from Wellspring Charitable Gardens - July 21, 2022

From the Garden this Week… Summer Squash, Cucumbers, Carrots, Beets, Green Onions, Torpedo Onions, Tomatoes, Peppers, Radishes, Arugula, Basil, Dill, Peaches, Plums, and Grapes

Coming Soon… Super Hot! Peppers, Melons

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

In this summer's edition of Cooks Illustrated there is a recipe for summer squash that takes advantage of the overcooked mushy-ness and turns it into a creamy sauce. By cooking it until very soft and letting it fall apart, it creates a silky sauce with the addition of cheese and the pasta water. The browning of the squash adds complexity and sweetness. You can make the squash ahead and then cool and combine it later. But this recipe does need time, fortunately not a lot of ingredients. Finish it with our fresh basil.

Spaghetti with Zucchini

*adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

2 pounds summer squash, sliced

thin

1 teaspoon salt, plus salt for

cooking pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

12 ounces spaghetti

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped basil

½ teaspoon fresh ground black

pepper

½ cups shredded cheese, like

provolone or Monterey jack

½ cup grated Parmesan

cheese

* In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the summer squash slices and 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ cup water. Cover and cook until the squash is soft, about 10 minutes in the microwave stirring halfway through. While the squash is cooking, cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water until al-dente. Reserve 1 and ½ cups of pasta water then drain the pasta from the remaining water. Remove the squash from the bowl and drain for about 5 minutes. In a large non-stick 12-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the squash and sauté for 12 minutes, stirring only about every 4 minutes so that the squash browns slightly. When the squash is very soft, add 1 cup of the reserved water, the spaghetti, butter, basil, and pepper. Over medium-low heat toss until the water is halfway absorbed, 2-3 minutes. Then turn off the heat and stir in the cheeses until melted. Enjoy right away.

Facts about Cucumbers

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day. They contain Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc. At 96% water, cucumbers also hydrate!

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon? Put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber! Cucumbers are a good source of B vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide a quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Do grubs and slugs ruin your planting beds? Place a few cucumber slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent that is undetectable to humans but drives garden pests crazy and makes them flee the area.

Classic Tomato Sandwiches

Tomatoes and bread are a match made in heaven. BLTs and bruschetta are classics for a reason. Enjoy our seasonal tomatoes in these simple preparations, or for a special twist, try these open-faced sandwiches.

Charred Cherry Tomato Open Faced Sandwiches

2 teaspoons Dijon or whole grain mustard

2 teaspoons honey

1 table chopped fresh herbs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 basket cherry tomatoes, stems removed

4-6 ounces goat cheese or ricotta cheese

4 slices rustic bread

Whisk together the mustard, honey, herbs salt and pepper, then set aside. Pre heat the broiler to high. Toast the bread for 2-4 minutes on each side. In a heat safe pan broil the tomatoes for about 10 minutes until they start to burst and char. Remove from the broiler and let cool slightly. Toss with the dressing. Spread the cheese on the on the bread and top with the seasoned tomatoes.

Metaphors of Soil and Soul… by Cindi J. Martin

A Pain in the Thin

We have slowly been planting a few more fruit trees on the plot of land where we harvest produce for our Wellspring Charitable Gardens Subscribers. Every year at this time, the limbs begin to bough down, heavy with dense clusters of green, hard fruit that must be thinned or “cleaned,” as the New Testament Gospel calls it (John 15:3).

I admit that at the beginning of my agricultural experience I had to invite my farmer friend to the property to help relieve my anxiety about knocking off so much fruit. He explained to me the risks of not thinning. Disease, mildew, damaged fruit, broken limbs, and ultimately small sized fruit. Intellectually I understood, but I found that a very greedy emotion came up inside of me when I was told to discard enough fruit so that they were about a fist apart from one another. I knew I would need my friend’s help to follow through with pruning and to wait to see whether what he said was true. Doubt and fear crept in, but I did the thinning anyway. After a few years of thinning with my farmer friend, I developed a secure faith and trust in the thinning process and the promised results. Faith and trust in God are built in a similar way. People of great faith often speak of great fear and doubt coexisting with faith. They built confidence one experience of “doubtful trust” at a time. Emily Dickenson wrote, “We both believe, and disbelieve a hundred times an hour, which keeps Believing nimble.” The father who approached Jesus for the healing of his daughter said, “I believe, help my unbelief (Mark 9:24).”

The thinning of fruit makes room for the remaining fruit to grow to maturity. Sometimes, the fruit of our soul is small because we are not thinning out the number of things in our lives. Trying to do too many good things can stunt our growth. Sometimes letting several good things drop to the ground so the few things that remain can grow to maturity is an enormous step of faith.