From the Garden this Week…

From the Garden this Week…

Kale, Broccoli and Sprouting, Carrots, Chioggia and/or Red Beets, Radishes, Mixed, Celery, Purple Cabbage or Cauliflower, Fennel, Rosemary, Oranges and Grapefruit

Coming Soon… Snap Peas and Parsnips

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

This week the garden is enjoying the cooler wet weather. The seedlings from our plantings at the beginning of the year are taking off. We will have lots of tender young greens coming soon. Last week one of our volunteers made a copycat recipe of Panera’s Cheddar Broccoli Soup from a recipe on line, and was raving about the results, so I shared this today. If you have too much broccoli, you can blanch it and freeze it for later. Frozen broccoli is great for soup when we can’t grow in the warmer weather.

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

2 tablespoons butter

1 Spring onion, white and light green parts chopped

1 cup finely chopped carrots

1 stalk celery, thinly sliced

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup flour

2 cups milk

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups coarsely chopped broccoli florets, stems and leaves

2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and salt cooking for about 6-7 minutes. Turn the heat to low, sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for 1-2 minutes. Gradually pour milk into flour mixture while stirring. Stir chicken stock and broccoli into milk mixture. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the broccoli is completely tender, about 20 minutes. Stir Cheddar cheese into vegetable mixture until cheese melts. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Thank you to our Wellspring Charitable Garden Volunteers for hosting,

harvesting, and preparing a delicious brunch for our Wellspring Fellowship of Christian Counselors last Saturday,

March 14, 2020. We had an enthusiastic group and excellent presentations on techniques for helping people overcome trauma by members Sarah Andrews, Marietta Huizenga, and Jenessa Bell. Guest speaker Lauren Zampieri began and ended our time together by teaching us some therapeutic dance techniques.

Thank you to our Thursday Garden volunteers who

put up the tents last Thursday (and will help take them down this Thursday) that protected us against the weather so we could enjoy our outdoor experience.

Winter Beets…

We can grow beets throughout the fall, winter and spring. The beets in the spring are usually quite tender because they grow so quickly. The golden and pink Chioggia beets take longer to grow, so we plant in the fall, then through the winter they grow slowly because of the shorter days. I like to roast them whole with the skins on, then after cooking the peels slip off easily.

Whole Roasted Beets

2-3 beets, cleaned

1 spring rosemary

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

2-3 tablespoons water

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a baking dish with a lid or a baking dish you can cover tightly with foil, place the beets, rosemary, balsamic, oil, water, salt and pepper. Cover tightly and bake for 45-60 minutes until the beets can easily be pierced with a knife. Remove from the oven and let cool. Remove the beets from the cooking liquid, and peel. Slice the beets and store in the cooking liquid.

Metaphors of Soil and Soul … by Ronda May Melendez

Since we have had a week to reflect upon what our “land” in life is, let’s move forward in this theme of cultivation. If we have a relationship in place with the Designer and the Plan has been clearly communicated, then we can willingly collaborate with and work alongside the Designer, allowing the breaking of our land to commence: the tearing of the soil.

No one makes excuses or concessions for the breaking, although it disrupts all manner of things. Insect and weed ecosystems, and, in some moments, previous growth of “viable” fruit is disrupted. No one operates under the false pretense that it does not cost the emotional, mental and physical resources of either the Designer or the collaborator. There is an expense to development, growth and the execution of the Plan. However, we must remember if we are the collaborators in the story of life (and we all can choose to be), the expense is upheld by the Designer.

The question is: do we believe in the Designer and His ability to plan

appropriately, even though we as the collaborators may not understand fully if at all? Do we believe that as the land of our lives is being torn open that in time all of the labor will be worth it? Are we willing to have things removed from our lives that are not fruitful, but distract and steal life-giving nutrients? Are we willing to allow soil enriching amendments to be added with the soil being further turned and disturbed? Despite the disturbances and disruptions, let us remain faithful. A good harvest will come in due time, if we do not balk at the expense to ourselves in the act of cultivating.