From the Garden This Week
From the Garden this Week…
Kale, Carrots, Cabbage, Celery Root, Mixed Garden Salad Greens and Reds, Curly Leaf Parsley, Chard, Mint, Green Onions, Oranges and Meyer Lemons
Coming Soon…Beets, Parsnips, Radishes, Arugula
Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno
In the picture below, you can see both curly and flat leaf parsley growing together. Unfortunately, curly parsley has come to be known as the flat leaf’s ugly sister but she has her own favorable attributes that can be taken advantage of in the right recipe. Curly parsley is milder in flavor than the flat leaf and it also brings texture to dishes like Tabbouleh. Tabbouleh salad is often made as a bulgur salad with parsley as a garnish, but traditionally it was an herb salad with a little bit of bulgur. This salad is great for us to make this week, as we also have green onions and our mint is ready to harvest. Instead of the traditional tomatoes, I included shredded carrots, which add the sweetness and a little bit of added crunch to the salad. Substituting the tomatoes is a great way to make this dish seasonal when we have the herbs. It’s too hot here for us to grow the parsley when tomatoes are also in season.
Tabbouleh Salad
½ cup fine bulgur wheat
1 small garlic clove, minced (optional)
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 bunch chopped curly parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
1 cup shredded carrots
4 scallions, finely chopped
salt, to taste
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Place the bulgur in a bowl, and cover with water by 1/2 inch. Soak for 20 minutes, until slightly softened. Drain through a cheesecloth-lined strainer, and press the bulgur against the strainer to squeeze out excess water. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with the garlic, lemon juice, parsley, mint, carrots, scallions and salt. Leave at room temperature or in the refrigerator for two to three hours, so that the bulgur can continue to absorb liquid. Add the olive oil, toss together, taste and add salt if needed.
TEAM WORK! I am so grateful for the unique gifts that each volunteer person brings to our Charitable Garden. Thank you to Dave Berrens who has spent many hours repairing our washing tables and repairing the roofs of our garden sheds, and inventorying windows for our emerging Greenhouse. Thank you to Vince Hobbs for indispensible tractor work and building know how! Dave and Vince will be repurposing the 1909 and 1911 windows of Oakdale homes for our Green House. We are now building a new Planting and Maintenance Team separate from our Harvest Team. If you know someone who could come on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday to plant, and maintain rows, please contact us.
Cabbage and Kale Salad
We have more cabbage coming this week. Unfortunately, all of the cabbages that we planted have come ready at the same time. We also have this beautiful purple kale coming this week, shown below. This week I included a coleslaw recipe, including the kale with vinaigrette dressing. This is lighter than the traditional mayo-based dressing we are used to, and is better if you can make it ahead and let the greens marinate. The cabbage and kale will hold up with the dressing for several hours if needed.
Coleslaw with Cider Vinaigrette
Dressing:
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
½ teaspoon salt
Slaw:
2 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups shredded kale
2 shredded carrots
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
¼ cup chopped almonds
In a jar with a lid combine the vinegar, honey, mustard, olive oil, pepper and salt, shake well. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cabbage, kale, carrots, parsley and onion. Add the dressing to the cabbage mix and blend well, let sit for 30 minutes before eating, if possible. Serve topped with the chopped almonds.
Metaphors of Soil and Soul…
One of my favorite parables of Jesus is the Parable of the Sower, which in my mind should really be called the Parable of the Soils. Jesus tells us that there are different soils: the soil of a path, the soil that is rocky, the soil that is thorny, and good soil. With the help of wonderful Garden Professionals, I am learning that soil preparation is everything. Even hard compacted soil, rocky soil, and thorn infested soil can become good soil. That is a comfort because Jesus compares these soil types to our hearts. He says that the seed is the Word of God and when it lands on a path, the birds easily eat it; when it lands on rocky soil, it grows but is short lived because it has no root system, and in thorns, the aggressive thorny weeds choke out the seed’s growth. Well-prepared soil can receive the seed and it brings forth an abundance of produce. Soil transformation, like heart transformation takes time, patience, and much hard work.Check out Matthew 13:1-23 for a thorough explanation of this parable.
This year in our Garden, we will be including a new variety of some beautiful flowers to deliver with your subscriptions!! By special request, we are growing Dahlias, which I have never grown before. They are very particular about the soil they grow in. They must be planted in March for summer and fall beauties. So Heidi Cain and I spent a good amount of time yesterday amending heavy clay soil with steer manure, bone meal, and gypsum. Now we must be diligent to wait and watch for our Creator to graciously give them growth. Are you and I doing all we can to amend the soil of our hearts and make them more hospitable for the growth of God’s Word? harvest?
