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.

I belong to a CSA, which means every week I get a box of the freshest veggies possible… from just down the road. Every year I find myself subconsciously competing with my CSA farmer… and I must admit I always lose. He always has tomatoes and peppers sooner, his lettuce and cabbage heads up better than mine, in short his thumb is just plain greener. And this year I’ve decided to be alright with that, I’ve decided to grow all the other things I like to eat that I never get from my CSA. Now this idea may seem elementary, but to me it’s a revelation.

For those of you who are not hip to CSA membership here’s a quick overview; A farmer near you grows a diverse yet practical variety of veggies, usually on a small amount of acreage (1-5 acres). You join the CSA (community supported agriculture) and pay for a box of veggies a week. It’s kind of a subscription to fresh local food. Usually $15-$40 a week paid in advance or in two or three payments. The idea is that by paying in advance you give the farmers the money they need to get off to a good start. In return you not only get the freshest veggies possible, you also get to”know your grower” which is a rare thing these days. For a more detailed explanation of CSA here is what Wikipedia has to say.

So this year I will grow some unusual greens; Double Purple Orach, Purslane, Miners Lettuce, Italienischer and Regal Spinach. Most of which I have no idea what they will taste like. Even though my CSA has tons of tomatoes, I’m still going to grow my own, mostly sauce tomatoes for canning, you can never have too many tomatoes in my opinion. The same goes for onions and garlic, in my house we eat so much of these it’s a surprise our friends can stand our breath. In addition I plan to grow pickling cucumbers, some specialty squashes like flying saucer and portofino. I also acquired a few giant pumpkin seeds from a winning giant pumpkin (800+ lbs) and I can’t wait to see what comes of that! Herbs are still on the plan this year, dill (for the pickles), cilantro, basil and parsley, and thyme. Shelling peas will be a new addition to my garden and so will the beautiful scarlet runner beans I picked up at a seed swap. Also in the plan this year are berries of the straw, blue and rasp varieties. The blueberries will be the only new item on the menu and even though I just put them in the ground yesterday… my mouth waters already.

My garden plan for this year started out as a supplement to my CSA, giving me the veggies I would not see in my weekly box. It quickly became more about exploring new kinds of vegetables. And while I realize that my garden this year will barely scratch the surface of the vast realm of vegetable variety… I’ve got to start somewhere… and my garden seems like the right place.

What’s in your garden this year?