How lovely it is to have grey skies and droplets in the air. Everything is so dry that it is instantly soaking up all the moisture; there is barely any evidence of it on the ground. We are slowly starting to bring in the winter crops. The onions are cleaned and put away, some of the winter squash varieties are in the barn. The summer crops are quickly waning. Last week it felt as the heat wave took every last effort out of them. The difference in the harvest between Tuesday and Friday was startling. This is definitely the last week of tomatoes. I hope that the zucchini, summer squash, and cucumbers last for a little more!
This week's pick list:
- Tomatoes
- Lettuce
- Lettuce Mix
- Celery
- Zucchini and summer squash
- Cucumbers
- Onions
- Garlic
- Hot peppers
- Potatoes
- Celeriac
- Chard
- Beets
- Carrots
- Sweet peppers
- Melons
- Basil. dill, cilantro, and parsley
- Pick your own cherry tomatoes and tomatillos (located in the flower field)
- Strawberries
A Simple Carrot Soup, adapted from 101cookbooks.com
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or extra-virgin coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon Thai yellow curry (Sonoma Spice Queen makes one!)
2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped - 1/2-inch chunks
1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
1 1/2 cups / 360 ml of water or broth, or to cover
1 lemon or lime
to serve (topping ideas):basil and/or cilantro, chopped, toasted almonds, chile oil
In a large soup pan over medium-high heat add the butter and onion. Stir until the onions are well-coated, and allow to saute until translucent, a few minutes. Stir in the curry paste, and then the carrots. Allow to cook another minute or two, and then add the coconut milk, salt, and water or broth, adding more water or broth to cover if needed. Allow to simmer until the carrots are tender, 10 - 15 minutes, and then puree using a blender or hand blender until the soup is completely silky smooth. This next part is important (with any soup) - make any needed adjustments. Add more water if the consistency needs to be thinned out a bit. After that taste for salt, adding more if needed. I also like to season this soup with a great big squeeze or lemon or lime juice.
