From the Garden this Week…

From the Garden this Week…

Lettuce Heads, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Summer Squash, Green Beans, Cucumbers, Carrots, Basil, Jalapeno Peppers, Potatoes, Flowers, Santa Rosa Plums and Apricots

Coming Soon… Melons and Sweet Corn

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

This week we have the first of our green beans. Green beans need to cook for 3-4 minutes to cook completely. You can eat a few raw or undercooked beans but it’s hard on your digestion system if you eat too many raw beans, for the same reason dried beans give you gas. Many recipes call for a two-step process of blanching in boiling water and then sautéing to give them more flavor. I do things a little backward to save a dirty pot and sauté them with garlic then add water or wine to steam the beans until they are cooked.

Sautéed Green Beans

1 pound of green beans, ends removed, cut in half if desired

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter or oil

2 tablespoons white wine

¼ cup water

salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

In a large sauté pan with a lid, cook the beans, garlic, salt and butter/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 water and cover the pan, cooking about 3-4 minutes more until the beans are cooked through.  Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.  Eat right away.

Parmesan Roasted Summer Squash

1 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh or dried Italian seasoning (basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley)

4 summer squash, sliced into ½ inch rounds

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and line a large rimmed-baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a large bowl combine the squash rounds with the olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Toss to coat.  Add the Parmesan cheese and herbs and lightly toss again.  In an even layer place the seasoned squash on the parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the squash is tender and the cheese is deeply golden.

Refrigerator Pickles…

In the summer having a quick healthy snack ready to eat is always handy.  And making refrigerator pickles is the easiest of recipes. I don’t bother to heat up the brine, just add sliced vegetables to a jar add in spices and seasoning, then cover with vinegar and water. Let them sit in the fridge for at least 24 hours and then enjoy. I have recipes for both cucumbers and carrots. You can adjust them to your taste and try pickling peppers and squash with the same method too.

Refrigerator Pickles

1 medium cucumber

1-2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 dried chili or a pinch of chili flakes

1 pinch of dill seed

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a pint jar.  Then put it in the fridge for a few days, two or three if possible.

Mexican Marinated Carrots

2-3 medium carrots, sliced 

1-2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

¼ onion, sliced

1-2 hot peppers, sliced

2/3 cup vinegar

½ cup water

Pack the carrots, garlic, oregano, salt, onion and jalapenos into a pint jar.  Pour the vinegar over the vegetables and add the water until the jar is full, leaving about a ¼ inch at the top.  Seal the jar and shake until the salt is dissolved.  Refrigerate and enjoy after at least 24 hours.

Metaphors of Soil and Soul . . . by Cindi J. Martin

Hope That Does Not Disappoint

Have you ever seen lettuce, celery or cilantro that has gone to seed?  Suddenly the plant loses its compact appearance and shoots toward the sky in a growth spurt that resembles the tall and lanky adolescent that seems to grow overnight from a cherubic child.  Like adolescents, bolting vegetable plants are a lot of work!  It is easy to look at the rows of tall plants and feel overwhelmed at the strength and time it will take from our volunteers to pull them out so something new can be planted in their place.  But along with the cost of spent vegetation, there is also a great benefit:  Beautiful flowers and seeds for another generation of planting and other kinds of cooking. 

Are you starting into a new season of life and feeling pretty spent?  Without even realizing it, your life may be in the midst of producing beautiful flowers and power packed seeds that will multiply your influence in ways you could never even imagine.   

". . .we exult in hope of the glory of God.  And not only this, but [c]we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:2b-5).

Did You Know?

Every week, we pack one extra bag of produce to honor the Lord from the first fruit of our produce.  If you know someone who would be blessed by this gift and would like to deliver it to this person, call or text Cindi at (209) 607-1887.