Fresh from Wellspring Charitable Gardens - April 25, 2024
Fresh Today… Kale, Red Radishes, Artichokes, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Parsnips, Lettuce, Beets, Carrots, Dill, Cilantro, Lemon Balm & Edible Flowers Borage and Calendula
Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno.
This time of year, the pickings are slim, as the season changes. Our spring produce is slowing down and we will need to wait several more weeks before the first summer vegetables are ready. It is definitely salad season, so I have two salad recipes. The creamy dressing combines our dill and roasted beets. The strong flavors of dill and beets are subdued with the yogurt or buttermilk. If you have extra dill at the end of the week, let it dry and save it for later.
Roasted Beet Salad
with Creamy Dill Dressing
3-5 beets
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon oil
fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped dill
1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
¼ cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
4-5 cups lettuce greens, washed and chopped
2-3 carrots, sliced thin
2-3 radishes, sliced thin
* Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove the greens from the beets and reserve for another use. Peel if desired. Slice the beets in half and then place the flat side on a cutting board and slice into half-moon shapes. Toss the slices in a large bowl with ½ teaspoon salt, pepper and oil. Put them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until tender. While the beets are cooking prepare the remaining salad items. In a small bowl mix the dressing: dill, lemon juice and buttermilk with ½ teaspoon salt and fresh ground black pepper. Wash and chop the lettuce, carrots and radishes. When the beets are done, remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. In a large mixing bowl add all of the vegetables and lightly toss with the dressing. Taste and add additional salt or pepper if desired and serve.
Overlooked No Longer!
Missionary to India Claudia Kuypers extends a warm invitation to her Open House this Sunday, April 28, from 12-3 PM. She will introduce you to Overlooked No Longer, an outreach of compassion for overlooked girls from the Garhwal Himalaya mountains who suffer from abuse, trauma, and neglect. ONL supports Indian families who have built House of Grace to provide these girls a loving foster home, care for their trauma recovery, and nurturing for their personal growth. Please join Claudia at the ONL Open House and through your presence and support declare, “These precious girls are overlooked no longer!”
“Then Hagar called the name of the LORD who spoke to her,
El-roi, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees,
for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?”
Genesis 16:13
Kale Salads…
Hearty greens like kale can be eaten raw, but they need to be “cooked” with a little salt, lemon juice and time. The salt and acid will break down the greens enough to make them digestible. Let this salad at least 30 minutes ahead, but feel free to make it several hours or even the day before.
Massaged Kale Salad with Toasted Nuts, Dried Cherries & Parmesan
1 small bunch of lacinato kale, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, walnuts or almonds
1 tablespoon dried cherries, cranberries or currants
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheeses
salt and pepper
* Place the thinly sliced kale in a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Massage the mixture with your fingers until all of the kale is well-coated and looks a bit darker in color. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss to coat. Give it a taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. Let it sit at least 30 minutes, then serve.
Metaphors of Soil and Soul…
Shoulder Season
by Cindi J Martin
Your normally heavy purple produce bag may be a bit lighter the next weeks. We have entered a shoulder season, which is what some call the winter to spring transition of March and April. Variable weather means we may not be comfortable without “something on our shoulders.” For cold loving plants, seasonal change causes them to bolt to seed. The rise in temperature and changes in day length can stress plants so they will direct their energy to form flowers for survival. Simply said, they bolt. These sure signs of their season’s “end” urge us to prepare for the new growing season. We are busy digging out spent vegetation, shaping new planting beds into rows, and moving seedlings from the greenhouse to the open fields. Seeds for spring and summer were planted in the greenhouse early in the year. Year-round gardening requires balanced thinking - forward and backward thinking bound tightly to the present by diligent care and timely reaping.
This made me think of how important it is to recognize how our past shapes us, influences our understanding, impacts our thinking about the future, and enables us to live in and fully enjoy the present. A tall order! Many people want to forget the past. Others spend so much energy planning for a future they forget to enjoy what they have now. When we become familiar with the rhythms of life and nature recorded in the Old and New Testaments, we see God’s multifaceted “past, present, future” perspective revealed in all creation. Created in God’s image, we should cultivate a similar three-dimensional perspective on life, a perspective that maintains a healthy balance of “past, present, and future” thinking. A balanced head on your shoulders will bring you comfort and benefit your well-being. Body, mind, and spirit will flourish together throughout the changing seasons of life, and you won’t “bolt” when inevitable heat, stress, variability, and uncertainty come your way.
