Fresh from Wellspring Charitable Gardens - February 12, 2026

Fresh Today… Broccoli, Beets, Kabocha Squash, Kale, Cabbage, Carrots, Mini Head Lettuce, Green Onions, Parsley, Rosemary, Lemons, Tangerines & a Taste of Amber’s Honey

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

This week we have broccoli coming your way. This recipe is similar to Panera’s, I can’t say it’s anywhere close to a knock off because I’ve never actually had the original. It’s written to be chunky, but if you wanted to you can blend some or all the soup to make it smoother. Blending will give you a creamy texture without adding cream. I like to make blended vegetable soups for their ease of preparation. When you blend all the ingredients up after cooking you don’t need to worry about cutting them up in perfect dice.

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, thinly sliced

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup flour

2 cups milk

2-3 cups chicken or vegetable

   stock or water

3-4 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 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.

What’s Cookin’?

Have you prepared a meal from a recipe created by WCG culinary chef and newsletter contributor, Julie Moreno?  We would love to hear from you and learn which recipes are your favorites!  Can you guess the reason?  After 10 years of growing fresh farm to table produce for local families, schools, and restaurants, we want to celebrate by compiling a WCG Devotional Cook Book!  It will have our favorite recipes and our favorite Metaphors of Soil and Soul to walk readers through the seasons of growth at Wellspring Charitable Gardens.  We have wonderful volunteers who will help curate the collection, and we will donate 100% of the proceeds to our counseling ministry.  Please let us know which WCG recipes are your favorites. You can also weigh in on your favorite Metaphors of Soil and Soul too!  Take pictures of your recipe cards and newsletters or refer to recipes listed by name on our website. Better yet, share them with us any way you consider most convenient!  Email to wellspringcharitablegardens.com or text to Cindi at (209) 607-1887.  The cookbook will cover the four seasons, so enter a favorite for everyone!

Soup Weather…

It looks like we will have at least a couple more weeks of cool weather, so make the most of it with a few days inside cooking. This recipe comes from one of my favorite online chefs, combining dill, cabbage, beans and onions, for a hearty meal.

Dilly Bean Stew with Cabbage

and Frizzled Onions

            (From AlisonRoman.com)

2 tbsp unsalted butter,             

    plus more (optional)                   

2 tbsp olive oil, plus more       

1 large onion, thinly sliced            

kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper                            

2 15-oz. cans white beans drained and rinsed  

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth or water

¼ of a head of cabbage, core removed,

coarsely chopped (8–10 ounces)

1 tbsp white vinegar

½ cup dill, coarsely chopped

Sour cream (optional)                    

* Heat butter (if using) and olive oil in a medium pot over medium–high heat (if not using butter, add 2 more tablespoons olive oil). Add onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, without stirring too much or too frequently, so they get nicely browned and frizzled over 5–8 minutes. You do not want jammy, caramelized onions, but you also do not want burnt onions, so just adjust the heat and frequency of stirring as needed. Using a slotted spoon, transfer ¼ of the onions to a small bowl; set aside (for topping). Add the beans and season with salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, smash some of the beans into the pot to give the soup a creamier texture. Add the broth or water and bring to a simmer. Simmer 15–20 minutes. Add the cabbage and vinegar, simmer 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and more vinegar if you like. Remove from heat and stir in half the dill. Divide among bowls and top with more dill and the reserved onions. Give another drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and crack of black pepper. Not that you need my permission, but if the mood strikes, sour cream is also great here.

Metaphors of Soil and Soul…

Seeds, No Doubt

Cindi j Martin

Elizabeth Elliott, wife of missionary Jim Elliott who was killed by Auca tribesmen of Ecuador, is quoted as saying, “Don’t dig up in doubt what you have planted in faith.” These are wise words to consider during the dark and seemingly dead days of winter when our hopes and dreams, like the days, grow cold and show no signs of life above ground. It is easy in these seasons to doubt, even despair, that seed planted in hope still holds promise. Our efforts appear futile when they have not produced results as soon as we had expected. Perhaps you imagine yourself in another season of life as this new year wears on. Have you been feeling withering heat in your life? Does the seed you have sown seem scorched or to have gone up in smoke?

When our expectations long go unmet, we too often and too easily become discouraged, even stop believing, the seed we nurture in faith can grow. We are tempted to dig the seed up or to remove them from the heat so we can see what has gone wrong. Master Gardeners, however, tell us to not disturb the seed but continue to nurture it and wait patiently. They need sufficient time to develop their roots in the dark underground. They also remind us that some seeds need heat to germinate. The majestic California Sequoia produces cones that require fire to open and release their seed to the fertile ground. I love what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 5:3-5 about the attitude to take when we encounter dark or fiery trials; he encourages us to stay the course and endure in faith, the very same faith, by which we planted:

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love."

In a remarkable demonstration of courage and character, Elizabeth Elliott and Rachel Saint, whose brother also died in the Auca attack, learned the Auca language and went to live with the tribesmen to nurture the precious seed planted by their lost loved ones. Like seeds, we develop strength, character, and sustaining roots when we faithfully stay the course and endure the dark or heat of adversity.