I realize all of you gardeners out there reading this are far ahead of me in the harvest....i am aware i'm only just now enjoying what your tongues tasted weeks ago. I heard a report yesterday that the Wrights in SC are enjoying zuccinni. yes, those days in the 90s certainly help. Nevertheless, i was in the garden yesterday evening, thoroughly loving the cool evening air and the quiet (Sweden was playing a fotball match against Greece in the European finals and every person in the country was glued to their tv but me), and I was inspired to cook a soup from my small though exciting growing garden. There is no need to wait for the big showy veggies of summer like tomatoes and squash to enjoy your garden. As I filled an empty pot with the greens and herbs I picked, the smell was intoxicating....the essence of spring. Here is the recipe, and maybe you who are in warmer climates can store this in your memory for next year
Spring Soup
- Go out to the garden and harvest what you can of any green or herb. Even if the plants are small, you can take a couple leaves without harming its growth. My bowl was filled with a few leaves of the following: kale, collards, spinach, lettuce, basil, cilantro, and 1 radish.
- Wash and chop finely all that was harvested. Boil this together with water (maybe 4 cups for every 2 cups of greens), some bouillon (not much, you want the flavor of the greens to take center stage), 1 clove garlic, and enough salt to taste.
- Boil for just a couple minutes, then let simmer for a few more. Not much time is needed. Then sit down and enjoy this deeply green, nutrient dense, fresh soup
I also made 4, 0.5 liter bottles of rhubarb saft recently. Saft was a new thing for me when I moved to Sweden, but it is the common drink of kids and adults alike here. It is basically a condensed juice which you buy or make in small bottles, then dilute yourself every time you want a glass. Hmm......it's hard to explain. Here is a picture:
You can make saft out of any berry or fruit. Rhubarb is coming out of our ears here so that is what i chose. Here is the recipe I followed:
Rhubarb saft
2.2 pounds rhubarb
1 cup water
1.5 cups sugar
Chop the rhubarb and boil it with the water for 10 minutes, or until it is soft and broken down.
Drain this thick, fruity mixture through a cheese cloth or regular dish towel for approx. 20 min or until all the liquid has drained out.
Boil this liquid with the sugar until the sugar has disolved, then fill a clean .5 liter jar with this thick, almost syrupy looking saft!
This keeps forever in the fridge, and when ready to drink, mix about 2 T. in a glass with cold water. Just test the amount yourself and decide how sweet you want the drink to be. I think it's nice when it's not too sweet.
Other news...Erik and I leave in just 1 week for Gotland!! I'll write more on that later....and after this short trip we'll head to Italy for a month of working on 3 different organic farms there, including (we hope) drinking wine under the evening Tuscan sun. :) We are really looking forward to the education we will receive from this ancient and far under-valued method of simple apprenticeship, involving direct teaching from an experienced person to an eager learner.
