Fresh Today from Wellspring Charitable Gardens - August 22, 2024
Fresh Today… Summer Squash, Cucumbers, Onions, Green & Purple Beans, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Peppers, Chives, Celery Leaves, Basil, Melons, Peaches & Plums
Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno
Ratatouille is a delightful way to celebrate summer’s bounty. Start by sautéing a mix of eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and tomatoes in olive oil, adding garlic and basil for flavor. The key is to cook each vegetable until tender but still slightly firm, allowing their individual flavors to shine while melding together. This dish can be served warm or at room temperature, making it a versatile choice for summer gatherings. Enjoy it as a main course over pasta, a side dish, or even as a topping for crusty bread.
Ratatouille
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large eggplant, diced large
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-3 medium zucchini or summer squash,
diced large
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
3-4 large tomatoes, large dice
1 large bell pepper, large dice
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves,
thinly sliced, plus more for serving
* Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the eggplant, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned in spots, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil to the pot. Add the zucchini, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned in spots, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the eggplant. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and bay leaf and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and bell peppers. Add the reserved eggplant and zucchini and gently stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for at least 20-30. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Just before serving, stir in the basil. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Dueling Recipes
Julie has thrown down the oven mitt to challenge our taste standards! She presents recipes from two renowned chefs trained in France – Thomas Keller of the French Laundry and Ratatouille of the Disney Arts Kitchen. Which meal has greater appeal to you, the one prepared in a man’s laundry or the one cooked up in a rat’s imagination? Bon Appetit!
The Best Summer Squash…
I recently found this recipe at Simply Recipes online. I was impressed when I tried it out. The squash takes on a creamy texture like mashed potatoes. You can read more specific instructions at the website here: https://www. simplyrecipes.com/thomas-keller-roasted-zucchini-recipe-review-7564431.
Thomas Keller’s Seared Squash
2-3 pieces summer squash
Salt
Oil
* Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Score the squash in a crosshatch pattern and season with salt. Let the squash sit for 10 minutes. Preheat your oven to 450° F. After the squash has sat, dry with a paper towel and heat an oven-safe pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the hot pan and then press the squash cut side down in the pan. Without turning the squash, let it sear for 5 minutes, then place the pan in the oven for 20-25 minutes until tender. Flip the squash over onto a serving dish and top with pesto, vinaigrette, or salsa.
Metaphors of Soil and Soul…
Seeding Life
Cindi J Martin
Rarely do we see carrot flowers. Today I walked a row of unharvested carrots that we “let flower” for their seeds. We have never saved carrot seeds, so it has been instructive to watch the foliage progress from lacy greens to lanky stalks, from lanky stalks to lavender blooms, from lavender blooms to withered flowers laden with auburn seeds. Today I harvested those frail flowers with auburn seeds and stored them for the next growing season.
Observing their decline has helped me better understand and appreciate aging and the beauty of life in the shadow of death. Too often, though, we privately lament and deftly disguise the tell-tale signs of our decline – greying hair, sagging skin, dimming eyes, waning memory and strength. We loathe talking about death, perhaps hoping that by ignoring the matter, we should avoid it altogether. In the Gospels, Jesus tried on various occasions to talk plainly with His disciples about the manner and purpose of His immanent death. Uncomfortable, they ignored and even rebuffed His candid comments on his coming crucifixion. One occasion Jesus used an agricultural metaphor to clearly state the purpose for His incarnation: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit (John 12:24).” Uncomfortably blunt, this paradoxically hopeful statement about dying and bearing fruit expresses how we best approach our last season of life.
We can learn - from our Lord and our garden plants - to appreciate the beauty and purpose for each season of life, especially our last. Are we aware that in our “withering” years we are most prepared to seed others with our precious stores of insight, understanding, and wisdom? Rather than giving up and withdrawing – no, withholding - because our physical losses and limitations are unflattering or unappealing, we can choose to keep giving out in spite of them. Rather than remaining alone, let us consider ways to engage and seed the next generation – those who will grow and bloom after our flower has faded, those who are grateful for the good seed we provide to plant, grow, and harvest, both for today and tomorrow. It is never too late, nor is the gift too small, when giving hope-filled seeds that store the promise of new life and fruitful harvests.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 6:9-10
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