Fresh from Wellspring Charitable Gardens - August 28, 2025

Fresh Today… Heirloom Slicing & Cherry Tomatoes, Summer Squash Varieties, Eggplant, Lettuce Mix, Assorted Cucumbers, Carrots, Green Beans, Cilantro, Dill, Basil, Parsley, Zinnias & Hibiscus Flowers

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

Armenian Cucumbers, also known as Yard-Long Cucumbers or Snake Melons, are a variety of melon and not true cucumbers. They look and taste very similar and can be used in the same way. They are long, often curled or twisted, with light green or striped skin. The thin skin is edible with no need to peel. Crisp and less watery than regular cucumbers with fewer and smaller seeds, Armenian cucumbers are slightly sweeter with no bitterness. We love them here at the garden because they thrive in our hot California climate.

Thai Cucumber Carrot Salad

1 lime

1 teaspoon sugar or honey

1 hot pepper, seeded and chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 large Armenian cucumber, chopped

2-3 carrots, shredded

½ cup cilantro leaves, chopped

½ cup basil leaves, chopped

* Finely grate zest from lime. Cut the lime crosswise in half, squeeze juice from limes. Place zest and juice in a large bowl and add sugar, hot pepper, garlic, salt and black pepper, mix well to combine. Add to the dressing, the cucumber, carrots, cilantro, and basil, stir gently to combine and eat right away.

“Hey Subscriber, can you spare a few clamshells?”

Do you have surplus clamshell containers cluttering your pantry or crowding your kitchen cabinets? Our supply is depleted, so we thought you might have extras in your expansive stockpiles. You know, declutter and donate so you have more room for the essentials – KFC wet wipes, Wendy’s Frosty spoons, Chipotle napkins, Jack-in-the-Box chicken strips dips, Panda Express soy sauce packets, Pizza Hut hot pepper and parmesan packets, Burger King cardstock crowns…. The decluttering and donating may elevate your spirits and inspire you to don that BK crown and tackle another troublesome task – organizing the kitchen junk drawer that resembles a Fuller Brush Man’s sales case.

Eggplant…

This roasted eggplant dish has cherry tomatoes and cumin for a flavor boost. The addition of a simple vinaigrette adds an acidity and fresh herbs. The walnuts and cheese round out the dish to balance the mouthfeel in every bite.

Roasted Eggplant and Cherry Tomatoes

1 large eggplant (or 2 small),          1 teaspoon ground cumin

   cut into 1-inch cubes Juice of      1 lemon (or 1 tablespoon

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved           vinegar)

2–3 tablespoons olive oil                ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste                   Optional: crumbled feta or

1 clove garlic, minced                           goat / toasted walnuts

* Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss eggplant cubes with 1–2 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes. Toss the cherry tomatoes with a sprinkle of salt and add to the eggplant cooking for an additional 10 minutes until the eggplant is golden and the tomatoes blister. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, minced garlic, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Let the roasted veggies cool slightly. Drizzle the dressing over the vegetables and top with the cilantro, cheese and walnuts.

Metaphors of Soil and Soul…

Cease Striving

Cindi J & Keith F Martin

Summer vegetables grow remarkably overnight, but so do summer weeds and pests. There is no substitute for regularly walking the rows and carefully examining plant growth to know the state of the garden. At a distance we see verdant rows bursting with ripe vegetables and assume all is well. Kneeling and looking closely at the plants reveal “imposter weeds” and hungry gophers have worked their way into the shaded stalks and roots of the squash, carrots, cucumbers, and rainbow chard. It was only by kneeling and pulling out the weeds masquerading as desirable plants that I discovered what the lush foliage was really hiding – damaged produce and wasted effort.

What about the state of our souls? Insight comes from having sacred “down time” to spend in contemplation and reflection. Are we walking the ordered rows of our lives but not taking time to “kneel down” and look beneath the surface of our praiseworthy effort and lush produce? I remember the first time I participated in a silent retreat. It was then, in silence and stillness, that I first realized I had used service and activity to hide emotional pain and mask my silent suffering. I came face to face with ugly thoughts and wretched emotions that exposed the work of my mental striving – wasted effort and damaged produce. The insight was painful, yet I am eternally grateful that God used the retreat to reveal His Nature and expose my unnatural bent to hide hurt beneath “work-a-holism” and “ministry-a-holism.”

In those quiet moments, the LORD revealed Himself to me as the great “I AM” not the great “I Do.” God’s doing comes naturally from His Being. We humans, though, too often believe and behave as if our doing determines our being and proves our worth. Such masquerades waste effort and damages produce. We are most fulfilled when we know that our true nature and identity are built not upon the shifting sands of what we do but upon The Rock and who we are - beloved and precious children of the eternal and almighty “I AM” who created us in His Image. The LORD reminds us in Psalms, “Cease striving and know that I am God” (46:10).