Fresh from Wellspring Charitable Gardens - October 30, 2025

Fresh Today… Cauliflower, Carrots, Broccoli, Mini Head Lettuce, Cucumbers, Summer Squash, Swiss Chard, Watermelon Radishes, Salad Turnips, Green Onions, Parsley, Cilantro, & Pomegranates

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

This week I have two favorite recipes for you. This roasted root vegetable recipe brings together earthy carrots and turnips with aromatic spices for a flavor packed side dish. The long cooking time creates a creamy texture with caramelized edges. Fresh cilantro and lemon add a burst of zesty freshness at the end. Simple yet vibrant, this dish pairs beautifully with roasted meats, grilled fish, or a hearty grain bowl.

Roasted Carrots and Turnips

with Cumin and Cilantro

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4-5 carrots, sliced in half

        lengthwise (the long way)

3 salad turnips, cut in quarters

2 Tbsp coarsely chopped cilantro

Lemon wedges, for serving

* Preheat the oven to 400° F.  In a large mixing bowl combine the garlic salt, cumin, red pepper flakes, and oil and stir well, then add the carrots and turnips and toss so they’re coated with the oil and spices. Put the seasoned vegetables in a large casserole dish with ¼ cup water. Cover the dish tightly with foil or a tight-fitting lid and cook for 25 minutes. Take off the foil and continue cooking until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender, about 25 minutes more. Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving dish and top with cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges.

“Great Pumpkin” Humor

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

Apply a pumpkin patch.

What’s a pumpkin’s favorite horror movie?

Pulp Fiction.

Who helped the young pumpkin cross the road?

A crossing gourd.

Why do pumpkins avoid bars?

They fear getting smashed.

What happens when you smash a pumpkin?

You get a squash.

* Tomorrow is Halloween!

Let the Gourd Times Roll! *

My Favorite Salad…

This is my favorite way to use broccoli. I love that the recipe incorporates the leaves and stems in addition to the florets. If you want to make a large batch, you can simply double the ingredients. To quickly cut the broccoli, you can chop it in a food processor using a thick shredding or slicing blade.

Broccoli Salad

3 cups chopped raw broccoli,               

    leaves, florets & stems (peel             

    thick stem pieces as needed)                 

¼ cup chopped cooked bacon                   

¼ cup roasted sunflower seed             

¼ cup finely diced red onion                

¼ cup dried cranberries, chopped      

¼ cup mayonnaise

or good apple cider vinegar

(balsamic not recommended)

1-2 tsp sugar (optional)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp fresh ground black pepper

* Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before eating.

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 coffee, 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 as she sipped and then 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, but there are those who have not yet tried or developed the taste for fresh.  

Growing and learning about fall and winter produce helped me develop my taste for fresh. I could see and taste a marked difference in the dark greens and root vegetables coming out of the garden. Cold temperatures - night and day - concentrate and mature their flavors. Fresh spinach, kale, lettuces, and chard have more robust hues and distinct tastes. 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 fall and winter produce also 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 builds the immune system and promotes skin health. Root crops and dark, leafy greens abound in vitamins (A, B, C, D, K), minerals (Potassium, Manganese, Iron, Calcium), and fiber to boost brain function, metabolism, bone and muscle growth, stress tolerance, mood regulation, and bowel “regularity.” Cold loving produce provides precisely what’s needed 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 a taste for fresh. We settled for what others said about God but had not yet "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 does take time and effort, but the Reward is worth the cost. Let us take the time and make 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 a taste for fresh-ground, slow brewed coffee. Today she declares, “That tastes good!”

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