table are long metal channels filled with assorted chopped vegetables. A tractor and tents are visible in the background. — Freshly picked greenhouse vegetables are readied on special trays for roasting in a solar oven. Photo courtesy of Kibbutz Elifaz

Discover the wonders of solar energy in the Five Senses Greenhouse and sample the harvest in culinary creations from the Sunshine Chef solar oven at Kibbutz Elifaz in the southern Arava, about 20 minutes north of Eilat.

This “greenhouse to plate” tour begins in an indoor complex with cups of herbal tea and breathtaking views. Next comes picking produce from the greenhouse, slicing and seasoning the vegetables, seasoning them with herbs and placing them on special trays to slide into the unique Sunshine Chef vacuum tube system run on solar power.

A solar-powered installation with multiple metallic tubes radiating from a central yellow dome, topped with a mirrored sphere. In the background, there are greenhouses and rows of crops under a clear sky. — The Sunshine Chef cooks veggies that you pick, using solar power. Photo courtesy of Kibbutz Elifaz

While the veggies are roasting, you get a guided tour of the growing fields and fruit tree groves, picking seasonal crops and herbs as you learn about desert agriculture. The visit includes a demonstration at the kibbutz’s essential oil distillery. A shop onsite sells spices, dates, coffee, herbs and fresh pita as well as crafts and produce from other area farms.

The one-hour group tours run daily from October to May and are suitable for all ages. There are plenty of places to sit and relax in the shade and kids can join a tractor ride.

Visit this Israeli farm: To arrange a tour at Five Senses Greenhouse, click here.

3. Root and Leaf Farm (Havat Shoresh V’Aleh), Moshav Ben-Shemen

A group of four people including two children and two adults, walk through a green field with rows of plants on Root and Leaf farm. They are holding long sticks and the sun is shining brightly on the scene. Trees and a clear sky are visible in the background. — Owner Guy Horowitz leading a tour of the organic garden at Root and Leaf Farm at Moshav Ben-Shemen. Photo courtesy of Root and Leaf Farm

Root and Leaf Farm in central Israel features a hydroponic greenhouse growing a variety of lettuces and other vegetables sold directly to restaurants and at the local farmers’ market on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Visitors (ages three and up) are welcome to join a guided tour of the greenhouse and the organic garden – including samples, of course — followed by a sprout-growing workshop. Each participant prepares a tray of sprouts from sunflower seeds, radishes and beans to take home.

Visit this Israeli farm: To arrange a tour at Root and Leaf Farm, go to the farm’s Facebook page and send a message (the Facebook page is in Hebrew but you can message in English).

4. The Salad Trail, Moshav Talmei Yosef

A close up photo of a child harvesting potatoes, holding a container filled with freshly dug, dirt-covered potatoes. Their other hand is digging further into the soil. The scene is outdoors, with green leaves visible around the soil. — Picking potatoes on the Salad Trail. Photo by Funia

Agronomist Uri Alon and his team of professional guides will show you their cutting-edge agricultural technologies in the northern Negev and invite you to pick and sample produce along the way.

You’ll see tomatoes growing upwards, strawberries growing in the air, medicinal herbs and multicolored carrots.

Suited to all ages around the year, the Salad Trail offers activities such as making a Hawaiian style necklace from kumquats, sending a message on the leg of a homing pigeon, finding your way through a passionfruit maze, baking pita and more.

Visit this Israeli farm area: To arrange a tour of the Salad Trail, click here.

5. Pull Carrot Farm (Mashoch B’Gezer), Moshav Tzofit

Carrots, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, celery, sweet potatoes and other veggies are waiting for you to harvest them at this guided pick-your-own farm just north of Kfar Saba.

It’s open on Saturdays from September to May and on weekdays during Sukkot and Hanukkah. There are picnic tables, a playground and an exhibition of tractors and agricultural tools. You can buy Druze foods including pita, plus soft drinks and popsicles.

Visit this Israeli farm: For more information on Pull Carrot Farm, click here or call 053-360-0175.

6. The Spice Way (Derech HaTavlinim), Bethlehem-of-the-Galilee

People on The Spice Way farm enjoying a picnic in a grassy field at sunset. A large tree is in the background, and a dog is near one of the groups. The scene is peaceful and relaxed. — Picnicking among the herb and spice plants at The Spice Way. Photo courtesy of Derech Hatavlinim

If you have a group of 10 or more, an English-speaking guide can be arranged to take you on a tractor tour of this herb and spice farm and its large market/visitors center, where there are cooking activities and explanations centering on some 1,000 varieties of spices and herbs for sale there.

Activities for kids, picnics, live performances and other special events take place at The Spice Way throughout the year.

Visit this Israeli farm: To arrange a tour of The Spice Way, click here.

7. Idan Fruit, Moshav Betzet, Western Galilee

A whole guava and sliced pink guava pieces sit on a wooden surface. Next to them is a stack of dried fruit leather tied with twine. The background is a blurred garden scene. — A guava transformed into fruit leather. Photo courtesy of Idan Fruit

Your group will tour the banana plantation and then proceed to the visitor center to learn how owners Idan and Nadav prepare dried fruit.

In addition to tasting the fruits with a cup of herbal tea, you can choose among a variety of 90-minute workshops in which you can make chocolate-fruit-and-nut treats, fruit-and-nut stuffed dates, fruit leather, a sushi fruit platter, energy bars or granola.

Visit this Israeli farm: To book a visit to Idan Fruit, click here or email idanfruit@gmail.com.

8. Leket Israel, Rishon LeZion

A group of people smiling and holding large sweet potatoes while standing around stacks of red crates filled with more sweet potatoes in a field. The sky is clear, and the appear to be engaged in harvesting. — Pick sweet potatoes and other veggies in Rishon LeZion for distribution to the needy. Photo courtesy of Leket Israel

Here is an opportunity to join about 54,000 annual volunteers – Israelis and visitors — in harvesting produce from farms in Rishon LeZion grown exclusively for distribution to Israelis in need through charitable organizations.

Suitable for all ages, the gleanings take place on Sunday to Thursday during three two-hour time slots.

Visit this Israeli farm: To sign up for gleaning vegetables at Leket, click here.