Independence Days – Weeks 8-11

Well it’s time to get caught up on a few things!  I last left this post on E’s birth-day, so while we’ve continued harvesting and eating and what not, I’ve not written it down!

We did get quite a few turnips and raspberries this week.  More raspberries than we’ve ever gotten, in fact.  There are still a few more ripening up, but I’ve been enjoying what we’ve gotten so far.

My lettuces and spinach bolted, so we’re going to be pulling those, and the peas (both the snow peas and the snap peas) are about done too.  So for the last few weeks here’s our report card:

Plant Something –  nada (that I can remember)

Harvest Something – Eggs, including the first mini-eggs from the pullets, turnips… lots of them!, our first zucchini, peas, radishes (a handful), raspberries…

Preserve Something –  green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, garlic, turnips, onions…

Waste Not– recycling, composting, and another big batch of  turnip greens this time.  Also, I packed up maternity clothes to return to my friend who lent them to me (I’m putting this in because instead of being wasteful and buying all new clothes for a few months use, I borrowed).  We’ve also been eating lots of meals made by friends, and the leftover have been great for lunches.

Preparation and Storage – Rick scrubbed out the “new” freezer.  We are solidifying plans for a buffalo (or at least half), as well as mulling over the idea of another pork this fall.

Build Community Food Systems – still spreading the word about the Englewood Farmers Market, Rick worked at the CSA, we shared extra zucchini that was going to go to waste, and we got to try some chicken from a co-op (thanks Genny).

Eat the Food – Since the zucchini are coming on, here’s a recipe from the Great Food Fast cookbook (also on www.marthastewart.com) that uses up a fair amount of summer’s favorite squash.  I’m not a big fan of curry, but this was pretty tasty.  It can be served warm or cold.

Curried Zucchini Soup

1 TBS olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
Coarse Salt
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp curry powder
1.5 lbs zucchini (about 3 medium) sliced 1 inch thick
1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/3 cup sliced almonds (for garnish)

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onion and 1 TBS salt and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are soft.  Add garlic and curry powder and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant – about 1 minute.

Add zucchini and potato, and 4 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, and simmer 10-15 minutes until vegetables are soft.  Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth (don’t be tempted to skip this, it does affect the flavor of this soup).  Serve warm, or refrigerate until cool.  Top with sliced almonds.

Note that I paraphrased the instructions, since I didn’t want to write it word for word.  But it’s pretty basic.  🙂  Enjoy!

Rick also thought that it’d be smart to make a large batch of this soup and freeze it for the winter when you have no zucchini.  He’s a pretty smart fella, I think.