From the Garden this Week…

From the Garden this Week…

Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Cilantro, Potatoes, Carrots, Summer Squash, Basil, Thyme, Sweet and Hot Peppers, Green Onions, and Garlic

Coming Soon… Winter Squash and Sweet Potatoes

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

This week I have a recipe for tomato basil soup. We are sending garlic and basil to complete the recipe. I never thought I liked tomato soup because of what comes from the can. But, once you make your own soup, you won’t go back to the canned stuff again. If you want to make some additions you can add some extra chopped vegetables, like summer squash. You can leave it chunky, instead of pureeing it. Summer doesn’t feel like soup weather, but it makes for an easy meal with a grilled cheese sandwich.

Fresh Tomato Basil Soup

I wrote this with butter and milk, but you could use olive oil instead and omit the milk at the end if desired.

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped, about 1 cup

2 cloves garlic, chopped

½ teaspoon fresh thyme

5-6 large tomatoes, or 3 cups cherry tomatoes, cores removed

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

½ cup milk or half and half

2 tablespoons chopped basil

¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

In a large saucepan melt the butter and add the onions, garlic, and thyme and salt over medium heat for 4-6 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt and water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender. Stir in the milk or half and half, basil and black pepper. Taste for salt, pepper and adjust the consistency with water if needed and serve.

Potatoes and Garlic from our Storage

This week we pulled out potatoes from our summer storage area. They are in great condition, but I do recommend using them in a week or so. Keep them in a dark location so they don’t sprout. We also still have garlic available, but I was already thinking about our November planting. Soon it will be fall and it’s time to think about the changing seasons.

Summertime Carrots…

This spring we planted a carrot variety called Romance. They are meant to grow in the summertime and don’t bolt in the heat, like our winter carrots will. They are very flavorful, even though they are not as sweet and juicy as they can be in the winter. This roasted carrot recipe takes advantage of the flavor and roasting, brings out the natural sugar.

Roasted Carrots with Cumin and Cilantro

4-5 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ cup chopped cilantro

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the carrots with the oil, salt, pepper and ground cumin. Place on a rimmed baking sheets and cook in the oven until lightly browned and tender, about 30-35 minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, chop the cilantro. Remove the parsnips from the oven and sprinkle with the cilantro and serve.

Metaphors of Soil and Soul . . . by Ronda May Melendez

“He (Jesus) also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking his fruit on it and found none. Then, he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground? But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.” Luke 13:6-9

How often, in our pain and impatience, are we willing to cut out ‘trees’ (people and relationships) in our lives that are not producing fruit as we believe they should. In our pain upon arriving to the scene of our relationship, we realize the same blasted tree is still not producing fruit. In our anger and frustration, we want it removed! We

want to be done. We cry out, but I have given it time! And yet, it remains fruitless. Yes, perhaps, we have; yet, interestingly, in the parable, it was not the one seeking the fruit who was to tend it one more year. Rather, it was the one who had an ongoing deeper relationship with the tree… it was the keeper of the grounds who plead the case of the tree.

Perhaps, our relationships need to be dug around and fertilized with the care only the Father can give. Are we able to patiently, trustfully step away for a time, allowing the Keeper to dig and nourish in the way only He can? Our trust will, then, be appropriated properly, in the faithful care of the Keeper, not the fruit.