From Wellspring Charitable Gardens - St. Patrick's Day Edition this March 17, 2022

From the Garden this Week… Rutabaga, Kale, Purple Top Turnips, Baby Carrots, Peas, Romanesco or Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Mixed Greens, Arugula, Grapefruit, Lemons, & Oranges

Coming Soon… Bok Choy, Butter Lettuce

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

This recipe was provided a few years ago by Chef Courtney of Churchkey restaurant in Modesto. It fits perfectly with the assortment of vegetables that we are harvesting this week, including our sprouting broccoli. She was using the broccoli flowers as a garnish and ingredient in the salad. Just like the stems and leaves, the flowers of this plant are also edible. Feel free to use them in this recipe or you can invent one of your own. My favorite part of eating straight from the garden is that we get the pleasure of enjoying these types of treats that don’t make it to the grocery store.

Honey Roasted Root Vegetable Salad with Broccoli Flowers

* Roast the Vegetables

3-4 cups chopped rutabagas, turnips,

and carrots

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon honey

Salt and fresh ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut root vegetables into approximately ¾ inch cubes. Toss vegetables with the oil, honey, salt, and pepper. Arrange on the baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

* Prepare the Dressing

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt and fresh ground pepper

Combine the oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a jar and shake well.

* Make the Salad

5-6 cups washed and chopped mixed

greens

1/4 cup fresh parsley, coarsely

chopped

2 cups, chopped flowering broccoli

Salt and fresh ground pepper

½ cup toasted walnuts or pecans

2 ounces fresh goat cheese

In a large mixing bowl, combine the lettuce, parsley, broccoli (reserving a handful of flowers), the roasted root vegetables, and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and gently toss everything together. Spread the salad out onto a serving dish and top with the toasted nuts, goat cheese, and the reserved broccoli flowers.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

St. Patrick's Day observes the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The holiday has become a celebration of Irish culture, with parades, special foods, music, dancing, drinking, and a wearin’ o’ the green. Erin go Bragh is an Anglicization of Éire go Brách, literally meaning in the Irish language “Ireland till the end of time!”

Juicing Citrus…

This time of year, the citrus fruits are full of juice and perfect for enjoying as a sweet treat. I enjoy making this sorbet combining the different varieties of citrus. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can put the liquid in a shallow pan, place it in the freezer, and stir it every 15-20 minutes until it is frozen. It won’t have the same texture, but it will taste just as good.

Citrus Sorbet

3.5 cups of citrus juice, mostly from oranges and

grapefruit, but 1-2 lemons are fine

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vodka or flavored liqueur (optional, but it

will help keep the sorbet from freezing solid)

Combine the juice, sugar and vodka and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add

the mixture to the freezer bowl of an ice cream maker and process for 20-25

minutes until frozen. Eat at this slushie stage or freeze the sorbet until solid.

Metaphors of Soil and Soul . . . Grape Leaves by Ronda May Melendez

The last few weeks, I have been making a concerted attempt at being mindful of the good things the Lord has placed in my life. Big things, small things and all things in between. Some of those have included stopping and watching the snowfall, listening to the wind in the mountains, or seeing my grape vines unfurl their first tender leaves ushering in the first blush of Spring.

It truly has been a delightful sight to observe. The very first leaf buds timidly, quietly made their appearance just weeks ago; they have grown and are now opening themselves up, fragile as they are. It fascinates me that within that delicate foliage lies nourishment creating powerhouses. The entire purpose of the leaves is to provide nourishment to the vine by transforming sunlight into food through photosynthesis, thereby strengthening the vine to prepare itself for producing grapes. Interestingly, the leaves have gleaned their initial strength from the root system, and they will now, in turn, convert the warmth of the sun to feed and strengthen the whole vine. These leaves will, in due time, also offer refuge to the grapes from the heat of the sun. Additionally, they offer humanity a great source of iron, other minerals, and vitamins when used whole for dolma or ground into a seasoning powder for use in various dishes.

I am inspired. In Christ, we find our source of strength, our being, and our foundation for growth. In turn we absorb the warmth and love of the Son and allow them to be converted into nourishment for ourselves and others around us. What a sweet relationship!