Fresh from Wellspring Charitable Gardens - October 3, 2034
Fresh this Week… Summer Squash Assortment, Delicata Squash, Radishes & Salad Turnips, Swiss Chard, Red Head Lettuce, Green & Purple & Wax Beans, Tomatoes, Arugula, Chives, Rosemary & Basil
Using Your Produce… by Julie Moreno
If you’re looking for a new way to cook squash, here’s a list of ideas to get out of a rut. You can sauté it in a hot skillet with olive oil and garlic until tender, or grill thick slices brushed with oil for a smoky flavor. Roasting cubed or sliced squash in the oven brings out its natural sweetness, while steaming preserves its nutrients and vibrant color. For a fun twist, hollow out squash halves to stuff with grains, vegetables, and cheese before baking. Spiralizing summer zucchini squash into zoodles allows for a healthy noodle alternative, and you can also incorporate grated squash into baked goods for added moisture. Pureeing cooked squash with broth creates a smooth soup. Lastly, quick-pickling slices in vinegar and spices offers a tangy, crunchy addition to salads or sandwiches. Here’s another one of my favorite recipes.
Italian Sautéed Summer Squash and Tomatoes
2-3 medium pieces of summer squash, cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine (optional) or water
2 medium tomatoes, diced or ½ cup cherry
tomatoes sliced in half
2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated
* In a large sauté pan cook the cubed squash, garlic, salt and oil over medium heat, for about 3-4 minutes, or until the garlic starts to brown. Add the white wine and continue cooking uncovered until the wine has evaporated. Add the tomatoes and basil, cook about 2 minutes more until the tomatoes are hot. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese. Eat right away.
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. Our mental health specialists, educators, and farmers will illustrate and demonstrate parallels in various farm and mental health practices: pruning and training, composting and grieving, companion planting and nurturing friendship, and the inspiring growth trait of Romanesco and benefits and beauty born of resilience.
Winter Squash…
The main difference between winter and summer squash is that winter squash takes longer to mature and develops a thicker skin. For most winter squash we remove the skin, but you can eat Delicata and Acorn Squash skins. In this recipe, I cut the squash into slices and remove the seeds to have ring shaped pieces.
Roasted Delicata Squash
1-2 delicata squash cut into rings, seeds removed
1-2 teaspoons honey, maple syrup, or sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
½ fresh thyme or rosemary
fresh ground black pepper
* Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Slice the squash into rings or half-moons and remove any seeds. Place the rings in a large bowl and toss with the honey, salt, pepper, oil and herbs. Place the vegetables on an oiled baking sheet, or line with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until tender.
Metaphors of Soil & Soul…
Battling Stink Bugs
by Cindi J & Keith F Martin
The marmorated stink bug returns regularly to feast on the garden’s ripe tomatoes. Years ago, I asked Anna Hazen, a market garden expert and founding member of our CSA, how to eradicate this armored enemy. “Squish them when you see them,” she advised off-handedly. I cringed, “Hand-to-hand combat! Can’t we just spray something on them?” thinking chemical warfare at a safe distance seemed a less noxious, more sanitary maneuver. “Takes out the good with the bad,” she mouthed complacently. I cringed again, so she grudgingly suggested, “OK then, just vacuum them up.” “What? Weaponize the Dust Buster?” I shuddered and walked off in defeat.
Organic pesticides - Spinosad and diatomaceous earth – would kill these pests outright, and garlic or mint spray would temporarily repel them, but there would be collateral damage to beneficial bugs. The most effective deterrent to this marbled menace takes a precision “hands on” tactic. Once we see them, we immediately apply pressure; we take the pest between the thumb and forefinger and dispatch it decisively. If we recoil or retreat in disgust, they rapidly overtake the garden and destroy its produce.
We can glean wisdom for living from handling a bug infestation. There will be times when we notice a stink bug here or suspect one there but are reluctant to get our hands dirty dealing with the pest. Hoping for a simple and sanitary solution, we seek out an expert’s advice but shudder at their proposed remedy. Taking a problem directly in hand is messy and will certainly cause a nasty stink, so we reject the sage advice and ignore the bug. We dismiss a feeling that we might have offended a friend since we don’t want to admit that our shortcomings hurt others. We avoid discussing the palpable distance we feel in our marriage because we don’t want to hear that our spouse is disappointed or disillusioned with the relationship. We overlook our child’s obsession with social media or compulsion with browsing the internet, fearing we may need to confront noxious attitudes or disturbing behavior.
This shriveled tomato from the garden shows the ruin caused by the marmorated stink bug. Ignored, the armored menace sucks out its life and leaves behind a rotten hull. It is a graphic reminder that vigilance, diligence, and decisive engagement - in both the garden and our lives – remain the most effective deterrents to ruinous pests. May we muster courage to do battle with stink bugs, not succumb to cowardice that overlooks them in fear.
“We are not of those who shrink back
and are destroyed,
but of those who believe and are saved.”
Hebrews 10:30
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