Organic Garden; Thin the carrots

Now is the time for thinning the carrots, beets, and anything too close together. I will thin carrots and beets about an inch apart, then thin again in a few weeks.

These carrots are too small to do much with but bunny loves them!

White Bean Soup recipe

White Bean Soup

1/2 cup diced yellow onion               

 2 med. carrots- diced

1 tsp. minced garlic                           

 1 cup celery- diced

2 T. olive oil                                     

 2 T. flour

8 cups vegetable broth                      

 1 bay leaf

2 cans Cannellini beans- drained        

3-4 med. potatoes- peeled & diced

4 c. chopped spinach or kale              

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp. dried basil                             

1 T. chopped fresh parsley

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper             

 1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground thyme                        

 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 c. half & half                                    

*Optional: 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup potato flakes

* In a large soup pot over med/high heat sauté onion, carrot, garlic, &

celery in the olive oil until cooked through, about 5 min.

* Add the flour and stir for 15 seconds then stir in the broth. Take a couple of ladles out and place in a bowl. Set bowl aside.

* Heat to boiling, add beans and potatoes. Chop kale and parsley and add in. Add in salt, peppers, bay leaf, basil and lemon juice.  Simmer for approximately 15 min or until potato is cooked through. Turn off heat and remove from heat. 

* Add the half and half to the slightly cooled broth bowl you set aside. Stir to mix, then stir into soup. Serve hot. Sprinle cheese on top if desired.

* If you like soup a little thicker, sprinkle finished soup with about a half cup of potato flakes and stir to mix

 

Organic Garden; Watching it grow

Well, the garden is in for the most part. I have some grass clipping around the plants and most are growing pretty well. I have to admit that starting my squash in recycled plant containers proved to work so great I will hopefully remember to do that again next year! It puts my winter & summer squash, and my cucumbers at least two weeks ahead of where they would be. I just looked at my zucchini yesterday and they are ready to flower! (Sorry I get excited about that sort of thing)

I am starting to cut off bottom limbs of tomato plants that are about a foot or so high and steak them. I will continue to cut off lower limbs until I have at least a one foot gap. That being said, I sometimes cut off half a lower limb if it is close to touching the ground. I work hard at the start to ward off early blight so that I can relax a little when the plants are setting fruit.

You can see that my squash that were on the opposite end of the garden last year are now at the south side. (left side of pic) The tomatoes from that north end are also at the south end. I rotate in thirds to try to keep the plants from diseases as is recommended but the problem is there is only so much space so you do what you can.

As always, happy planting!!