Fresh from Wellspring Charitable Gardens - July 3, 2025

Fresh Today… Tomatoes, Eggplant, Summer Squash, Cucumbers, Carrots, Garlic, Green Onions, Bell Peppers, Onions, Dill Seed Heads, Thyme, Basil, Donut Peaches, Nectarines, Valencia Oranges & Zinnias

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

The dish ratatouille has a rich history rooted in the culinary traditions of southern France, particularly in the Provence and Nice regions. Prior to the fancy layered vegetable dishes that you might see on Instagram, the dish began as peasant food, made by farmers in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was a practical way to cook summer vegetables that were plentiful. Ratatouille traditionally uses tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, onions, peppers, and garlic. Each vegetable is cooked separately to preserve its texture and flavor, then combined and stewed. Today this is a perfect example of seasonal, vegetarian-friendly cuisine, using our garden produce. Try this recipe served over pasta, white beans, or as a side dish to grilled chicken or steak.

Ratatouille

5 tbsps. olive oil, divided

2 small eggplant (any kind), cubed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2-3 medium zucchini or summer

   squash, cubed

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

3-4 medium tomatoes, large dice

1 bell pepper, large dice

1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves,

    thinly sliced, plus more for serving

* Heat 2 tbsps. of the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the eggplant, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned in spots, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pot and transfer to a large bowl. Add 2 tbsps. of the oil to the pot. Add the squash, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned in spots, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the eggplant. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tbsp. oil and the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and bay leaf and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and bell peppers. Add the reserved eggplant and zucchini and gently stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for at least 20-30. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Just before serving, stir in the basil. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Happy 249^th Independence Day, USA!

We join you in celebrating the evident truths and unalienable rights affirmed in The Declaration of Independence.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, 

that all men are created equal, 

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,

that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. 

Summer Salad…

This simple salad is refreshing. When you prepare the cucumbers, removing the seeds and skin is optional and your choice. Everyone has a personal preference and they all work.

Cucumber Salad 

1-2 cucumbers, peeled and      

    seeds removed if desired      

¼ tsp salt                                       

½ tsp sugar                                        

½ cup sliced red onion

¼ tsp red chili flakes

¼ tsp red chili flakes

2 tsp rice vinegar or white 

wine or red wine vinegar 

* Cut the cucumber in half from top to bottom and the slice each piece, with the flat side down on your cutting board, into thin half-moons. In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, salt, sugar, red onion, red chili flakes and vinegar. Let stand for 10 minutes and then enjoy.   

Metaphors of Soil and Soul . . .

A Parable of Soils?

Cindi J & Keith F Martin

Jesus’ Parable of The Sower and the Seed could be called A Parable of Soils.  He describes various soils onto which seed can be sown - hard soil, rocky soil, crowded soil, and good soil.  Seed sown onto hard soil cannot penetrate, so birds snatch it away before it can grow; seed sown on rocky soil grows but is short-lived; shallow roots cannot firmly anchor or long sustain growth; seed sown among thorns and weeds also grows but soon gets crowded and choked out.  Seed sown onto good soil – hospitable, sustaining, nurturing soil - receives all it needs to grow and bring forth abundant fruit. Soil conditions determine growth. Our gifted gardeners have taught me that hard soil, rocky soil, and crowded soil can, with careful conditioning, become good soil. That reality comforts me since Jesus likens the various soils to conditions of the human heart and the seed to His Word and Life. 

A few years ago, we planted Dahlias to beautify our garden baskets and subscribers’ tables.  Dahlias are lovely but demanding flowers, so we had to amend our dense, heavy clay soil with gypsum, bone meal, and steer manure to satisfy their preferences.  Gypsum, a mineral found layered in sedimentary rock, loosens and aerates compacted soil. Bone meal provides vital nitrogen, phosphorus, and calcium that strengthen plant roots. Steer manure introduces organic nutrients and microorganisms that keep soil fertile and plants viable. These essential amendments condition and restructure soil so that it resists compaction, facilitates penetration, and provides nutrition for plants to mature and bear fruit.

People, like plants, also have preferred soils in which they best grow.  Have you identified the landscape that most invigorates your spiritual, emotional, and physical growth? Are there places in your heart that remain impenetrable to the Word of Life, any rocks that hinder roots, or any thorns and weeds that crowd out the growth of fruit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control? What amending to your “heart soil” might encourage healthy, sustainable growth? May we have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to understand how to amend the various soils of the heart so that we become hospitable to God’s Word and indwelling Spirit.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  John 1:1-5