I can’t believe how cold it has become again … I even woke up this morning to frost on the roof of my car! But luckily it hasn’t seemed to settle as low as my lettuces, and new potato shoots that have been emerging from the ground during the last week. 3 years ago we planted some asparagus plants in our vegetable patch, and somehow we managed to lose 2 of the plants the second year but the remaining plant has this year done exactly what it said on the label … started to produce really respectable looking asparagus spears! My home grown spears are too precious to use to make soup, however my local farm shop and all the major supermarkets have shelves bursting with asparagus at the moment, so this weekend I used the last of my homegrown leeks and some of my white onions, with the shop bought asparagus and made some really delicious soup bursting with nutrients, and this is the recipe I used:
FRESH ASPARAGUS SOUP
- 800g asparagus, woody ends removed
- lug of olive oil
- 2 medium white onions, peeled and chopped
- 2 sticks of celery, trimmed and copped
- 2 leeks, trimmed and chopped
- 2 litres good-quality chicken or vegetable stock, if preferred
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chop the tips off your asparagus and put these to one side for later. Roughly chop the asparagus stalks. Get a large, deep pan on the heat and add a good lug of olive oil. Gently fry the onions, celery and leeks for around 10 minutes, until soft and sweet, without colouring. Add the chopped asparagus stalks and stock and simmer for 20 minutes with a lid on. Remove from the heat and blitz with a hand-held blender or in a liquidizer. Season the soup with salt and pepper until just right. Put the soup back on the heat, stir in the asparagus tips, bring back to the boil and simmer for a few more minutes until the tips have softened.
We ate the soup hot, but if the weather was warmer this soup is equally tasty served chilled.
I have reason again to sprinkle EcoCharlie Natural Slug and Snail Deterrent in my vegetable patch. Last year I vowed to never again buy a shop bought pumpkin for Halloween. After a false start due to a mouse digging up the planted pumpkin seeds to eat, from the 4 little pots that were waiting to germinate in the potting shed, I was able to plant out the replacement seedlings that germinated in my conservatory! I loaded the soil with some well roted compost, and once the plants were securely in the ground, I applied some Natural Slug and Snail Deterrent around each plant to save them from the next potential attack!
I am happy to say that the seed strips that I have been experimenting with, have all germinated and I have perfectly straight lines of well spaced rocket, beetroot and carrots emerging. Also the first of the rhubarb is now ready to harvest, so I feel sure there will be a recipe to follow next time. Anyway, must be off now …. it’s time to give the hens their afternoon treat of mixed corn!
Tags: Compost, Frost, Nutrients, Seeds, Vegetable Patch
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