From the Garden this Week

From the Garden this Week…

Bok Choi or Broccoli, Spinach, Chicory, Red Radishes, White Daikon Radishes, Snap and Snow Peas, Carrots, Beets, Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Turnips, Red or Green Salanova Lettuce or Romaine Lettuce, or Mesclun Spring Mix with Arugula or Frisse

Coming Soon …. Fennel, Kohlrabi, Rutabaga, Napa Cabbage, Bok Choi

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, which I have to mention is my favorite holiday. You’ve got to love a day dedicated to family, food and football and no presents needed. But I’m sure some of you will need to bring a dish to dinner or you might be hosting dinner yourself. We grew a few different heirloom varieties, so you will notice that there are different colors than you have seen before. You can use them all like a regular sweet potato. Since I know that many of you already have a family favorite recipe, I included a sweet potato hummus recipe this week. You will need to use cooked sweet potatoes for this. The easiest way to cook sweet potatoes is in a pan in a 350-degree oven for about 45-60 minutes, depending on the number and size. Be sure to watch the pan as sweet potatoes will start to ooze out of the potato as it cooks. I call this “chef’s candy”. The following recipe is great to bring to a potluck with raw vegetable sticks; it is vegan and nut free so everyone can eat it and it helps to balance out the heavy foods of the day.

Sweet Potato Hummus

¼ cup of tahini

2-3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, mashed and roughly chopped

1 large sweet potato, cooked

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ teaspoon of salt

In a food processor, combine the tahini and olive oil and pulse until smooth. Add the garlic, cooked sweet potato, lemon juice, and salt, process until smooth. Add more salt or lemon juice to taste and spoon into a serving dish. Serve with crackers, raw dip vegetables such as carrots or celery, or with toasted pita bread.

Hand Processed Coffees… Lorenzo Garcia and Ronda Melendez of El Camino Coffee Roasters would like to offer holiday greetings to the recipients of Wellspring Charitable Garden baskets with samples of their Espresso blend, “The Firmament”. This specialty coffee is sourced from Brazil and a 93 year-old female Ethiopian grower who produces a delicate fruit forward coffee. All of our coffees are 100% hand processed through each step of production and support profitability and sustainability for the growers. You will find “The Firmament” boasts notes of dark chocolate and raspberries with a smooth finish. It can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, iced or hot, and will produce slightly differing notes based upon preparation methods.For those decaf lovers out there, we are looking into the possibility of carrying Swiss Water decaf options in the future. For more information about retail and wholesale offerings of “The Firmament”, as well as single origin offerings from Colombia and Ethiopia, cupping events, or training options, please contact Ronda Melendez at 209.602.7252 or ronda@elcaminocoffeeroasters.com

We wish you the most joyful of seasons from our families to yours!

Chicories

This week we have some chicories coming. One is Sugar Loaf, which is tall and looks like romaine; the other is Castlefranco with a round head. These greens in the chicory family are bitter and go well with big strong flavors like fruit, cheese, bacon and nuts, which are all complementary. I recommend cooking them and they can even be grilled. Charring the leaves brings out their sweetness. If you grill them, make sure to keep the core in the head to hold the leaves all together. I also included a recipe this week for Broccoli Salad. This salad is great to make ahead and it uses all of the stems and even leaves that you get on your head of broccoli.

Grilled Chicory Salad with Almond Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons finely chopped almonds

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

1 head chicory

Fresh ground black pepper

¼ cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)

Prepare your barbecue for grilling or preheat the broiler to high heat. Combine the almonds, 1 tablespoon olive oil, vinegar, and salt, stir to combine and set aside. Cut the chicory into quarters making sure to keep the stem intact, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Grill the chicory over high heat to slightly blacken the two cut sides, flip over and cook on the other side for about 1 minute. Remove from the grill and place the quarters on a serving platter and top with the almond dressing, ground pepper and cheese if desired.

The Broccoli Salad

3 cups chopped raw broccoli, leaves, florets and stems (peel the thick coarse stem pieces as needed)

¼ cup chopped cooked bacon

¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds

¼ cup diced red onion (about ½ of a large red onion)

¼ cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon vinegar, red or white wine or good apple cider vinegar (balsamic is not recommended)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before eating.

A Thanksgiving Note from Cindi...

Ever since I read the book, One Thousand Giftsby Ann Voskamp, the word “thanksgiving” has become richer with meaning for me. She tells us that the Greek word “eucharisteo” literally means, “to give thanks.” In Luke 22:19 of the New Testament we read, “And He (Jesus) took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them (his disciples)…”(Luke 22:19 NIV). This scene is well known as the “Last Supper” depicted by Leonardo da Vinci in his famous painting. It was also the first communion and referred to by many Christians as the Eucharist, which is the Latin translation of the Greek word used by Jesus. Interestingly, the root word of eucharisteo is another Greek Word, “charis”, meaning “grace” but the word also holds its derivative, the Greek word “chara”, meaning “joy”. WOW! I love languages. The idea that the giving of thanks breaks open the floodgates for God’s grace so that joy can overflow our hearts is powerful. Today, even social scientists are studying the impact of a person’s gratitude on their emotions. Some even claim that writing in a gratitude journal three times a week can increase happiness. For more information, see the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 377- 389.