from Wellspring Charitable Gardens this Week - September 8, 2022

From the Garden this Week… Delicata Squash, Bok Choy, Salanova Red Sweet Crisp Lettuce, Cucumbers, Carrots, Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant, Garlic, Basil, Rosemary, & Melon
Coming Soon… Another Winter Squash - Spaghetti Squash
Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno
Winter squash, which doesn’t grow in the winter, has earned its name because we eat it in the winter. Closely related to the zucchinis and yellow squash, some varieties of winter squash have a thicker skin, and some sweeten as they age off the vine. One of the smallest winter squashes, the delicata, is on the list this week. This variety needs to be eaten right away because it has a thin skin, which doesn’t allow it to be stored for any length of time. The advantage of this skin is that the skin is edible. If you don’t want to eat the skin, cut the squash into halves and cook until soft; then scoop the cooked flesh out of the skin. If you enjoy the skin’s texture, cut the squash into rings, or half-moons, and roast it, leaving the skin on, like the recipe below requires. Remember, all squash seeds are edible. Toast them at 350° F for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned.
Roasted Delicata Squash
1-2 delicata squash cut into
rings, seeds removed
1-2 teaspoons honey, maple
syrup, or sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
½ teaspoon fresh or dried
thyme or rosemary
fresh ground black pepper
* Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Slice the squash into rings or half-moons and remove any seeds. Place the rings in a large bowl and toss with the honey, salt, pepper, oil, and herbs. Place the vegetables on an oiled baking sheet, or line with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until tender.


Where Have All the Garden Bags Gone?
We asked Peter, Paul, and Mary to help us recover our missing garden bags, and they eagerly revised their renowned cover of Pete Seeger’s Where Have All the Flowers Gone? to help us remind our WCG members to return their purple produce bags.
Where Have All the Garden Bags Gone?
Long time passing.
Where have all the Garden bags gone?
Long time ago.
Where have all the Garden bags gone?
Garden members have kept them everyone.
Oh, when will they be returned?
Oh, when will they be returned?

Eggplant…
Baba Ghanoush is the equivalent of hummus with eggplant standing in for the garbanzo beans. This dish takes advantage of the soft-cooked flesh of the eggplant and its neutral flavors to make a creamy dip for pita chips, toasted bread, crackers, or vegetable sticks.
Baba Ghanoush
1-2 eggplant
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, more for serving
1 garlic clove, crushed or minced
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
* Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the eggplants in half and cook them, cut side down on the baking sheet in the oven, until soft, about 35-45 minutes. When you press your finger on the eggplant skin, it should collapse. Let cool and then scoop out the flesh. Chop the eggplant coarsely with a knife and place the flesh in a large bowl. Stir in the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne, mixing well. Serve with pita chips or toasted bread.


Metaphors of Soil and Soul…
Seeding New Life
by Cindi J Martin
Rarely do we see the flower of a carrot. Today I walked through a row of “spent” carrots that weeks earlier we had decided to “let flower” so we could harvest their seeds. We have never saved carrot seeds before, so it has been instructive to watch the carrots progress from lacy greens to heavy stalks, from heavy stalks to white, wispy flowers, and last, from wilting flowers with small green seeds to brown flowers with dried seeds in abundance. Yes, today I harvested brown, dried carrot flowers with their seeds!
The beauty of this transformation process is helping me come to terms with the purpose of aging and death in all nature. In our culture, we lament and try to prevent the tell-tale signs of aging – greying hair, sagging skin, waning strength. Many today loathe talking about death or preparing for it, perhaps hoping that by ignoring the topic, they might avoid the matter altogether. In the Gospels, Jesus tried on numerous occasions to talk to His disciples about the manner of His own impending and premature death. They often ignored or even rebuffed His comments. One occasion Jesus used an agricultural metaphor to get His point across clearly. He said, “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).” Though blunt, this is an incredibly hopeful statement expressing how to approach the last season of one’s life.
I wonder if we can learn - from both our Lord and the life cycle of our garden plants - to see the value and purpose of each season of life, especially the last season. Are we aware that in our “wilting” and “drying out” we are also privileged to give others our precious stores of time, talents, and treasures? Instead of giving up because of our physical limitations, we can choose to keep giving out, despite them. Perhaps each of us can begin thinking of ways that we can seed the next generation - those who will live on after our death, those grateful that we provided seeds to plant, grow, and harvest for blessings now and far into the future. It is never too late, there is no gift too small, when giving seeds that promise new life

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