Beitanjan Battiri / Eggplant Seeds

'Bitinjan Battiri' means "Eggplant of Battir," and this is the thorny-crowned pale purple eggplant from Palestine's famed Battir Valley. It is commonly served stuffed with meat and/or rice and other vegetables, and the thorny crowns themselves are also considered a delicacy. Thurayya is a community-led seed saving initiative to preserve, grow, and share heritage seeds from Palestine. We believe that seeds are more than just the beginning of food — they carry stories, memory, resistance, and the future of our collective nourishment. https://www.thurayya.org/plants At a time when our people and our lands are going through one of the most devastating periods in our collective history and memory, we work alongside community to reconnect to one another and fortify our relationships with the land and each other. This work is about self-determination, healing and making a promise to our future generations that we are still here. Why Seeds from Palestine? Palestinian seeds carry generations of knowledge, resiliency, and connection to the land. In the face of occupation, genocide, and ecological destruction, these seeds — like our people — have endured and will continue to endure. They are a symbol of our presence in and connection to our land. We are growing these seeds in diaspora, not as a replacement for our homeland, but as a way to continue being in connection to and relationship with her. Thurayya is an idea, a dream to be grounded in the land and guided by knowledge built over generations, and a return to what we know in order to create a new way of being for ourselves and the next generations.  Why Seeds from Palestine? Palestinian seeds carry generations of knowledge, resiliency, and connection to the land. In the face of occupation, genocide, and ecological destruction, these seeds — like our people — have endured and will continue to endure. They are a symbol of our presence in and connection to our land. We are growing these seeds in diaspora, not as a replacement for our homeland, but as a way to continue being in connection to and relationship with her. Thurayya is an idea, a dream to be grounded in the land and guided by knowledge built over generations, and a return to what we know in order to create a new way of being for ourselves and the next generations.