Mary Jo and Mike Picklo stand in their front yard in Somerset County, Pa. Behind them is the Acosta Deep Mine. Laura Roman/NPR hide caption

An Israeli soldier eats a piece of watermelon near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip in 2014. As more Israelis go vegan, the country's military has made dietary and clothing accommodations for soldiers. Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images hide caption

Kobi Tzafrir serves hummus at the Humus Bar, his restaurant north of Tel Aviv, Israel. "If you eat a good hummus, you will feel love from the person who made it," he tells The Salt. "You don't want to stab him." Daniella Cheslow for NPR hide caption

Winemaker Iago Bitarishvili makes wine in clay vessels called qvevri, which he buries underground and fills with white grapes. There are no barrels, vats or monitoring systems for this ancient Georgian method, which is helping drive sales. Bitarishvili plans to bury these new qvevri in his cellar to expand production. Daniella Cheslow for NPR hide caption

In a village outside of Jenin, in the West Bank, Palestinian farmers harvest wheat early and burn the husks to yield the smoky, nutty grain known as freekeh. Daniella Cheslow for NPR hide caption

In Jerusalem, Syrian Orthodox Christian Nadia Ishaq prepares her burbara porridge with boiled what kernels, raisins, dried plums and dried apricots, topped with ground coconut in the shape of a cross. The holiday honors St. Barbara, an early convert to Christianity whose story is echoed in the Rapunzel tale. Daniella Cheslow for NPR hide caption