From the Garden this Week, April 22, 2021...

From the Garden this Week…

Fava Beans, Lettuce Heads, Carrots, Arugula, Mixed Baby Lettuces, Fennel, White Salad Turnips, Radishes, Beets, Lemons, Oranges, Parsley, Dill, Oregano and Chives

Coming Soon… Shelling Peas and New Carrots

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

This week we have fava beans available for the first week of the season. They are only around for a few weeks and then they are gone until next year. We are lucky to have the right climate to grow them over the winter. The entire pod is edible, but we usually just eat the beans inside. The easiest way to cook them is to grill or roast the whole pod and then serve the beans at the table and let everyone peel their own beans as they eat them, with their fingers. When the beans are young, you can get away without peeling each bean, but as they get older the skins can have a strong flavor. In this recipe I like to shell the beans and then peel each one before adding to the soup. In this recipe I used the fennel as well. If you are not a fan of fennel, cook the fennel over medium low heat for an extra 5-10 minutes, until it is very tender. The flavor will mellow and change and won’t resemble the licorice bite that you get when it is raw.

Spring Fava Bean and Pasta Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 carrots, diced

1 small fennel bulb, chopped

Salt and pepper

1-2 pounds fava beans shelled and skins removed

1 cup small cut pasta, like macaroni

3 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

Chives, sliced

Fresh herbs, chopped

Shaved Parmesan cheese

In a large soup pot heat the oil over medium heat, add the oil, garlic, carrots and fennel, season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir occasionally until the vegetables are soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add the fava beans, pasta, water and salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until the pasta is cooked. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve with fresh herbs and shaved Parmesan cheese.

A Wellspring Strawberry Learning Curve

Last week we sent out a small basket of our first strawberries of the season. We were so excited to share our humble harvest, but it seems that strawberries are not our forté.

Thank you for your patience with our continual growth. Strawberries have proven a bit too labor-intensive for our team! But if you know a strawberry plant tactician – send them our way!

Peeling Root Vegetables…

When root vegetables grow, they pull nutrients from the soil through their skin. This makes the skin the most nutritious part of the root. When the roots are large, they can have a tough skin and it is nice to peel them. This time of the year the plants are young and tender and it is easier and better for us to skip peeling and leave the skin on. In this recipe just trim the greens off, you can even leave a little attached. Give the roots a scrub to remove any dirt and then leave them whole or cut them in half.

Roasted Root Vegetables

2-4 beets

1 bunch radishes or turnips

2-3 carrots

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon oil

fresh ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 °F. Trim the greens from the vegetables and reserve for another use. Cut the vegetables in half lengthwise or leave whole. Place the vegetables in a large bowl and toss with the salt, pepper and oil. Place the vegetables on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until tender.

A Season to Everything: Once more, I find myself making my way across the country via flight. The landscape has changed slightly since I was on the same path, a few weeks ago. There is less snow in Denver. Greener pastures...the skies a bit clearer. At least for today and most of the journey, but not for all of it.

As the little puddle hopping plane flew up, up, and around Denver, turning its wings eastward, I began to ask the Lord to speak to my heart through His creation. It was not long before I found that I was watching swath after swath of land filled with beautiful circular and rectangular patterns. Some were full to the brim with life, expressed in its verdancy. Other patches of land were dry and looked as though they were ‘raked’ from 30,000 feet above and still others, a mixture. There were many times I saw circles cut into fourths. One slice was the most vibrant green, another slice had hues of green intermingled with brown, and still others had that dry, raked looked.

Suddenly, as I observed the patches slowly moving away, I heard in my heart, ‘There is a season for all things under the sun, Ronda. There can be life within the same very defined circle, the markings of life, and also what appears to be lifeless and fallow. Don’t be discouraged, I reign over it all.’

Are there places in the defined area of your life that resembles that? Some areas, full of life, some striving in growth and other areas where life has waned? Be encouraged friends, He is still very much in control and there is a season for all things under the sun.’ There is hope to be found in it all. He, after all, is Lord of ALL...and is still working!

I am still sitting in the plane and see tremendous cloud cover rolling in now as the sun sets and I finish this writing.

“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—A time to give birth, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-2