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Fresh from Wellspring Charitable Gardens - May 1, 2025

  • Writer: Cindi J. Martin
    Cindi J. Martin
  • May 1
  • 5 min read


Fresh Today… Sugar Snap Peas, Artichokes, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Spring & Green Onions, Cauliflower, Kale, Spinach, Lettuce Heads, Salad Turnips, Radishes, Dill, Cilantro & Oregano


Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

 

This week I included a turnip salad with yogurt-dill dressing. It is a light and tangy dish that showcases the crisp texture and mild sweetness of salad turnips. Thinly slice the turnips and chill in ice water to enhance their crunch. The turnips are then tossed with their tender greens, fresh dill, and green onions for a burst of flavor and color. A creamy dressing made from yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, and simple seasonings ties everything together, balancing the earthiness of the turnips with a bright, herby tang. It's a refreshing, nutrient-packed salad perfect for a spring side dish.


Turnip Salad

with Yogurt-Dill Dressing

 

1 bunch salad turnips

Juice of ½ lemon

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/3 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

¼ cup chopped fresh dill

2 green onions, sliced thin

 

* Remove the greens from the turnips. Wash the turnips and the greens thoroughly. Dry the greens and coarsely chop. Slice the turnips thinly and soak in ice water for 15 minutes while preparing the dressing. In a small bowl whisk the lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and yogurt. Remove the turnips from the ice water and pat dry with a towel. Toss the dressing with the turnips, greens, dill and green onions. Enjoy right away.



 Welcome Back!

 

The Veggie Vacation has come to a sweet end! Don't they look relaxed, well-rested, and well-rounded? Like all serious vacationers, they put off their diets and put on a few pounds! The WCG Pickin' Crew are here today picking, packing, and delivering those deliciously plump spring vegetables who have enjoyed a bit of fun in the sun!

 

Meanwhile, our WCG Cultivatin’ Crew has been hard at work battling weeds, prepping fields, and planting tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, squash, eggplant, peas, peppers, and basil in the rows. Summer’s coming and we want your Purple Bags overflowing with fresh summer fare - vegetables, fruit, and herbs - to serve and enjoy. Guten Appetit! 



Asian Fried Rice… 

 

When I have peas and carrots, I love to make fried rice. It’s the simplest way for me to get my family to eat a few extra vegetables. This recipe comes together in a few minutes and with some leftover cooked meat or tofu it makes an easy meal.

 

Asian Fried Rice 

 

2 cups raw rice, 4 cups cooked       

3 eggs                                                      

3 tablespoons oil divided                     

½ cup onion, diced                              

1 cup sugar snap peas, sliced              

2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari 

2 carrots, peeled and diced small

¾ cup cooked and chopped pork

shrimp, or chicken (optional)

3-4 green onions, sliced

or ½ cup shelled peas


* Cook 2 cups of raw rice according to package directions. While the rice is cooking, scramble the eggs in a non-stick sauté pan with 1 tablespoon of oil.  Remove the eggs from the pan and set aside.  Prepare all the vegetables and meat and wait until the rice is done cooking before proceeding. In a very large skillet or wok, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and sauté the onions and carrots, add the sugar snap peas, cooked shrimp or chicken, cook for about 2-3 minutes until the meat is heated through.  Turn off the heat. Add the cooked eggs, cooked rice, half of the green onions and soy sauce. Stir thoroughly to combine and serve topped with remaining green onions. 




Metaphors of Soil and Soul . . .


A Season, a Time, and a Purpose for Weeds

Cindi J Martin


“Deep as we are now into the exuberance of spring, let’s take a moment to celebrate weeds.  That word may be enough to stop your breath for a moment or set the spin of worry over weekend to-do lists into hyperdrive. But stay with me; weeds may offer more than you thought. Perhaps you have seen some of our native bees out lately, having emerged from their ground nests to feed on the nectar of early spring wildflowers. When we forget to leave some “weeds” to bloom, we also lose pollinators like these. Or have you seen ladybugs or fence lizards crawling out from the protective cover of winter grasses? Losing “weedy” patches also takes away the home of many garden residents. Maybe you have a hunter in your family, maybe even one who can remember when fence-line weeds went un-mowed, and pheasants or quail could still be found in pastures. Those birds too, have left with the weeds. Weeds offer us so much of value - wildflowers, soil fertility, nutritious greens, biodiversity, cleaner water and air. They are, after all, just plants growing outside of human control. So, while weeds may or may not be completely compatible with a front yard or a vegetable garden, remember those benefits, and perhaps for a moment, celebrate the beauty of weeds.” Anna Hazen, Market Gardener


These are the words of Anna Hazen, our Market Gardener, to whom we owe a debt of gratitude for the delicious and nutritious produce you find in your WCG Purple Bag. Anna has taught me much and continues to be patient with the part of me so averse to weeds on our farm.  Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 says, “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven…” Weeds can enhance soil health, provide habitat for wildlife, and attract beneficial pollinators and other useful insects. Some weeds are edible (mallow) and others are used in herbal remedies.

 

But is there really a time and purpose for weeds in the garden of the soul?  I typically define the weeds of my heart as some kind of negative feeling or thought.  My first response is to eradicate them with a sort of emotional or cognitive “Round-up”.  But what if there is actually some kind of benefit to having such a weed spring up in my heart’s soil?  We are made in the image of God who feels a wide range of emotions; some we consider positive, such as joy and delight, and some negative, anger and jealousy. Unexamined and misunderstood, emotions can be destructive when unrestrained (Schadenfreude – joy in another’s harm!).  Examined and understood, emotions have indispensable value. They can signal the presence of a potential threat; for example, anger when boundaries are not respected. Our emotions are meant to inform, not control us.   Rather than immediately dismissing the weeds of soil and soul, let us take time to examine them and appreciate their value - They disclose and signal the conditions of health and well-being.



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