Herb Profile: Yarrow (Achillea Millefolium)
Description:
A naturalized perennial flower of the Aster family, this European native is a famous hit with pollinators and herbalists a like. The leaves and flowers are used, harvested from the top 6-8" of the stalk. Lacey leaves and tiny clusters of rayflowers. Some varieties have been domesticated to offer many colors, however we prefer the wild white for medicine! Our evolutionary history with this plant predates Homo sapiens -  pollen of yarrow has been found in abundance in a cave previously inhabited by Neanderthals from over 60,000 years ago. 
 
Nutrition:
Yarrow is decidedly not a food plant, considering its strong bitter and astringent taste. It is used the world over as a first aid plant because of its antiseptic and styptic nature - it stops bleeding and kills germs, that is. It contains a volatile oil called azulene, as well as other compounds that have been shown to reduce swelling and inflammation. 

Storage:
Yarrow is used either fresh or dried. Store dried yarrow in a paper bag or other container out of direct sunlight. 

Use: 
My favorite way to use yarrow is to tincture it. A tincture is an alcohol-based extract of an herb. I use the tincture with baking soda to brush my teeth, as an astringent pore-minimizing and acne reducing wash for my face, or on minor cuts. You can also boil the herb in water and steam  your face over it to even face tone and invigorate the senses. Bonus points if you take what's left over, strain it, and add it to the bath for a full-body tonifying soak. 

Sources:
Rodale's Encyclopedia of Herbs
Moonwise Herbs
The Gift of Healing Herbs by Robin Rose Bennet 
The Magic and Medicine of Plants - Reader's Digest
Our own experience!​

Herb Profile: Elecampane (Inula helenium)

Description:
A photogenic member of the sunflower family, Elecampane is near and dear to my heart. Not only because it grows resiliently, offers much nectar for pollinators, breaks up hardpan with its thick taproots, outcompetes even the most vivacious weeds, and looks just gorgeous.... But because there is truly no other flavor or aroma like the intoxicating roots of this plant. I love it and I hope to never go through a winter without delicious elecampane vinegar, honey, oxymel, and tincture! 
 
Nutrition:
Our dear friend elecampane is a valiant ally of the respiratory system. Native Americans herbalists have used it for lung and bronchial infections, mixed with comfrey root and spikenard root. In China, it's been used to make syrup, lozenges, and candy as a remedy for bronchitis and asthma. It's also helpful for digestion and soothing discomfort associated with menses, as the Romans enjoyed it.

Storage:
While elecampane roots are on the delicate side, they can be stored for 3-4 days before using. If drying, chop and dry right away on a screen or towel in a low light area with good ventilation - think box fan! 

Use: 
Tincture, oxymel, infused honey, dried, or vinegar! All are about the same process, but with different menstruum, or liquid used to make the extract. All you need is probably already in your kitchen - a knife and cutting board, a jar with a tight fitting lid, and whatever menstruum you chose. 
Check out the Moonwise Herbs website to learn how to make elecampane oxymel! 

Sources:
The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood
Asparagus to Zucchini by Fairshare Coalition
Produce: A fruit and vegetable lover's guide by Bruce Beck
Our own experience!​

Vegetable Profile: Radicchio (Chicorium endiva)
Description:
Radicchio is a chickory, among frissee, escarole, and endive. It's a member of the Aster family, it's an ancient food and known around the world. Italians first cultivated it from the wild plant, relishing its tender, crunchy, and bitter leaves.
 
Nutrition:
Like lettuce, radicchio has a cooling action that limits inflammation, supports the circulatory system, and tonifies the gallbladder and liver. It contains inulin, which is known to help regulate blood sugar, and the root can be used medicinally. It contains a good source of calcium and potassium. 

Storage:
Store like you would lettuce, in a water tight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Better to cut it up only just before using. 

Use: 
Braise, blanch, or grill with generous amounts of fat to unlock the full flavor potential, as well as soften and incorporate the bitterness. It does very well when paired with something sour, be that a vinegar based dressing or sauce, goat cheese or sour cream, or pickled vegetables. 
​
Sources:
The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood
Asparagus to Zucchini by Fairshare Coalition
Produce: A fruit and vegetable lover's guide by Bruce Beck
Our own experience!​
​

Vegetable Profile: Spinach (Spinacia oleracea)
Description:
A cold-loving member of the Amaranth family, spinach originated in Southwestern Asia. It has tender, velvety leaves with a sharp, bitter-sweet flavor.
 
Nutrition:
Spinach tonifies the blood, and supports the function of the large intestine, stomach, and liver. It's  exceptionally high in minerals iron and calcium, although the antinutrient oxalic acid may prevent full absorption of these. It's also rich in lutein, which has been show to support good vision. 

Storage:
Use spinach quickly; it bruises and spoils easily. Store in a water tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days max.

Use: 
Steamed, stir-fried, creamed, or blended into soups, dips, or smoothies, spinach is truly a one-green-fits-all item in the kitchen. 
​
Sources:
The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood
Asparagus to Zucchini by Fairshare Coalition
Produce: A fruit and vegetable lover's guide by Bruce Beck
Our own experience!​

Vegetable Profile: Brussel Sprouts (Brassica oleracea, var. gemmifera)
Description:
Orginating from its namesake, Brussels, Belgium, Brussel sprouts are a curious cabbage family plant. Formed on long stalks and topped with a cabbage-like rosette, it makes sense why the Germans call this "Rosenkohol", or "rose cabbage". It has seen a huge surge in popularity in the last decade in the United States - and deservedly so. There's no subsitute for roasted brussel sprouts on the dinner table! 
 
Nutrition:
​Much like its cousins in the cabbage family, it supports the stomach and large intestine as well as the liver. An excellent source of folic acid, vitamins C and K, and beta-carotene. High in anticancer antioxidants and numerous glucosinolates. 

Storage:
Store in a water-tight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. 

Use: 
Brussels can be cut and steamed, roasted, or stir-fried. If you want to serve them whole, simply cut an X into the base to allow the thickest part to cook fully.

Sources:
The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood
Asparagus to Zucchini by Fairshare Coalition
Produce: A fruit and vegetable lover's guide by Bruce Beck
Our own experience!​

Herb Profile: Horseradish (Armoracia lapathifolia, A. rusticana)

Description:
Horseradish is the root with a kick! It's bite comes from mustard oil, much like its cabbage family relatives: mustard greens, radish, and turnip. Somehow, though, horseradish is an experience all its own. Hot, yet with a cool aftertaste, it holds a special place in the Jewish seder tradition. It's also wildly popular in as a spice in Europe, Western Asia, and Scandinavia. It's a voracious perennial, and grows happily nearby compost for years after its planter is gone. You can even take a nub with the green sprout on top, or a thick piece of root, and plant that out to have all the horseradish you need in a couple of years. 

Nutrition:
Horseradish stimulates perky circulation, evident in the flushed cheeks of those who indulge! It also aids digestion, protects against bacterial infection, and enables drainage where there is a mucus blockage. It can help relieve sinus pressure in this way. 

​Storage:
Use while fresh for the most pungent flavor, within a couple weeks. Store in the crisper drawer until ready for use.

Use:
Use raw and freshly grated, less the pungent flavor dissapate. Preserve this flavor well with acidic liquids like lemon juice, vinegar, or sour cream. It makes a wonderful sauce, dressing, or dip this way.

Sources:
​The Gift of Healing Herbs by Robin Rose Bennett
The Rodale Encyclopida of Herbs
The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood
Moonwise Herbs
Our own experience!

Vegetable Profile: Celeriac (Apium graveolens var. rapaceum)
Description:
Celeriac is a root, or rather a corm, of a special type of celery. A member of the carrot family, its gnarly appearance masks a tender, fragrant, and delicious inner flesh. 
 
Nutrition:
Celeriac is soothing and cooling, helpful for easing inflammation and indigestion. It tonifies the kidneys, and aids the nervous and urinary systems. 

Storage:
A trusty storage crop, celeriac is much more patient than its leafy or thick-stalked counterpart. It will hold out in the crisper drawer for a couple weeks to a month (or two!). Just make sure to use it before it gets squishy, dry, or hollow. 

Use: 
Just before using, take a vegetable peeler and scrape off the outer skin. Chop, cube, or grate the inner white root and saute, roast, or stir-fry. I hear they are also wonderful in pickles. 

Sources:
The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood
Asparagus to Zucchini by Fairshare Coalition
Produce: A fruit and vegetable lover's guide by Bruce Beck
Our own experience!​

Vegetable Profile: Rutabaga (Brassica napus napobrassica)
Description:
Also known as a Swedish turnip, the rutabaga came along as a cross between cababge and turnip. It resembles a turnip, but its golden flesh is firmer, more sweet, and isn't pungent like a turnip. It's common in Scandinavian and Scottish dishes. 
 
Nutrition:
Rutabagas are nourishing to the stomach and spleen, as they support healthy metabolism and nutrient assimilation by the body. Like other cabbage family plants, they support liver function and contain many antioxidents as well as antiviral, anticancer, and antibiotic qualities. 

Storage:
A hardy storage crop, rutabagas can be stored in a cool pantry or in the fridge for weeks to months. However, they won't last for ever! And the fresher they are, the better. We don't wax our rutabagas like the ones you find in the store, so they do lose moisture over time and will become wrinkly. Use them while theyre nice and firm for best results. 

Use: 
Used in soup, stirfry, braised, or steamed, rutabagas add bulk and sweetness to dishes alongside or in place of carrots or potatoes. They are popular prepared like mashed potatoes, with lots of butter! 

Sources:
The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood
Asparagus to Zucchini by Fairshare Coalition
Produce: A fruit and vegetable lover's guide by Bruce Beck
Our own experience!​

Vegetable Profile: Collards (Brassica oleracea, Acephala group)
Description:
A beloved member of the cabbage family, collards offer blue-green, bitter-sweet leaves that are tender and broad. It is sometimes called "tree cabbage". Although it originates from the Eastern Mediterranean, it was first brought to North America by Africans, who cultivated it throughout enslavement by colonists. The tradition of cooking the greens down into a smooth paste, and using the pot likker (or juices) is of African origin. 
 
Nutrition:
​Collards, although a cool season crop, are warming to the body. They energize the process of making blood, as well as the function of the lungs, stomach, and liver. It contains potent antioxidants with anticancer, antiviral, antibiotic, and antifungal properties including diinodolymethane and sulforaphane. They also contain minerals like calcium and magnesium, best absorbed when cooked. When eaten fresh, they offer much vitamin C. 

Storage:
Collards store best in a water-tight container in the cripser drawer for 4-5 days. Don't snooze on them, as they will start to turn yellow or wilt with age. 

Use: 
Cook down with a small bit of broth, water, or other liquid for 1-2 hours to release the nutritious minerals and vitamins inside the cell walls (and get that delicioius pot likker!). It can also be finely chopped like confetti and added to salads.

Sources:
The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood
Asparagus to Zucchini by Fairshare Coalition
Produce: A fruit and vegetable lover's guide by Bruce Beck
Our own experience!​

This year, Wellspring celebrates its 37th year. Many of you may know the history. The organization was founded in 1982 by Mary Ann Ihm to promote her vision, “for all to live in peace and harmony with themselves, others and the earth.” In Spring, 1987 the operation moved from Milwaukee to Newburg, WI to a property nestled in the Milwaukee River Valley. Currently, there are 36 acres of gardens and nature trails, woods and meadows, and ponds and prairies that are teaming with a wide variety of wildlife. Additionally, with a 6-acre certified organic vegetable farm, Wellspring is home to the longest-running CSA in Wisconsin.

The Wellspring Board of Directors is committed to protecting and nurturing Wellspring’s natural resources as well as to supporting the continuation of the CSA providing the community access to healthy locally grown produce. However, we are facing a new challenge.

COVID-19 has impacted us all and Wellspring is no exception. With safety as our primary objective, the staff has made important accommodations in order to carry out key Wellspring activities in 2020. However, as the pandemic continues, we find the need to look to 2021 and identify directions for Wellspring that will sustain all that has been achieved. Here are two important new directions!

1. Along with Wellspring Founder, Mary Ann Ihm, the Board will explore opportunities to work in collaboration with Land Trusts and similar organizations who share the same goals of conservation and preservation of Wellspring in perpetuity for people to always have a place to connect and commune with nature.

2. The CSA will continue and grow - same great Farmer (Caleb Trainor), same great produce! Wellspring is transferring the farm enterprise to Caleb Trainor who will launch Winterspring, LLC, an innovative model incubator farm that will operate on the Wellspring grounds. Caleb will continue his good work with organic, sustainable, and regenerative agriculture to provide the community with locally grown and harvested organic produce. Wellspring, Inc. will continue to support Caleb in his endeavor and hope that shareholders will do the same.

Caleb will be sending out information on Winterspring, LLC and instructions on how to enroll in the Summer, 2021 CSA! 

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Caleb directly: 262-689-9938 or caleb@winterspringcsa.com

Because of COVID-19 and the continued increase in cases in Wisconsin, all Education and Hospitality programming as well as many of the regular events sponsored by Wellspring will be suspended indefinitely. We thank both Roxanne and Amber for their expertise and commitment to Wellspring. We wish them both all the best in the future.