Fresh from Wellspring Charitable Gardens - October 17, 2023

Fresh this Week… Sweet Peppers, Eggplant, Summer Squash, Cucumbers, Head Lettuce, Green Beans, Tomatoes, Radishes, Basil, Oregano, Ornamental Corn, Pumpkins & Pomegranates

Using Your Produce… by Julie Moreno

The pumpkins that we grow make beautiful table decorations, but they are grown first for eating, make sure to cook them. I like to use them for nut breads or add a few tablespoons to your coffee, to make your own pumpkin spice latte. You can also use the puree to make a smoothie, add pumpkin pie spices, a banana and yogurt or your favorite non-dairy milk. To roast a whole pumpkin, pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Wash the pumpkin to remove any dirt. Place it on a baking sheet and put it in the oven for about 60-90 minutes until it is softened. Remove from the oven and let it cool. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds first then remove the flesh from the skin. You can use it for soups, purees, or other recipes calling for canned pumpkin.

Southwestern Pumpkin Soup

2 tablespoon oil

½ large onion, chopped

2-3 small bell peppers, chopped

1-2 hot pepper, chopped (optional)

1-2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons oregano

¼ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups pumpkin squash puree

1-2 cups water or stock

* In a soup pot sauté, the onion and peppers in the oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the hot peppers, garlic, oregano, cumin and salt, stir and continue cooking for 2-3 more minutes. Add a little water if the vegetables start to brown. Add the squash puree and 1 cup of water. Puree with an immersion blender to blend in the vegetables, add additional water if desired to reach your preferred consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

Creamy Tomato Soup

The Art of Simple Cooking

from Alice Waters

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium onion sliced

2 green onions, white and

light green parts, sliced

2 gloves garlic

2 lbs. ripe tomatoes, washed,

cored, and sliced

1 scant tablespoon white rice

A large pinch of salt

1/2 bay leaf

1 small sprig of savory,

thyme, or basil

1 cup water

1 tablespoon butter

1. Using a heavy-bottomed pan, warm olive oil and melt butter; then add the onion, green onion, and pinch of salt. Cover and cook until soft, but not brown. If needed, add water to keep from browning.

2. Add garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes, white rice, bay leaf, a large pinch of salt and a sprig of savory, thyme, or basil. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes fall apart.

4. Add 1 cup water and 1 tablespoon butter and continue cooking another 10 minutes until the rice is tender. Remove the herb sprigs.

5. Carefully ladle the soup into a blender, not more than 1/3 full. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Pass the puréed soup through a medium strainer to remove skin and seeds. Taste for salt. Add more water if soup is too thick. Serve.

Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley 50 years ago. There she pioneered the California farm-to-table movement that features cuisine with seasonal, fresh produce grown by local farmers.

Alternative Salsas…

Yes, you can use cucumbers in salsa! They add a refreshing crunch and can be a great complement to traditional salsa ingredients like tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Just be sure to dice them finely and adjust the seasoning to balance their mild flavor.

Cucumber Salsa

2 cups diced cucumbers

½ cup diced tomatoes

½ cup diced red onion

¼ cup chopped cilantro

1 jalapeño pepper or a sweet pepper

if preferred, seeded and minced

Juice of 1 lime

Salt and pepper to taste

* In a mixing bowl, combine the cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeño. Squeeze in the lime juice, salt and pepper and mix well. Let it sit for about 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Serve with tortilla chips or as a topping for tacos.

Metaphors of Soil and Soul…

Unexpected Strength

by Cindi J & Keith F Martin

We trellis the cucumbers to support and shape their growth. Their serpentine vines reach out from the soil and wend their way through hog panels Zip-tied to T-posts we’ve driven deep into firm clay below their fertile bed. They thrive suspended and secure above ground, where gravity and tension shape them beyond the reach of harmful pests and damp soil. Their leaves are yellowing now; soon they will go brown, dry out, and drop to the soil below. Warm autumn weather still encourages their growth, so we have not yet pulled their aging vines or removed their steel supports. Searching the rows for any cucumbers we overlooked at harvest, I discovered a lone pumpkin hanging with the cucumbers.

This heirloom pumpkin - deep green with dense orange flesh - is ideal for roasting, pulping, filling pies, or Halloween carving. I wondered how its seed mixed with the cucumbers; I marveled at the strength of its delicate vine and stem clinging undaunted to the slender steel rods. It has become something beautiful, desirable, substantial, and vulnerable suspended high above ground. I then learned the secret of its intrepid high-wire act. It was not just vine and stem supporting its ponderous form and weight; the pumpkin had grown its entire body through and around the steel trellis rods.

There are times we get planted in places we don’t naturally fit in. We are shaped differently and stand out like a pumpkin among cucumbers. We find it beyond our strength to grow, much less flourish, surrounded by others so disparately shaped. Out of place and feeling alone, we succumb easily to bleak resignation or even despair, and then withdraw, especially if we grew up hearing we are weak – meaning undesirable and unworthy – if we need support and reach out in times of trouble.

Yet, it is in reaching out that we find trellises to wend our way through. Like the lone pumpkin, we muster unexpected strength to do what we never thought possible – fit in, hold on, and grow. What trellises might you grow into for support? Yes, it takes strength to grow and take shape in a precarious place, so hang in there and persevere: a round pumpkin can grow into a square panel. The LORD is your trellis, a steadfast support in times of trouble.