From Wellspring Charitable Gardens - February 27, 2025
Fresh Today… Beets, Broccoli, Celery, Romaine Lettuce, Stir-Fry Greens, Fennel, Carrots, Kale, Spinach, Purple Top Turnips, Grapefruit, Lemon, Blood & Navel oranges
Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno
The Stir-Fry Greens coming this week are a colorful mixture of several varieties of mustard greens. They are called Stir-Fry greens, because they are quick cooking and just need a minute in a hot pan. They can be used in Asian inspired dishes, although the greens will go with nearly any meal or try adding them to soups. Serve the greens as a side dish or try topping the cooked greens with fried eggs for a nutritious breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Sautéed Greens
6-8 cups chopped stir-fry greens
2 garlic cloves minced
sprinkle of red chili flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
lemon juice or cider vinegar
* Wash the chopped greens in a bowl of water, let any dirt settle to the bottom and pull the greens out of the water and let drain, they do not need to be dry. In a large sauté pan with a lid, heat the garlic, chili flakes and oil over medium-high heat, until the garlic becomes fragrant about 1-2 minutes. Add the greens, salt and pepper. Cover with the lid and cook for about a minute. Remove the lid, stir the greens and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Sprinkle with a squeeze of fresh lemon or vinegar.
Dear WCG Family,
We are considering another “veggie vacation” for our produce. Cold December and January days delayed our winter crop’s growth. So, instead of sending you partially filled produce bags, we thought a sunny vacation for the young sprouts might inspire and accelerate their growth.
We do this reluctantly. Our last “veggie vacation” in 2023 was a fiasco. We booked a Beach Boys themed “Aruba, Jamaica, Ooh, I Wanna Take Ya” Caribbean cruise. Unfortunately, when the sprouts arrived “in Kokomo, where they take it slow,” they bolted and ran amok. They were swept away by the Reggae “rhythm of a steel drum band” and got a little “root loose and fancy free.” They restyled their hair (broccoli faux hawk, carrot dreadlocks, cabbage mullet) got a few “tasteful” tats (crossed fork & spoon), and experimented with various stem piercings. That’s not the type of exposure we had intended! We have accepted responsibility for their wayward antics off the farm. We had over-trellised them as young sprouts, preventing them from developing a self-regulating upright stalk system. We had indulged them with shade cloth that prevented the growth of a robust leaf canopy to shield them from the sun and the heat of Bohemian influences.
Hoping to avoid another scandalous holiday, we decided the next “veggie vacation” would be a sunny bus tour of the Mohave Desert and Death Valley. What trouble could they get into there? We will soon let you know if they do need a holiday sometime in March. We would also like to know if any of you have ever chaperoned a junior high dance. We may have work for you!
Fennel…
Fennel is a species in the carrot family of vegetables. This includes celery, parsley and parsnips. It has a licorice flavor when raw, but when cooked thoroughly it mellows and adds sweetness. Add it to soups, add it to a pan of roasted vegetables, or try this braised recipe.
Braised Fennel
2 fennel bulbs
1 half onion, sliced, from root to tip.
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
½ tsp salt, if using homemade broth
(with store broth, salt to taste at end)
1-2 tsp cold butter
2 tsp minced parsley
½ tsp orange or lemon zest
* Trim the tops off the bulbs of fennel. Cut the bulbs in half from root to stem, then slice into strips. Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the fennel and onions, don’t stir, let it brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Gently flip the vegetables to brown on the other side for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broth. Use a spatula to scrape browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with salt (if using) and stir. Lower the heat to a low simmer (the liquid is bubbling, but under control). Cook the vegetables till tender and the liquid reduces to a glaze, about 10-15 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter, parsley and citrus zest and serve.
Metaphors of Soil and Soul…
Fennel Has Few Friends
Cindi J Martin
Have you wondered why you get along well with some people but not others? Are you embarrassed to admit that you don’t enjoy spending time with everyone equally, even some in your own family? Jesus commanded us to love one another, even our enemies, but how do we love those we genuinely dislike? We can learn wisdom from a practice gardeners have used for millennia - Companion Planting.
According to the website Tilly’s Nest, “Companion planting involves placing plants that can benefit from one another adjacent to each other in the garden. It also involves keeping some plants distanced from others, as they can be detrimental to one another’s growth.” “Distanced,”
however, does not mean we exclude peevish plants from the garden; it means acknowledging their preferences and accommodating their placement needs. Fennel and basil, for example, are delightfully sweet herbs with notes of anise that pair well on a plate but not in adjacent garden plots.
Fennel is a loner with a “bad boy” reputation. When crowded, it becomes aggressive. Though fennel does attract beneficial bugs, it is an allelopath (veggie sociopath?), which means it secretes noxious chemicals to prevent germination or suppress growth of plants that dare encroach on its space (“Stay in your row, Bro…ccoli!”). Fennel especially dislikes intrusive vines and clingy plants that have no regard for personal space (Don’t we all?). Peas, beans, and eggplant come to mind. Basil, in contrast, wants to be everybody’s best buddy, loves a crowd, and attracts beneficial pollinators too. It’s the life of the garden party! Though peevish fennel and beautiful basil have conflicting needs for space and closeness, let’s refrain from labeling basil the “good” plant and fennel the “bad” because they aren’t alike or each other’s BFF – best field friend. Respecting their differences requires that we find the right, albeit removed, garden row for each to grow and contribute to the garden’s variety and beauty.
What if we were to regard a similar reality in the human garden? We do get along with some folk better than others! What if we respected differences and recognized preferences yet still maintained a safe and healthy distance from those who are fennel-like? Insisting on being close to all prevents some from growing and thriving. We can better love those we dislike when we realize we do not need to plant ourselves in the row right next to them. You know the wisdom in “Bloom where you are planted.” This is also wisdom: “Plant where you will bloom!”
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:43-45
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