Fresh from Wellspring Charitable Gardens - May 15, 2025

Fresh Today… Summer Squash, Beets, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Snap Peas, Carrots, Broccoli, Green Onions, Lettuce Heads, Turnips, Radishes, Oregano, Dill & Cilantro

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

I have seen a lot of roasted cabbage salads on my Instagram feed lately. I like cooked cabbage better than a raw coleslaw, and the caramelized edges add more complexity to the dish. By pre-cutting the cabbage before roasting in the oven, it comes together quickly, just toss with the dressing and eat. This recipe combines crispy roasted chickpeas and toasted almonds for a satisfying crunch. The rich, tangy dressing made with tahini, honey, garlic, and red wine vinegar ties everything together with a touch of sweetness and zip. Enjoy right away or the next day.

Roasted Cabbage and Chickpea Salad

1 can rinsed and drained chickpeas  

1 head cabbage cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup chopped almonds

1 tablespoon honey

2 small garlic cloves, finely minced  

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon tahini  

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar  

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Pinch salt and ground pepper  

* Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper. Toss the chickpeas with 1 tablespoon olive oil and place on one of the sheet pans. Toss the cabbage with 1 tablespoon oil and salt.  Spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cook the chickpeas for about 20 minutes until browned and cook the cabbage for about 25-30 minutes. In the same oven, while cooking the cabbage, toast the nuts until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Whisk together the honey, garlic, tahini, red wine vinegar, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss the cabbage, chickpeas, and almonds with the dressing. Enjoy right away.

“No! No! GMO, We Won’t Grow!”  

We share your concern and taste. You expect your produce to be fresh, healthy, tasty, and natural, so that is what we plant, cultivate, and deliver to you, our subscribers. We do not defer to the powers that be but bow before the Power Who Is and grow by design naturally. Seeds we plant come from Johnny’s Selected Seeds, one of nine original signers of the Safe Seed Pledge: “Agriculture and seeds provide the basis upon which our lives depend. We must protect this foundation as a safe and genetically stable source for future generations. For the benefit of all farmers, gardeners, and consumers who want an alternative, we pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants….” We trust you enjoy the fresh produce you receive and hope you will spread the good word about Wellspring Charitable Gardens and Wellspring Counseling Ministries.

What a tangled mess they grow,

so just say “No!” to GMO!

Spring Salads…

Broccoli makes the perfect base to this Asian style spring salad. It also holds up well when made ahead and takes advantage of the broccoli stalks. Feel free to substitute the peanuts and peanut butter with cashews or almonds.

          Broccoli Salad with Peanut Dressing

¼ cup peanut butter         1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

2 tbsp. rice vinegar.           4-6 cups chopped broccoli

1 tbsp. soy sauce                     florets and shredded stems

3 tbsps. orange juice         1-2 shredded carrots

1 to 2 tsp. Sriracha             1 green onion, sliced thin

   hot sauce (optional)       ½ cup cilantro leaves

½ tsp. salt                             ¼ cup roasted peanuts

* Combine the peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, orange juice, hot sauce, salt, and sesame oil. Mix well and set aside. In a large bowl combine the shredded broccoli, carrots, and green onions, toss the vegetables together. Mix with the peanut sauce. Taste and add salt if desired. Serve topped with the cilantro and roasted peanuts.

Metaphors of Soil and Soul . . .

Grape Leaves

Ronda May Melendez & Keith F Martin

The last few weeks I have made more effort to be mindful of the good our Lord brings into our lives – mountain breezes, Sierra snowfalls, refreshing rains, spring blossoms, and soil-rooted vines sustaining branches unfolding tender leaves toward the warm sunlight of spring.

Watching the grape leaves form and unfold has been most encouraging. The first leaf buds timidly appeared weeks ago, multiplied along the branches, and then boldly unfolded as a vast and efficient solar array. Fragile and delicate, the foliage houses a mighty powerplant producing sustainable green energy.  The leaves convert sunlight into food that nourishes and strengthens the vine whose branches will soon support sweet grapes. First, though, the buds drew strength from the energy stored in the vine’s root system; now the leaves return the favor by supplying energy that extends and anchors the roots. With time, the leaves develop into a lush canopy providing its vine, branches, and fruit, shade from the searing summer heat. Later, the harvested leaves enfold tender lamb, lemon, spices, and rice to serve dolma that delights the tongue and satisfies the grower’s appetite. The leaves nourish the very lives that have cultivated, trellised, and pruned its branches for new, abundant growth.

Grape leaves call to mind a teaching of Jesus recorded in John’s gospel. We find our being, our nourishment, and our strength by abiding in Jesus, the Eternal Vine.  His Life, Light, and Word transform, strengthen, and sustain us - His branches - for His delight and as a blessing to others. What a sweet and delightful collaboration the concerted effort unfolds for our good!

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing…. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and prove to be My disciples.  Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.” John 15