Fresh from Wellspring Charitable Gardens - May 28, 2026

Fresh Today… Green Beans, Shelling Peas, Potatoes, Summer Squash, Lettuce, Cucumbers, Celery, Beets, Swiss Chard, Radishes, Cilantro, Basil, Valencia Oranges & Flowers

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

The season is changing and we have the first green beans and garlic of the season. Garlic is so much better in the summer when it is freshly harvested. Store the garlic can on the counter. A couple more storage tips: the potatoes should be kept out of plastic and kept in a cool dark cupboard. Both will keep for a few weeks, but don’t wait to enjoy these seasonal treats. Store the basil in a jar of water on the counter like flowers. It will stay good for a week or more. Today’s recipe includes our garlic and basil with the fresh green beans.

Green Beans

with Garlic and Basil

1-pound fresh green beans,

    ends removed

2 tablespoons olive oil

2–3 cloves garlic, thinly

    sliced or minced

1/2 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn

Squeeze of lemon juice or

   grated Parmesan to finish

* Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and cook for 2–3 minutes until bright green and just tender. Drain and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain again and pat dry. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant (don’t let it burn). Add green beans, salt, and pepper. Toss and sauté for 3–5 minutes until beans are warmed through and lightly blistered in spots. Turn off the heat, stir in fresh basil. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or sprinkle with grated Parmesan before serving.

 In Memory

Memorial Day was Monday. Originally, the final Monday of May was set aside for remembering Union soldiers who died during the Civil War. Following World War I, the scope of remembrance was expanded to include those who died in any war or military action. Since poppies were the only flowers to grow in the muddy war-torn battlefields of Europe, red poppies became the memorial flower to represent the sacrifice of the fallen and remind us of our enduring bond in duty and service. Red is worn on Memorial Day in their memory and honor.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly.

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.  

 by Colonel John McCrae, May 1915

Vegetable Fritters…

Summer squash makes a great replacement for potatoes in a fritter recipe. They have more water, so you will want to salt, drain and squeeze out some of the excess before cooking. Also, adding some flour will make these hold together. Enjoy these fritters with a salad for a light lunch.

Squash Fritters 

3 pieces summer squash,         

    about 1-pound,                              

¾ tsp salt                                      

1 egg                                                

¼ cup flour (a gluten free grated 

flour substitute will work) 

2 tbsp shredded cheese 

1 tbsp of oil 

* Combine the grated squash and salt and leave it in a colander for 20-30 minutes, to allow some of the water to drain. Squeeze the squash to remove any excess water, then mix it with the egg, flour and cheese. Heat a nonstick pan, over medium heat, add the oil and drop 1/4 cup of the squash mixture into the pan. Help it to spread out a little then repeat 2-3 more times, so you have 3-4 small pancakes. Allow them to cook for 5 minutes then turn the fritters over and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove them and cook another batch to use the remaining batter. Enjoy hot, but they are also great the next day. 

Metaphors of Soil and Soul…

Sweet Dormancy

by Ronda May Melendez & Keith F Martin

This year’s cherry tree fruiting was not nearly as prolific as last year’s. Since I really enjoy fresh sweet cherries, and cherries most any other way we prepare them, it is exciting when the cherry trees fruit abundantly. Alas, when the year’s sweet crop was not so large, I was sour and sought to learn the reason.

It turns out cherry trees require between 1,000-1,500 hours of chilling time to produce flowers. There were fewer blossoms this season, so I am now wondering if there was not enough chill time throughout the winter. Cold causes hormonal changes in the tree that signal dormancy, or rest, can take place. When there is a warmer winter, dormancy does not last as long and that can result in irregularly formed flowers and/or a longer flowering season. Both are problematic; deformed flowers diminish fruit formation and the longer the flowering season, the more susceptible the flowers are to disease. Regardless, both sorely diminish the quantity and quality of the fruit.

I’ll be honest. The thought of ‘chilling’ sours me when life demands so much of me. In modern vernacular, “to chill out” means to relax or calm down. I once knew how to do that, but I confess that I stink at it now, and I am struggling to remember how to do that even as I type to meet a deadline. That being the case, this insight about dormancy challenges me to re-evaluate my sore attitude and sour perspective on cherry harvests and living. Who would have thought that the ability or will to chill impacts productivity?

Yes, humans need ‘chilling’ times, too. I love that God designed a purpose for the chill time of the cherry tree and the human as well. I invite you to read the wisdom of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3. For the cherry tree, the designed timing of dormancy promotes a healthier blossom, a more abundant yield, and a sweeter fruit. That is also true for the human - “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.” Exodus 34:21

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens.