Fresh from Wellspring Charitable Gardens this Week - October 26, 2023
Fresh Today… Peas & Carrots, Green Cabbage, Beets, Slicing or Armenian Cucumbers, Red Butterhead Lettuce, Watermelon Radish, Italian Eggplant, Summer & Delicata Squash, Tomatoes, Sweet Peppers, Green Beans, Dill, Parsley, Basil, Cilantro, Apple, Cantaloupe, Fuyu Persimmon & Pomegranate
Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno.
As the weather cools, I love to make soups with our vegetables. Pureed soups are a easy because you don’t need to precisely cut the vegetables beforehand. Just make sure everything is small enough to cook quickly in the broth. I have an immersion blender that will puree the soup right in the pot, but a regular blender works just as well. The main difference is less dishes to clean. This carrot soup uses ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin and cayenne to add flavor to the sweet carrots. If you want to omit any of these, it will still turn out well. Don’t forget the herbs; just stir them in when serving the soup.
Carrot Ginger Soup
2 tablespoons oil
½ medium onion
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled
and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped ½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground cumin dash ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt 3-4 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups water
2 tablespoons fresh herbs, chopped
(parsley, chives, cilantro or dill)
* In a large pot, sauté the onions in the oil over medium heat, cook for about 4-5 minutes until soft. Add the ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, cayenne and salt. Stir for a minute and add the carrots and 2 cups water. Heat the water and vegetables until boiling. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until the carrots are soft. Blend with an immersion blender and taste. Adjust the consistency with additional water if desired. Season with salt and pepper if needed and serve with fresh herbs.
A Sweet Match: Delicata Squash Meets Fuyu Persimmon
If you are wondering what to do with a delicata squash and a Fuyu persimmon, here is a tasty treat. First slice your unpeeled delicata squash from stem to tip lengthwise. Scoop out the innards, saving seeds for roasting, if desired. Line a small toaster oven pan or cookie sheet with parchment or foil. Turn the two sides flesh down. With a long knife, slice both at the same time (or one at a time) into thin half inch slices. Place them flesh down on the prepared pan. Now cut your persimmon into half inch slices and then again into half circles. Toss all in cooking spray or olive oil and set flesh down next to the squash. Bake in a 400- or 420-degree oven for 30-40 minutes, turning once and checking for doneness so they are tender and brown, but not burned. Enjoy cool or warm as a snack!
Broth Soups…
This soup starts with onion, carrot and celery to add depth of flavor. You can use either water or broth as the liquid. In this recipe, the orzo cooks right in the soup. Another small pasta could be substituted if desired. If you don’t eat the soup all at once, know that the pasta will continue to absorb liquid as it sits in the fridge.
Lemony-Dill Chicken Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil 2-3 cups chopped cabbage leaves
½ onion diced 4 cups water or vegetable or
¼ cup diced celery chicken stock
1 carrot, diced 1 cup chopped cooked chicken
Salt and pepper 1 lemon, zest and juice
1 bay leaf 1/3 cup chopped dill
½ cup raw orzo pasta
* In a large soup pot heat the oil over medium heat, add the oil, onion, celery and carrot, season with salt and pepper.Cook and stir occasionally until the vegetables are soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add the bay leaf, orzo, cabbage leaves and water/stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 8-10 minutes until the orzo is cooked. Add the chicken, lemon zest, juice and dill. Bring the soup to a boil then turn off the heat, remove the bay
Metaphors of Soil and Soul…
Pruning
by Cindi J & Keith F Martin
Today I looked closely at the tangle of bare grape vines growing in the garden. They need pruning. I cringe whenever I face this task. How do I muster courage to sever once beautiful branches covered in green leaves shading sweet grapes? The courage comes from experience and faith. I have seen the blessing in the severity of pruning. Through practice I have learned to recognize which branches to remove and which to prune. I know the favorable influence of a prior season’s pruning on the next season’s producing, so I have developed strength to endure a loss that is worth the gain. By faith, I look forward to new growth, though today, life hangs in the balance between the sharp blades of my pruning shears.
Remaining productive while growing older also demands severe pruning. It’s not simply snipping a twig here or a leaf there – arranging a floral bouquet for the table, attending a summer evening concert, enjoying a Sunday afternoon picnic; it requires severing entire limbs that were once productive. My strength waning, I forego preparing extravagant daily meals, hosting various weekly get-togethers, serving on multiple committees monthly. The fruit of these efforts once brought joy through purpose, encouraged others, and made my work meaningful. Now looking closely at my own aging and barren branches, I see a tangle of loss and sorrow.
Despite my grieving, I have learned to trust the Lord of the Pruning Shear. I know His cuts encourage the growth of good fruit. When the Lord looks closely at our lives, He will, in due season, cut back once productive limbs that we would never choose to cut. Pruning cuts ALWAYS hurt, but when I place my limbs into His capable hands, I can be assured He will redirect strength into the choice branches remaining. They will in season bear more sweet fruit. Are you entering a painful season of pruning? Do you feel your life suspended between the blades of the shears? May your faith in The Ever-Faithful Master of the Vine give you courage to endure the loss and wait confidently for the next season of sweet and delicious growth.
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:1-2
