Fresh from Wellspring Charitable Gardens Today - April 18, 2024

Fresh Today…  Kale, Red Radishes, Artichoke, Fennel, Red or Yellow New Onion, Yellow Carrots, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Celery, Parsnips, Lettuce, Spinach, Beets, Oregano, Cilantro, Citrus, & Edible Flowers: Borage & Calendula

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno.

Our spring celery is just about finished as warmer weather is just around the corner. If you can’t use it all, it will freeze well to use in soups and stews later. I do suggest trying it in this cream of celery soup recipe. Unfortunate for celery, the prepared commercial version of celery soup has given it a bad name. Make sure to use all the leaves; they have lots of flavor. The parsnips will help thicken the soup and add aroma. I still add some flour to provide a smooth consistency, but it could be omitted if needed.

Cream of Celery Soup

1 small onions, about 1 cup

2-3 cups chopped celery and leaves

1 large parsnip, or 2 small parsnips,

   core removed, peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons butter

½ teaspoon fresh or dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons flour

2-3 cups water

½ cup half and half

In a large saucepan cook the onions, celery, parsnips, butter, thyme, and salt over medium heat for 6-8 minutes. If needed, add a few tablespoons of water to keep the vegetables from drying out and browning. Add the flour and stir well to coat the vegetables.  Add water to just barely cover the vegetables, about 2 cups, and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes until the celery and parsnips are soft. Remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender. Stir in the half and half, taste for salt, pepper and adjust the consistency with additional water if needed.  Garnish with lemon or hot sauce and croutons or crackers if you have them.  Enjoy now or the next day, it’s great reheated.

Overlooked No Longer!

Missionary to India Claudia Kuypers extends a warm invitation to her Open House on Sunday, April 28, from 12-3 PM. She will introduce you to Overlooked No Longer, a compassionate outreach to overlooked girls from the Garhwal Himalaya mountains who suffer from abuse, trauma, and neglect. ONL supports Indian families who have built House of Grace to provide these girls a loving foster home, care for their trauma recovery, and nurturing for their personal growth. Please join Claudia at the ONL Open House and through your presence and support declare, “These precious girls are overlooked no longer!”

“Then Hagar called the name of the LORD who spoke to her,

El-roi, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees,

for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?”

Genesis 16:13

Cooking Radishes…

Radishes are usually served as a cool and crisp addition to a salad or side dish but cooking them is easy and caramelizing them brings out the natural sugar. Make sure to leave them alone in the pan to let them sear.

Sautéed Radishes

1-2 bunches radishes

1 tablespoon oil

½ teaspoon salt

salt and fresh ground black pepper

Remove the greens from the radishes.  Slice the radishes in halves or quarters, so they are approximately the same size (larger radishes into quarters and smaller into halves).  In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high heat.  Add the radishes and move them so the cut side is facing down in the pan.  Turn the heat down to medium, and leave them alone in the pan, letting the radishes brown for 4-5 minutes.  Turn the heat to low, add ½ teaspoon salt. Stir the radishes so that they cook on the other side about 2-3 minutes.  Taste and add additional salt if needed and fresh ground black pepper.

Metaphors of Soil and Soul…

Fennel Has Few Friends

by Cindi J Martin

Have you wondered why you get along with some people but not others?  Are you embarrassed to admit that you don’t enjoy spending time with everyone equally, even some in your own family? Jesus commanded us to love one another, even our enemies, but how do we even get along with those whom we genuinely dislike?  We can learn wisdom from gardeners who have known how for millennia - Companion Planting.

According to the gardener’s website Tilly’s Nest, “Companion planting involves placing plants that can benefit from one another adjacent to each other in the garden.  It also involves keeping some plants distanced from others, as they can be detrimental to one another’s growth.” “Distanced,” however, does not mean we exclude peevish plants from the garden; it means acknowledging their preferences and accommodating their placement needs. Fennel and basil, delightfully sweet herbs with notes of anise, pair well on a plate but not in adjacent plots.

Fennel grows well in the garden but not with others. A loner, it has a “bad boy” reputation and becomes aggressive when crowded. Though fennel does attract beneficial bugs, it is an allelopath (Veggie sociopath?) that secretes noxious chemicals to prevent the germination or suppress the growth of plants that would dare encroach on its space (“Stay in your row, Bro’…ccoli!”). Fennel particularly dislikes intrusive vines and clingy plants (Don’t we all?) that have no regard for personal space. Peas, beans, and eggplant come to mind.  Basil, however, is everybody’s best buddy, loves crowds, and also attracts beneficial pollinators. Though fennel and basil have conflicting needs for space and closeness, let’s refrain from labeling basil the “good” plant and fennel the “bad” because they aren’t each other’s BFF – best field friend. Respecting their differences and preferences mean we find the right, albeit removed, garden placement for fennel to thrive and contribute to the garden’s beauty and fecundity.

What if we were to have regard for a similar reality in the human garden? We do get along with some better than others!  What if were to respect differences and honor preferences yet still maintain a safe and healthy distance from those who are fennel-like?  Insisting on being close to all prevents some from growing and thriving. We can better love those we dislike when we realize we do not need to plant ourselves in the bed right next to them. You’ve heard it said, “Bloom where you are planted!” This is also wisdom: “Plant where you will bloom!” 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:43-45

Time Out?