Fresh from Wellspring Charitable Gardens - October 29, 2026

Oct 29

4 min read

Fresh Today… Napa Cabbage, Kale, Arugula, Carrots, Peppers, Red Romaine Lettuce, Eggplant, Celery, Garlic, Basil, Chives, Popcorn & Pomegranates

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

This week we have Napa Cabbage coming in our baskets. You can sauté or stir fry quickly over high heat. If it overcooks it will get mushy. It can also be roasted in the oven or grilled. I also like to make Korean style Kimchi. For a fermented recipe for beginners, I have found these directions to be easy to understand. https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-easy-kimchi-at-home-189390. You can also make fresh kimchi without the fermentation time. More like a fresh salad it doesn’t have as much salt, so eat it within a few days.

Fresh Kimchi

1 head napa cabbage

1 tablespoon kosher salt

½ cup water

¼ cup Korean hot pepper flakes

(gochugaru)

1½ teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons minced ginger

2 green onions, sliced diagonally

1-2 carrots, cut into matchsticks

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

* Cut cabbage in half lengthwise, then cut into 1-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip into 1-inch pieces and put them into a large bowl. Add ½ cup water and sprinkle the salt over top. Toss the cabbage well to spread the salt evenly on the leaves. Leave the salt on for 30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes. In a separate bowl combine the hot pepper flakes, sugar, fish sauce, garlic, and ginger and stir well. Rinse the cabbage in cold water and drain well. Combine the cabbage, the spice mixture, green onion and carrot and stir well. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Eat right away or within 1-2 days.

“Great Pumpkin” Humor

How do you mend a broken jack-o-lantern?

With a pumpkin patch.

What movie most frightens a pumpkin?

Pulp Fiction.

Who helps a young pumpkin cross the road?

A crossing gourd.

Why do pumpkins stay out of bars?

They hate getting smashed.

What’s a pumpkin’s favorite song?

The Beach Boys Gourd Vibrations.

How did the carver greet the pumpkin?

“Happy Hollowing!

* Saturday is Halloween!

Let the Gourd Times Roll! *

Leafy Greens…

Fall is here and so are the leafy greens like this week’s kale. To get the longest life in your refrigerator, try to wash and dry the greens before you put them away. Here is my simple sauté recipe to cook them quickly and then enjoy right away.

Sautéed Kale

6 cups chopped kale leaves

2 garlic cloves minced

sprinkle of red chili flakes

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

salt and pepper

lemon juice or balsamic vinegar

* Wash the chopped greens in a bowl of water, let any dirt settle to the bottom, and pull the greens out to drain, they do not need to be dry. In a large sauté pan with a lid, heat the garlic, chili flakes and butter over medium-high heat, until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the wet greens, salt and pepper. Cover with the lid and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove the lid, stir the greens, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. For tougher greens, if the pan dries up, add a few tablespoons of water and cover, to help steam the vegetables. Sprinkle with fresh lemon or balsamic vinegar.

Metaphors of Soil and Soul…

The Taste for Fresh

Cindi J & Keith F Martin

Years ago, my dearest friend admitted she preferred Taster’s Choice freeze-dried coffee to fresh-ground, slow brewed. She grew up drinking instant, so its flavor shaped her taste. I often urged her to try my fresh-brewed, but she always politely declined, saying she preferred hers. When she finally agreed, she wrenched her face and remarked blandly, “That just tastes wrong.” Taste is like that; we prefer what we know, what’s familiar to us. The taste for fruit and vegetables is shaped in a similar way. Many of us grew up eating processed, packaged, or prepared vegetables, fruits, and herbs, so we prefer frozen broccoli and spinach, canned peaches and fruit cocktail, or dried basil and rosemary to their fresh counterparts. Fresh just tastes wrong. Genuine preference may be at play here for some, but there are others who have not yet tried fresh or sought to develop the taste for it.

Growing and learning about fall and winter produce helped me develop the taste for fresh. I could see and taste a marked difference in the leafy greens and root vegetables coming out of the garden. Cold - night and day - concentrates and matures flavors. Cold intensifies the sweetness of root crops like carrots, beets, and turnips. Cold enhances the peppery notes in leafy greens like arugula, collard greens, and braising mixes. Fresh spinach, kale, lettuces, and chard have more robust hues and distinct flavors.

Fresh fall and winter produce supports our physical and mental health in the sun-shortened seasons. Autumn pomegranates and winter citrus are loaded with antioxidants and vitamin C that defend against cold and flu viruses. Fuyu persimmons are rich in vitamin A, which strengthens the immune system and promotes skin health. Winter root crops and dark leafy greens abound in vitamins (A, B, C, D, K), minerals (Potassium, Manganese, Iron, Calcium), and fiber that boost bone and muscle growth, brain function, stress tolerance, mood regulation, and bowel “regularity.” Cold loving produce provides precisely what we need to weather the cold, dark days of fall and winter.

As I reflect on the growth of my taste for fresh, I note spiritual parallels. Growing up, many of us were served processed religion, packaged rituals, or prepared faith in one formulaic feeding or another, so we never developed the taste for fresh. We settled for what others said about The LORD God but had not "tasted and seen" for ourselves that the LORD is good. Do we “believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him”? (Hebrews 11:6). Learning to enjoy fresh takes time and sincere effort, but the reward is worth the cost. Let us make time and every effort to develop our personal preference for The One God who can fully satisfy the heart’s hunger for love and the soul’s thirst for eternity. In time, my dear friend did develop the taste for fresh-ground, slow brewed coffee. Today she says, “That tastes good!”

"O taste and see that the LORD is good…" Psalm 34:8