Fresh from Wellspring Charitable Gardens - April 2, 2026

Fresh Today… Fava Beans, Spinach, Radishes, Carrots, Lettuce Mix, Arugula, Salad Turnips, Beets, Chard, Rutabaga, Chives, Cilantro, Dill, Edible Flowers & Oranges

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

This week we have fava beans available for the first week of the season. The entire pod is edible, but we usually just eat the beans inside. The easiest way to cook them is to grill or roast the whole pod and then serve the beans at the table and let everyone peel their own beans as they eat them, with their fingers. Inside of each pod, is 3-5 beans. Each bean has a thin skin. When the beans are young, you can get away without peeling each bean, but as they get larger and older the skins can have a strong flavor. Prepare the beans ahead of time and store them in a plastic bag or container for up to 5 days before cooking.

Pasta e Fagioli Soup

with Fava Beans

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

1-2 celery stalks, diced

Salt and pepper

1-2 pounds fava beans

shelled and skins removed

1 cup small cut pasta, like macaroni

3-4 cups water or broth

1 teaspoon salt

Chives, sliced

Shaved Parmesan cheese

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, for garnish

* In a large soup pot heat the oil over medium heat, add the oil, onion, carrots and celery, season with salt and pepper.  Cook and stir occasionally until the vegetables are soft, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the fava beans, pasta, water and salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until the pasta is cooked.  Add salt and pepper if needed.  Serve with fresh herbs, shaved Parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of Extra-Virgin olive oil.

Passover – Why the Hurry?

The Passover meal (Pesach) is no leisurely repast for savoring; it is a substantial meal designed around haste. Each family was to slaughter a lamb: Then “take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.” The bread was unleavened; there was no time for dough to rest and rise; lambs were slaughtered and fire roasted whole with head, legs, and internal organs; there was no time to dress, butcher, or slow cook the meat: bitter herbs were eaten alongside; they weren’t for flavoring the meal - “…eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.” Why? The LORD’s judgment is swift, severe, and bitter. The defiant Pharaoh, considered one of Egypt’s gods, would be furious once the final plague destroys his nation’s firstborn children, and he would quickly change his mind about letting the LORD’s children go with impunity.

“I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I AM the LORD.”

Spinach Gnocchi…

Gnocchi (pronounced nyo-kee) is the name for dumplings in Italian. Often made with potatoes and flour, this recipe uses spinach and ricotta, held together with an egg yolk and Parmesan cheese. By baking the dumplings, the cooking process is hands off, and you don’t need to sit by the stove over boiling water.

Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi

6 ounces fresh spinach (stems         

    removed, about 6 cups packed)   

1 cup ricotta cheese                            

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese        

1 egg yolk

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

Marinara sauce for serving

* Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom of a glass baking dish and set aside. Add the spinach to a large skillet over medium heat with about 1 tablespoon water. Cook, stirring, until wilted or for 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. Add the ricotta, egg yolk, Parmesan, and salt and pepper to a large bowl. When the spinach has cooled to the touch, chop it into very small pieces. Squeeze as much liquid from the spinach as you can. Add the spinach to the ricotta mixture and mix to thoroughly combine. Form the mixture into 2-inch balls and place each in the baking dish so they do not touch. Bake for about 20 minutes, then turn on the broiler to allow the tops to turn lightly golden. Remove from the oven and serve warm over a spoonful or two of marinara sauce.

Metaphors of Soil and Soul…  

“Behold Your King!” - “Give Us Barabbas!”

Keith F Martin

At the beginning of Passover week, Jesus entered Jerusalem and was greeted by enthusiastic crowds and their joyous acclaim: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” By the week’s end, though, the crowds had turned against Him and clamored for His death - “Crucify Him…. We have no king but Caesar” - choosing instead mercy for Barabbas, a condemned insurrectionist and murderer. How quickly their sentiment had changed! Jesus’ words to Judas at the Passover meal the night before His crucifixion foreshadowed this, “What you do, do quickly.”

Israel, once before, had publicly rejected God, their King. God ruled as Israel’s sovereign authority, providing commandments that, when willingly obeyed, ensured a just, safe, and prosperous life - a God-blessed life. Whenever Israel strayed from God’s life-sustaining laws, violence, chaos, tyranny, and suffering ensued. Once Israel’s suffering became unbearable, they would cry out to God for deliverance, and He would raise up a judge to restore justice and deliver them from both domestic and foreign oppressors. This oft repeated cycle came to an end with Samuel, the last judge God appointed. Samuel, not God, appointed Israel’s final two judges, his own sons. Unlike Samuel, though, they “turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice.” Once again Israel cried out for relief from their oppressors and pressed Samuel to appoint a king to rule over them. Samuel refused at first, but God intervened: “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day… they have forsaken Me…” 

Christ’s week of Passion exposed the raw, conflicting sentiment we have toward God, His authority, and our desperate need for law and justice. Ever defiant, we forsake God, concealing our enmity beneath pretense: “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” We reject God as king yet concede our need for robust civil authority to protect ourselves from each other.  We, therefore, choose kings to rule over our house divided - one king rules me, the others rule all others.  I want your king’s sword drawn; I want mine sheathed as I do what is right in my own eyes; I want mercy but demand all others face justice; I want the blessing but choose for you the curse: I want peace but do violence and seek revenge; I want life but choose death for you. Desperate and wanting, I need precisely what Jesus, the King, passionately prayed for and died for: “Forgive them, Father, they know not what they do.”