Laudato Si - Related Content

Ingredients:
4 T  butter
1 whole onion, chopped
3 slices bacon, cut Into pieces
3 whole bell peppers, finely diced (green, red, yellow, or orange)
5 ears corn, kernels, sliced off cob OR about 4 Cups of corn kernels
1/4 C flour
3 C. vegetable or chicken stock or broth
2 C half-and-half
1 C (heaping) Grated Monterey Jack
1 C (heaping) Pepper Jack
1/3 C sliced green onions

Directions:
In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Cook onions for a couple of minutes. Add bacon and cook for another minute or so, then add diced bell peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Finally, add corn and cook for a minute.

Sprinkle flour evenly over the top and stir to combine. Pour in broth and stir well. Allow this to thicken for 3 or 4 minutes, then reduce heat to low.  Add empty corn cobs, if using.  Stir in half-and-half, then cover and allow to simmer/thicken for 15 minutes or so.

Stir in cheeses and green onions. When cheese is melted and the soup is hot, check seasonings. Add salt and pepper as needed and serve immediately.

Food Waste Note:  
If you use fresh whole ear corn, don't throw out the cobs. You can add them to your chowder after you add the broth or make stock from spent cobs.  To make corn stock: Place cobs in a large stockpot and add water to cover the cobs by an inch or two. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Add more water, if needed as it cooks down. Remove cobs and discard them. Divide and transfer the liquid to freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 1 year. Use in place of water, chicken stock or vegetable stock in soups and stews.  Onion skins, carrot peels, mushrooms and celery scraps can also be added.

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Story: 
This Corn Chowder recipe from the Pioneer Woman is great for fall.  Corn fields are prominent in the Upper Midwest.  Did you know that less than 7% of US corn gets to our tables as fresh or frozen corn and cornmeal?  4% is processed into high-fructose corn syrup.  The rest is "dent" or field corn which becomes ethanol and feed for beef cattle, pigs and chickens.  
It makes me wonder how the upcoming US Farm Bill will support creation, food and farmers, no matter what they grow.  

Pope Francis makes clear in Laudato Si that care for one another and care for the Earth are intimately connected.  He notes that we are not faced “with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather one complex crisis that is both social and environmental.”  The Farm Bill speaks to both.   Rewritten and voted on by Congress every 5 years, it can support the dignity of all people, especially those in poverty and can offer safeguards for preserving Creation.

Over 76% of this nearly 1 trillion spending bill supports nutrition programs like WIC (Women, Infants & Children) and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) for low-income people and some of the bill addresses world hunger..  The Farm Bill is on the agenda in Congress now. Many other aspects of the bill regulate the safe use of soil, water, fertilizer and conservation methods to make farms healthy for the Earth.
To add your voice to this issue, Midwestern Franciscan Justice Promoters, including FSPA, encourage you to explore this link through Action Network and to advocate for A Just Farm Bill.

Gardening on any scale is part of a sustainable food system.  The garden gurus at The Spruce offer the simple container garden "recipe" for beginners described below. Check them out for more details about planting seeds or seedlings in containers!  For specifics on leafy greens in containers as pictured above, visit Stephanie Rose at Garden Therapy.

1)    Select an appropriate container that is the right size, has good drainage, and is made of food safe material. For example:  shallow-rooted leafy greens don’t need a deep planter like root veggies:  carrots, potatoes.  Most herbs and radishes will grow nicely in a 1 gallon container or less. Beets, carrots, lettuce, and green onions can be planted in 3-gallon containers, and a 5-gallon bucket is best for tomatoes, eggplant, pepper, cukes, cabbage and beans.  A deeper container is required for veggies and need support like tomatoes or squash.
2)    Create good drainage. There should be 1 large hole or several smaller holes at the base of the container to let excess water out of the bottom, so plants won't sit in overly soggy soil.  Line the bottom of the container with broken bits of terra cotta pots, coffee filters, or permeable landscape cloth.
3)    Use good potting soil  for vegetables. Many brands come with fertilizer.  Don't use soil from your garden, because it will compact in the containers and won't drain water properly.
4)    Provide the right light and temperature for your plants.  Full sun means at least 6 hours of direct sun each day.  Assess how much sun is average where you want to put your container garden.  White containers keep roots cool and too much sun can be stressful.  
5)    Water correctly for the needs of your plants, keeping soil evenly moist but not soaking wet.  Put your finger into the soil about 1 inch. If it feels dry, add water; if you're not sure, wait and check later in the day. At the height of summer, you may need to water once or sometimes twice a day. 
6)    Feed your plants with appropriate fertilizer, adding compost or other fertilizer if your potting mix does not already contain the nutrients (fertilizer) your plants need to grow and thrive.
7)    Choose your seeds or buy seedlings.  Make sure you acclimate small plants to outdoor conditions gradually, which is called “hardening off”. 

You can grow just about any vegetable or herb in a container.  The Spruce describes vegetables that do well in containers:
•    Peas: Put tall supports in the container when planting seedlings. Water frequently; keep them fertilized.
•    Potatoes: Some potatoes need a 120-day growing season.  Look for varieties that mature early.
•    Tomatoes: Tomatoes need a support like a rod or tomato cage to keep plants upright.
•    Carrots: Use a container that's double the depth your variety will grow.
•    Radishes: The container doesn't have to be that large and you can grow them indoors in spring or fall!
•    Eggplant: Many eggplants are sensitive to cool temperatures (lower than 50 degrees Fahrenheit), so choose for your climate.
•    Summer or zucchini squash and cucumbers: Choose bush varieties rather than sprawling vine varieties. One plant can fill a 24-inch pot quickly, so don't crowd seeds or seedlings. A trellis in the pot will supply support for the fruit and allow air to flow around the plant.
•    Leafy greens: Spinach and leaf lettuce are among the many greens that you can snip to eat one day and then snip again a few days later.  They tolerate partial shade and grow well in the cool of spring or fall, like radishes.
•    Peppers: Try traditional bell peppers, or spice it up with hot peppers for salsa.

Story: 
It is close to Mother’s Day.  Growers on all scales “itch” to put seeds and spring plants in Mother Earth.  Deep hope is required to plant seeds, to parent, to nurturer and help the earth.  Pope Francis and Francis of Assisi call us to hope and act to care for mother Earth that so desperately needs healing from our greed and disregard.

The theme of this year’s Laudato Si Week (May 19-26) is "Seeds of Hope".  Enjoy the Laudato Si Week Celebration Guide to focus on Conversion, Transportation, Food, Energy, Waste, Water, Sharing Integral Ecology and Commitment.  

Finally, a taste of mystic Hildegard of Bingen.  "Meditations with Hildegard of Bingen" by Sister Gabrielle Uhlein, OSF currently of The Christine Center guides us to meditate on some of Hildegard’s mystic moment “seeds”.  Here are a few Hildegard quotes:

“The soul is the greening life force of the flesh, for the body grows and prospers through her,  just as the earth becomes fruitful when it is moistened.”
"Holy persons draw to themselves all that is earthly.  The earth is at the same time mother.  She is mother of all that is natural, mother of all that is human.  She is the mother of all, for contained in her are the seeds of all."
“The Word is living, being, spirit, all verdant greening, all creativity. This Word manifests itself in every creature.”
“Fire of the Holy Spirit, life of the life of every creature, holy are you in giving life to forms.  Rivers spring forth from the waters; earth wears her green vigor.”

For more about this German mystic, click here for an article by author, mother and kitchen gardener Mary DeJong of The Other Journal entitled:  “A Holy High: How Hildegard Found Her Inspiration Grounded in the Garden”