Wellness by Trina & Jerry Shreck

There’s something different about food that came from your own soil — or from soil you know well. The vegetables in this Garden Venison Soup were pulled from our backyard harvest (zone 6b): tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, leeks, onion, chives, celery, and herbs from the garden’s late-summer abundance. When you eat this close to the earth, you’re not only feeding your body. You’re taking in the life-force energy plants absorb from the sun.

Life-force energy on your plate

Plants spend their days in relationship with sunlight. They take in that living energy and store it in leaves, fruits, and roots. When we eat fresh, whole foods — especially ones that haven’t been stripped by overprocessing or coated in toxic pesticides — that energy strengthens both the physical body and the energy body.

That’s why we keep coming back to a simple principle: eat as close to the earth as you can. Garden harvest meals are one of the clearest ways to practice it. Short path from soil to bowl. Minimal processing. Nothing between you and the plant that doesn’t need to be there.

Why garden food matters for energy

• Sun-charged plants support vitality in the energy body as well as nourishment in the physical body
• Avoiding toxic pesticides protects the subtle systems you’re trying to keep clear
• Skipping heavy overprocessing helps you keep more of the nutrients — and the life force — intact
• A home Instant Pot meal keeps the path short: harvest → kitchen → bowl

Garden Venison Soup (Instant Pot)

This is our go-to harvest soup: garden vegetables, venison, and enough broth to feel like a meal and a hug. It’s flexible — use what your garden (or farmers market) is giving you that week.

Download the free printable recipe (Instant Pot directions, ingredients, and notes from our Catawissa kitchen):

A small energy practice with your meal

Before the first bite, pause for one breath. Notice the color, the steam, the smell of basil and chili. Quietly thank the sun, the soil, and the hands that grew and prepared it. That moment of attention is part of how food becomes medicine for the energy body — not just fuel.

Eat close to the earth. Keep the path short. Let the garden’s life force meet yours.

This post is for educational wellness purposes and is not medical advice. Listen to your body and work with a qualified practitioner for personal health decisions.