Fresh from Wellspring Charitable Gardens - Oct 10, 2024

Fresh this Week… Arugula, Sweet Peppers, Eggplant, Cucumbers, Celery Leaves, Head Lettuce, Green Beans, Tomatoes, Parsley, Basil, Zinnias, Ornamental Corn & Pumpkins

Using Your Produce… by Julie Moreno

Arugula is a tender leafy green related to radishes and mustard greens. It adds a peppery kick to salads. Use arugula alone as the primary green or combine it with other greens like spinach or lettuce. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar for a simple salad. You can add in cucumbers and tomatoes or try adding nuts, dried fruit feta or goat cheese for a balanced flavor. The strong flavor holds up to bold toppings. I like arugula in this salad with bacon and eggs. If you are vegetarian, use roasted vegetables and mushrooms as an alternative.

Arugula Salad with Bacon and Eggs

2 thick slices of bacon, cut into strips

1 large shallot or ¼ red onion,

    thinly sliced

6 cups arugula

2 eggs

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

     (optional, depending on amount

     of fat from the bacon)

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

* Bring a medium pot of water to a boil for the eggs. In a skillet, heat the bacon over medium-low heat, slowly rendering the bacon until crisp. Add the shallot to the bacon and cook until it’s wilted and translucent and the bacon is crisp, about 2 minutes more. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into individual small bowls or ramekins. Lower the water to a simmer and carefully add the eggs one at a time. Cook gently until the white is completely set but the yolk is still runny, 3-4 minutes. Put the arugula in a salad bowl and spoon the bacon-shallot mixture over the greens. Toss together to evenly coat. Add oil if desired then sprinkle the arugula with the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and divide amongst plates or bowls. Top with poached eggs and serve immediately.

WCG Grant Proposal

Thank you, Dear Subscribers,

for faithfully supporting our service and mission!

Choosing Wholeness: Farmers & Educators

Partnering to Nourish Student Health

WCG Staff will increase produce production,

farm to school produce sales, and…

* provide hands-on farm and food education to students, school food service personnel, and Head Start / childcare center staff.

* offer students farm visits to engage in high interest, hands-on activities essential for sustainable, seasonal farming: field preparation, composting, worm castings creation, seed planting, greenhouse germination, direct sowing, plant trellising/training, fruit propagation, harvesting, processing, packaging, and, of course, produce sampling, comparison tasting, and farm-grown fun.

* identify and explore parallels between sustainable farming practices and mental health practices (Metaphors of Soil & Soul) for students to use in their lives. Mental health specialists, educators, and farmers will describe and demonstrate parallels between practices of pruning and training, composting and grieving, companion planting and friendship nurturing, and the inspiring growth trait of Romanesco cauliflower and the beauty born of its resilience.

Pesto…

This pesto sauce is a perfect dip for roasted squash or eggplant. Make sure to toast the nuts to bring out the flavor. If you would like a thinner sauce, you can add a little water when blending.

Parsley Pesto

1 cup packed fresh parsley        

2 cloves garlic                                

juice of one lemon, about 2 tablespoons                  

½ teaspoon salt                             

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup toasted walnuts or pine nuts

¼ cup grated cheese

¼ cup olive oil

* Blend all together in a blender.  Enjoy with roasted squash, beans, rice, toasted bread, seafood or chicken.

Metaphors of Soil & Soul…

No-Till

by Ronda May Melendez & Keith F Martin

A conversation with market gardener Julie Moreno about plowing inspired me to write about No-Till farming, a sustainable practice that uses hand tools rather than mechanized tillers to break up soil for planting. Heavy plow machinery compacts soil and dredges dormant weed seeds to the surface where they germinate, grow, and overtake the fertile topsoil. Once established, weeds battle fiercely with our desirable plants for vital resources – space, sun, nutrients, and water.   

Our discussion turned on an obvious concern: “What plants are considered weeds?”  A weed is “a plant out of place and not intentionally sown; a plant growing where it is not wanted; a plant that is competitive, pernicious, and interferes negatively with human activity.” (12.09.09, extension.psu.edu).  No-Till farming offers an effective hands-on technique for both preventing weed growth and managing soil. The gentle practice requires strength and endurance to carefully loosen, but not overturn, compacted soil so that weed seeds stay buried, but water, nutrients, and plant roots from above can penetrate deeply. No-Till is messy. Fields seem worse initially, especially before desirable plants have developed roots, anchored themselves firmly, and supplanted the weeds in their soil.

There is much to learn from No-Till gardening about cultivating our hardened, fallen heart. First, weed seeds - envy, jealousy,  selfish desires, hate - are ever-present in its soil. Crises, stress, frustration, loss, and disappointments stir weed seeds to the surface where they germinate, grow and spread.  Once established, they vie for vital resources and choke the growth of desirable fruit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control.

How can we best manage “weeds” that do take root? First, we need to know our weeds. Some are best pulled,  mulched, and returned to the soil. Decomposed, they amend the heart and feed the growth of fruitful plants. Other weeds are best burned or consigned to a landfill. They are pernicious, like goat’s head and bindweed. Malicious ideologies, aberrant paradigms, rigid mindsets, biases, and prejudices must be summarily eradicated. Second, we need to stop mindless tilling that disturbs the heart. Resentments, bitterness, and pride dredge up malevolent weed seeds and impel them to take root and spread.

Weed seeds are inherent to our fallen nature. Disturbed, they surface, overtake valuable mental and emotional landscape, and choke out desirable fruit. Learning to manage the soil of the heart well is critical. It is time we practice “No-Till Living” and say, “No, not in this sacred garden. No more! I have chosen a better way.”

“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?  You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”  James 4:1-3