Organic Gardening Info from Peaceful Valley

Pictured: Soup made with garden veggies. Garnished with sour cream, flat leaf parsley and edible borage flowers.

Organic Carrot Ginger Soup
from Lita & John Perkins

1 large sweet onion chopped
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic or two shallots minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
10-12 organic carrots shredded (1-1/3 pound approximately) (easiest in a food processor)
1 medium Yukon gold potato peeled and sliced
5 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground 5 pepper blend
2/3 to 1 cup milk or almond milk
1/4 cup of minced coriander (cilantro) for garnish on top
1/4 cup of creme fraiche or sour cream for garnish

In a stainless 8 quart or larger soup pot sauté the onions in the olive oil until soft add garlic or shallots then the minced fresh ginger stir and meld together add the ground ginger then the shredded carrots, sliced potato and veggie stock simmer until the potatoes are soft. Remove from heat stir in salt and pepper. Let cool for 20 or 30 minutes and puree the works in a blender or food processor put the soup back into the pot add cow, soy or almond milk to the desired consistence heat slowly and serve…this is also excellent cold. Garnish with fresh minced coriander or Italian parsley.

How many ways can you prepare zucchini and summer squash? Please share your favorite recipes in the comments section!

Here are a few staff favorites:

Simple Saute

Dice an onion and slice few zucchinis. Warm a few table spoons of olive oil in a frying pan and add the onions, then zucchinis a couple minutes later. Add some Italian seasoning and fresh cracked pepper. Other welcome additions could include minced garlic, diced red pepper, summer squash. Put the lid on the pan to let the squash simmer and soften. Enjoy with rice.

Summer Omelet

Whisk 4 eggs with a touch of milk and pour them over saute vegetables (see above). Use a spatula around the edges of the pan to encourage the uncooked eggs to find their way to the frying pan surface. When the eggs are nearly done, add some cheddar cheese to the top and put a lid on it. Turn off the burner and let the cheese melt. Fold in half (or not) and enjoy!

Summer Squash Soup

In a tablespoon of olive oil, saute a diced yellow onion or two, some minced garlic, and (optional) sliced celery and carrots. After a couple minutes, add several sliced summer squashes, stir and saute for about 5 minutes. When the squash is soft, add enough chicken (or vegetable) broth to cover the vegetables and simmer for 5 minutes. Blend the soup in a blender in batches. Stir in a 1/4 cup of cream (optional) and serve with a decorative drizzle of creme fraich or sour cream (optional).

*Make this a curry squash soup by adding a table spoon of curry powder when sauteing the onions.

Stuffed Zucchinis

When you find yourself with a zucchini the size of your calf, slice it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and set it aside. Saute some onions, garlic, more squash (of course), other garden veggies, and optionally some beef or Italian sausage. Add some tomato sauce (optional). Mix in bread crumbs or cooked rice or cooked barley. Add some mozzarella or Parmesan cheese (optional). Re-fill the zucchini shells with the stuffing and place them in a glass baking dish with a 1/2″ of water in the bottom and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Squash Parmesan

Slice any kind of squash you have on hand. Toss with some olive oil and minced garlic. Fill a glass baking dish with the squash and cover the top with a generous layer of a mixture of breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and Italian herbs. Bake for 30-45 minutes. This makes a great side dish for chicken.

Summer Squash Garlic Grill Marinade

Mince 4 cloves of garlic and mix it with a pinch of fine salt. Allow it to sit for a minute (the salt will help bring out the garlic flavor). Mix with1/4 cup of olive oil and add any other herbs you enjoy grilling with. Slice zucchinis, yellow summer squashes, and patty pan squashes into broad 1/4″ slices. Brush both sides with the garlic marinade, grill for about 3 minutes on each side and enjoy.

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons butter

6 large carrots, peeled and sliced

1 medium onion

1 large potato, peeled and diced

4 cups beef or chicken broth or

4 cups water and 4-6 beef or chicken bouillon

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions:

Melt butter.  Add carrots, onions, potato and cook over medium heat until lightly browned about 15 minutes.  Add beef broth, then sugar  and salt and pepper.  Reduce heat and cook until tender, approximately 30 minutes.  Blend in a blender, food processor or with an immersion blender to get a smooth consistency.

2 bunches organic kale

1 red onion

1 can organic cooked black beans

1 organic red bell pepper

2 cups cooked basmati rice

2-3 cloves fresh, organic garlic

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
Steam kale until limp and let cool,  Chop onion, bell pepper and garlic and add to large salad bowl.  Drain black beans and add to mixture.  Add cooked, cooled rice and kale to bowl.  Mix in balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Stir in honey.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Chill and serve  cold on a bed of fresh salad green.

So here I am with the rest of the story… (read the beginnings of the story here).

James and Maggie Coffee were migrant farm workers (commonly known as prune pickers at the turn of the century) and raised 5 children while traveling from farm to farm throughout the Salinas and Sacramento valleys.  One good thing about working on farms is that there is always food around.  One bad thing about it is that most farms grew single crops so there was a limited variety of things to choose from.

People tended to eat the same things day after day.  My Grampa Mel, #4 in the line up, used to talk about how the minute they got where they were staying for the season the entire family would immediately dig up and plant the garden.  It added variety to their diet and preserves for the winter.

Don’t stop reading here… (more…)