Joy of Cold Soups

Cold Soup for a Hot Day

Boy is it hot: really scorching outside. When it's this hot, that means it's time for . . . soup?  What?

Soup in the summertime seems counter intuitive, but that's where cold soups can really fit the bill, for several reasons:

1. They tend to use fresh produce, either from the garden or the farmer's market.

2. They come in savory options, if you want a something remotely traditional for a soup course, or sweet options, if you want a light dessert.

3. They are refreshingly delicious.

4. They can be made ahead of time, in the cool of the morning, and chilled for several hours.

By Gila Brand at en.wikipedia (Own work) [CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

For savory cold soups, you can choose from vichyssoise, gazpacho, borscht, or cold cucumber soup, among others. You might try this cold Summer Squash Soup I made recently:

Cold Summer Squash Soup

4 medium yellow squash, sliced
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 TBSP butter
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp. cayenne, or to taste
1 cup plain yogurt

Melt the butter and then saute the squash and onion until the vegetables are tender. Add the chicken broth; let the mixture come to a boil and then simmer it for five minutes. Let cool and then add the cayenne pepper.  Blend the mixture and return it to the pan. Whisk in the plain yogurt. Chill for at least one hour (preferably more) before serving. Serves 6-8.


For sweet soups, fresh fruits will play a starring role. Try strawberry soup or cherry soup: yum! You can even go old-school and make traditional Fruktsoppa (Swedish Fruit Soup).

To beat the summer heat, it's hard to beat cold soup, whether as a main dish, side dish, or dessert. Bon appetit!

Preserving Options for Garden Riches: Making Chutneys

Making Chutney: A Taste of the Exotic

If you have a surplus of peaches or other fruit, or of vegetables, and you are wanting to do something different with the extra produce, try making chutney, an Indian condiment that offers a sweet-sour-spicy touch to chicken, pork, venison, or vegetarian dishes.

The word chutney comes from Hindi caṭnī.  This versatile accompaniment will delight the senses and the imagination. In honor of August being Peach Month, I recommend this recipe for peach chutney; you might also try mango chutney, tomato chutney, coconut chutney, zucchini chutney (to help prepare for August 8, which is National Sneak Some Zucchini on Your Neighbor's Porch Day), and cilantro mint chutney, to name but a few possibilities. As an added bonus, chutneys make tantalizing, unique holiday gifts.

By Simon Law from Montréal, QC, Canada (Chutneys) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Quotations about Spices (not many quotations about chutney exist): Food for Thought

“Variety is the spice of life” – American proverb

“Variety's the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor. – William Cowper

“Is not birth, beauty, good shape, discourse, Manhood, learning, gentleness, virtue, youth, liberality, and such like, the spice and salt that season a man” – William Shakespeare

“I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.” – Bible

“He who controls the spice controls the universe.” – Frank Herbert, in Dune

On that note, bon appetit! 

Preserving Fruits and Vegetables: Freezing and Drying

Two Easy Ways to Preserve the Harvest: Freezing and Drying

It's that time of the year again: the garden is producing beyond your wildest dreams, more than enough to eat fresh and to have some left over. Two ways to preserve those garden riches are freezing and drying.

Freezing

Freezing is a great option for many fruits and vegetables, especially if you can pick them at the peak of flavor: in a home garden, this should be easy enough. For vegetables, I cut them up, as necessary, blanch them, and then lay them out on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Once the vegetable pieces are frozen, I transfer them to freezer bags. Colorado State University offers an excellent guide in choosing the best vegetables for freezing.

I treat fruit similarly, when I dry pack them, except for the blanching: instead, for those that are prone to browning, I dip them in lemon juice before placing them on the cookie sheet. Another option is the syrup pack or sugar pack, depending on the fruit. For a more extensive guide in freezing various types of fruit, it's hard to beat the National Center for Home Food Preservation's document Preserving Food: Freezing Fruit.

By Tiefkuehlfan (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Drying

Another easy option for preserving fruits and vegetables (as well as herbs and seeds) is drying. This method needs no refrigeration and is especially handy in preparation for the aftermath of a natural disaster, such as a hurricane or tornado, or in preparation for a zombie apocalypse.

While I am a fan of my Nesco dehydrator, other variations exist. sun drying is possible for many fruits, especially if you are blessed to live in an area with plenty of sun and low humidity. Oven drying is another option for most fruits and vegetables. For additional tips in drying fruits and vegetables, be sure to consult the Virginia Cooperative Extension's page Using Dehydration to Preserve Fruits, Vegetables, and Meats.


Do you have any favorite practices when it comes to freezing or drying produce? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. Bon appetit!

Top 10 Books about Gardening

My Top Ten Recommended Books about Gardening: A Must for the Bookshelf

Note: Many of these books are also available in Kindle and/or Nook format. Happy reading!

Bartholomew, Mel. All New Square Foot Gardening. Franklin, TN: Cool Springs Press, 2006. Print. This is a great source for raised bed gardening in small places.

Fell, Derek. Vertical Gardening: Grow Up, Not Out, for More Vegetables and Flowers in Much Less Space. New York: Rodale, 2011. Print. Everything you wanted to know about vertical gardening and saving gardening space.

Lovejoy, Sharon. Trowel and Error: Over 700 Tips, Remedies and Shortcuts for the Gardener. New York: Workman, 2003. Print. A handy reference for the gardener that offers effective, environmentally friendly solutions to many problems encountered in the garden.

Madigan, Carleen, ed. The Backyard Homestead. North Adams, MA: Storey, 2009. Print. This is a comprehensive guide to growing your own food through vegetable and fruit gardening as well as orchard care and keeping livestock.

Ortho. The Complete Guide to Vegetables, Fruits & Herbs: Planning, Planting, Growing, Harvesting. Des Moines: Meredith Books, 2004. Print. This is a good all-purpose gardening guide that offers excellent information, despite my initial trepidation about the company authoring the book.

Reader’s Digest. Magic and Medicine of Plants. Pleasantville, NY: Reader’s Digest Association, 1986. Print. This book explores mainly herbs, both grown in the garden and wild crafted.

Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. North Adams, MA: Storey, 1998. Print. This is the bible of companion planting: the tome that started this gardening trend.

Smith, Edward C. The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible. 2^nd ed. North Adams, MA: Storey, 2009. Print. This is an excellent resource covering anything a gardener would want to know about growing vegetables.

Turner, Julie. Organic Gardening Beginner’s Manual. n.p.: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012. Print. Provides invaluable information about organic gardening in a non-intimidating way.

Wilhelmi, Christy. Gardening for Geeks: DIY Tests, Gadgets, and Techniques That Utilize Microbiology, Mathematics, and Ecology to Exponentially Maximize the Yield of Your Garden. Avon, MA: Adams Media, 2013. Print. Who can resist the alluring combination of gardening and geek? Get in touch with your inner geek while being in the great outdoors.

Camille Pissarro [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons In the Vegetable Garden 

Strawberry Soup: A Summertime Treat

Chilled Strawberry Soup: Ideal Antidote for a Hot Day

Chilled fruit soups, Scandinavian in origin, provide a perfectly light dessert for those hot summer nights. This strawberry soup, luscious and creamy, is sure to hit the spot.

Strawberry Soup

2 cups fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
1/4 cup sugar or sugar substitute
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

Combine the strawberries and sugar or sugar substitute in a medium pan; cook over low heat for about ten minutes.

In a blender, blend the heavy cream, milk, and yogurt until frothy. Pour half of the mixture in a large bowl. Add the strawberry mixture to the other half of the mixture and blend. Fold this blended strawberry mixture into the large bowl. Chill for at least 8 hours.

Garnish with sliced strawberries, if desired

Serves 4-6 (in my household, it's closer to 4)

Chilled Strawberry Soup

Quick Red, White, and Blue Parfait

Fourth of July Parfait

If you need a quick dessert for a Fourth of July celebration that involves no cooking time, look no further than the parfait. Involving just three ingredients and highlighting fresh fruit of the season, parfaits can be prepared and assembled in plenty of time for a cookout, barbecue, or other event, leaving more time to enjoy Independence Day festivities.

Recipe for Parfait

2 boxes pudding mix: white chocolate, cheesecake, or vanilla
20-24 strawberries, or to taste
1 dry pint blueberries
whipped cream (optional)

Prepare the pudding according to the package directions; chill for about fifteen minutes. Wash, hull, and slices the strawberries. Rinse the blueberries.

Add two to three heaping tablespoons of pudding to the bottom of each glass. Add a small handful (I have small hands) to each glass. Add two to three more heaping tablespoons of pudding on top of the blueberries. Add two to four sliced strawberries to each glass. Add two to three more heaping of pudding on top of the strawberries. Add the remaining strawberry slices and blueberries, in a decorative pattern that pleases you, on top of the pudding. If desired, add a dollop of whipped cream on top.

Serves 4.

Fourth of July Parfait

Have a fun and safe Independence Day!