From the Garden this Week, March 25, 2021

From the Garden this Week…

Celery Root Stalks, Swiss Chard, Green and Red Lettuce Heads, Broccoli, White Salad Turnips, Red Radishes, Cauliflower or Kohlrabi, Turnips, Parsnips, Green Onions, Parsley, Lemons and Oranges

Coming Soon… Red Beets and Mixed Asian Greens

An underground mystery…By Hannah Brady

This week, Julie was all set to tell you about her favorite ugly vegetable, celery root. This dirt-living veggie was supposed to go out in your baskets this week, but upon digging them up, we were saddened to find a mysteriously underdeveloped root! So – we pivot! You will

still be receiving this celery root with its stalks, but since it’s so tiny, we have included a recipe for the mild, tasty stalks instead!

Creamy Broccoli Celery Soup with Coconut

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 celery stalks, chopped (about 2 cups)

1 shallot, peeled and diced (about 1/2 cup)

2 heads broccoli, chopped (about 1/2 cup stems and 4 cups florets)

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper

3 cups vegetable stock

2 cups fresh spinach leaves

2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves

3/4 cups lite coconut milk

In a large stockpot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped celery, diced shallot, chopped broccoli stems, salt and black pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened. You don’t want them to brown, so lower the heat as needed.

Stir in the minced garlic and jalapeño pepper and cook for 2 minutes more. Then stir in the broccoli florets and vegetable stock. Turn up the heat to bring the soup to a simmer. Then cook with the lid slightly ajar for 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach and parsley leaves. Once the soup is cool enough to handle, purée it using either a blender, an immersion blender or a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Work in batches, if necessary.

Return the puréed soup to your stockpot and re-warm it over medium heat. Stir in the coconut milk. Taste and adjust for salt and black pepper, if needed.

Ladle the warm soup into bowl. Garnish with a drizzle of coconut milk and minced fresh parsley, if desired. Enjoy immediately.

VOTE FOR US TO WIN A “GARDENS FOR GOOD” GRANT!

This week, voting started for gardens around the country (and in Canada!) to win $5,000 from Nature’s Path “Gardens for Good” grant competition. Your vote would help us win some garden-growing funds for this spring!

PLUS! In our entry, we tell a bit about our origin story, did you know WCG started as a horse ranch?

Go to Nature’s Path “Gardens for Good” and search for Wellspring to vote!

Here’s an easy link to find our entry: https://tinyurl.com/xs6kvjby

Vegetable Pie…

Cooking vegetables and serving them inside of a pie crust is always a good idea. This recipe has an easy olive oil dough that is forgiving to roll out. You can use any type of pan about 2 inches deep to cook the pie. This makes a light dinner or serve it for lunch the next day.

Swiss Chard Pie (adapted from marthstewart.com)

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup olive oil

½ cup cold water

¾ teaspoon coarse salt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 bunch of green onions, sliced, green and white parts combined

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 bunch Swiss chard, stems cut into small dice and leaves torn

red-pepper flakes, to taste

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 large egg yolk

In a bowl, combine all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup olive oil, cold water, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Stir with a fork to combine, then turn out onto a work surface and knead 1 minute. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature, 30 minutes, while preparing filling. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Add onion, garlic, chard stems and red-pepper flakes. Cook about 2 minutes. Pack chard leaves into the pot with the onions; season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until chard leaves wilt, about 2 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Drain, pressing out as much liquid as possible. Place chard mixture in a large bowl and toss with Parmesan, 3 tablespoons flour, lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper. Roll two-thirds the dough to a 12 1/2-inch round; fit into an 8-inch round cake or pie pan. Fill bottom crust with chard mixture. Roll remaining dough to a 9 1/2-inch round; place over filling. Pinch edges of dough together and tuck in to seal; cut several vents into center of pie. Combine yolk with 1 teaspoon water and brush over dough, avoiding edge of pan. Bake pie until crust is deep golden brown, about 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Metaphors of Soil and Soul

By Cindi J. Martin

Letting Go…There are many seasons of "letting go" in our garden! As I walk the rows, I can't help feeling a sense of sadness, as I look at all the spent vegetation that I need to pull out and place in a heap on our compost pile. Just a few months ago these plants were full of

life and energy, bursting forth with large heads of nutritious heirloom broccoli and cauliflower. Releasing a season that is ending is as essential to life as embracing one that is emerging. Pulling out spent plants and placing them in their burial ground actually becomes the compost that brings new life to the soil that will nourish our new plants. Compost -- organic matter -- is the most important amendment and the key to good soil! Many of us spend years and untold energy attempting to avoid the sorrow of loss and grief. Eventually we find that we have also avoided the joy of living life fully. We have avoided pain but also the pleasure of close and intimate friendship. It is risky to allow God to grow love in our hearts. There will be seasons of letting go and the accompanying pain of grief. Leo Tolstoy has been quoted as saying, “Only people who are capable of loving strongly can also suffer great sorrow, but this same necessity of loving serves to counteract their grief and heals them.” As we reflect on the season of Lent and the coming Easter celebration of our Lord's Resurrection, let us also consider our willingness to do the work of letting go in the gardens of our lives in order for new life to grow.