Even Menachem: Berries, Wine Tradition and Views

Even Menachem offers several local attractions: berry cultivation and pick-your-own at Barak's Berries, a family winery's wine-making tradition, and views from the farm. A wooded area lies between Even Menachem and Shtula. Archaeological sites in the wider destination of the Northern District offer a distinct cultural focus.

Berries and Pick-Your-Own at Barak's Berries

Red and yellow raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, goji berries and blackcurrants grow in the fields at Barak's Berries farm in the moshav of Even Menachem. Other seasonal berries are also available; the selection may vary. Visitors can pick berries themselves and take their harvest home. If pick-your-own is important to you, ask in advance about the current selection.

The farm covers 20 dunams of fruit and vegetable crops. On site, there are picnic tables, sunshades and restrooms, as well as a shop selling the farm's produce. The berry fields and picking offer a different experience from buying farm products: you can harvest berries yourself or browse the farm's produce in the shop.

Wine Tradition and Views

Even Menachem is also home to the family winery “יקב לגזיאל”, which continues a three-generation wine-making tradition. Alongside berry cultivation, the family's wine-making tradition is another local point of interest. The two experiences are clearly distinct: Barak's Berries is about berries and pick-your-own, while the winery is about passing wine-making down through generations.

From Barak's Berries farm, visitors can look north to the mountains of Lebanon, east to Mount Adir and west to the Mediterranean Sea. A wooded area between Even Menachem and Shtula offers a place to sit in the shade of the trees.

Archaeology in the Wider Destination of the Northern District

Tel Hazor offers a distinct archaeological focus in the Northern District; a visit centers on the Upper City. Its surviving structures include Solomon's Gate, dating to the 10th century BCE, with six chambers and two towers. The Canaanite palace was used by the kings of Hazor in the 14th and 13th centuries BCE. The Late Bronze Age palace is described as the most elaborate in Israel and one of the most important in the Levant.

Tel Hazor's underground water-collection system is another notable feature. The excavated shaft is 45 meters deep, with steps three meters wide cut into its vertical walls. These engineering remains provide a concrete example of water storage alongside the site's architectural history. The Upper City brings together several distinct themes: gate construction, palace history and water engineering.

Tel Megiddo adds to the Northern District's archaeological context. Its Early Bronze Age temple complex is exceptional in the number of its temples, the continuity of cult activity and its documented ritual practices. The orthogonal city plan from the Iron Age has few parallels in the Levant. Tel Megiddo is one of three tells that preserve significant remains of cities with biblical connections and are closely associated with events from the Bible.

When choosing what interests you, it helps to distinguish between the local themes and the wider Northern District: the berry fields, winery and views are associated with Even Menachem, while Tel Hazor and Tel Megiddo offer archaeological sites in the Northern District. This can help you decide whether you want to focus your stay on agricultural and wine-related experiences or also include the region's archaeological sites.

Discover more destinations: Kibuz Kinneret, Beit Hashita, Ne'ot Golan, Menahemia, Mikhmoret, Yeroẖam, Shefayim, Alonei Abba.

View the wider travel guide: Israel.