Day 321/366

German Creamed Herb Soup is easy to make and a comforting meal.

I've been languishing with what can only be a relapse of chronic fatigue, something I haven't had for quite some time.

Our meals over the past week have been fairly simple but nutritious.

In today's rushed lifestyles, I don't think we give enough credit to fresh herbs for supplying us with nutrients.

I know I'm guilty of, at times, thinking a quick meal can be had from a can or a packet.

Tonight's meal took me less than thirty minutes to cook, the most difficult part had to be chopping the freshly picked herbs.

Here is a link that gives you some idea of the nutritive value of many commonly grown herbs.

I have a lot of difficulty growing fruit and vegetables in my garden but I grow copious amounts of herbs because I can grow them in containers, which are easily protected from persistent wildlife.

At the moment I have more than enough oregano, thyme, lemon balm, sage, lemon grass, bay and kaffir lime.

My rosemary, mint, parsley and rocket is struggling but improving now that the warmer weather has arrived.

Tonight's dish was economical and nutritious and tasted delicious.

Day 231/366

When growing carrots in the garden, they need more potassium and less nitrogen for better growth.

Too much nitrogen induces forking while adding potassium promotes sweetness and solid growth.

Soil temperatures that are too low (below 5oC) will slow seed germination and temperatures that are too high may mean a wait of anything up to thirty five days for germination.
A soil temperature of around 10oC is best for germination.

Carrots are cool weather vegetables preferring sandy soils.

After our holiday, I think that a detox is in order.
So I made soup for tea tonight.
My carrot plot needed a further thinning out so I pulled the above tiny carrots to make a stock with some chicken carcasses I had in the freezer.
A nourishing stock was made by adding a bunch of fresh herbs from the garden, an onion, Celtic sea salt, filtered water and peppercorns which were all simmered for around two hours.
A light soup was made by straining the stock, adding two parsnips, the shredded chicken meat, the onion (chopped), two cakes of rice noodle,shavings of fresh ginger and  simmering again until the parsnip was cooked.
I served the soup with the addition of a dash of cream, freshly cracked pepper and slices of fresh lime (purchased yesterday from an op-shop in Bangalow).
Here is the result:

The soup was very satisfying and there's enough leftover for lunch tomorrow.

Pumpkin Soup Thursday.

Drove down the mountain to visit my Mum today for Dad's thirteenth anniversary of his passing.  He died from Mesothelioma which he contracted from his work in an asbestos fibro manufacturing plant during the early fifties.
He used to bring  his overalls home for Mum to wash in the old washing machine.  I think this plays on Mum's mind from time to time.
The weather was glorious today and we wandered around the garden.  There is no organisation in Mum's garden but she has a little bit of everything growing which keeps her in good stead for the odd vegetable, fruit or herb. 
Mum picked a lusciously orange Kent pumpkin and gave me half to take home, here is a 'pic' of the yummy pumpkin.

And here is the Recipe for tonight's Thai Spiked Pumpkin Soup.  Must warn you though, this recipe requires around two hours of cooking time.  (It's going to be around eight o'clock before we get dinner tonight!)  Also, my recipe does not use milk and shredded coconut, instead I use 400 mls of coconut milk.  Oh, and I only used one variety of pumpkin.
I must admit, this recipe needs a bit more time than run of the mill pumpkin soup, but not that much more effort.  I think it's worth it.

Home Grown

Fresh from the garden. This zucchini is bristling with life...when I cut it up, it will just burst with crispness. 

Soup for dinner tonight.  What could be more satisfying on a miserable damp day than soup and toast?
Besides, it's nice and quick and once more I can use up what little there is of the veggies in the bottom of the refrigerator.  Tomorrow is market day and I get to replenish our fresh fruit and vegetable supply with farm fresh produce.
In the meantime I have livened up the soup with a zucchini, freshly picked from the vegetable patch and a bouquet garni made with fresh herbs from the herb garden.
The bouquet is made with sage, rosemary, marjoram (just a touch), and oregano which is then all tied together with a few long stands of thyme.   This way I can lift the whole bunch out of the pot at the end of cooking. Mm mm, such a satisfying aroma is created from these herbs.
The zucchini might be the last of the season, as, it seems, the one remaining plant seems to have succumbed to the fungal disease off the one other plant that was growing.
Celtic sea salt is almost a staple in my kitchen.  If I use this and the bouquet garni in my soups, casseroles and stews, I have found that there is no need to use stock cubes, no matter how 'natural' they proclaim to be!
Unlike sodium chloride which is commonly labelled as table salt, Celtic sea salt is full of minerals and trace elements. It is also claimed to do all the opposite things that common table salt does.
Besides all these benefits; it tastes great too.