Specials Board: Carrot and Ginger Soup

Carrot & Ginger Soup and Vegan Mofo Day 20

I woke up to a dank morning, it was cold, misty and drizzling, and do you know what my first thought was? Perfect day for soup!

Earlier in the week I'd managed to pull up some carrots, there weren't very many and they weren't anything to shout home about, but I had carrots, something I'd not eaten for a few weeks. So whatever I did with them had to be good, I'd missed you humble carrot!

My very first year of growing carrots was a huge success I couldn't believe how easy it had been and the taste was out of this world, even my hubby said they were the best tasting carrots he'd ever had! Since the first year, I've not had a huge success with carrots, I've had some, but never a crop like I did in that first year. Maybe I was just spoilt!

These are what I pulled up the other day.

Nothing out of the ordinary, but they were orange, healthy and smelt good, so I'm calling it a win! I could have cut them up and served as a side vegetable but they wouldn't have gone far. So I decided to make them the star of the show and turn them into soup. Because of the weather I teamed them up with ginger for a little warmth.

Ingredients 

1 Tbsp Olive oil
230g Carrots chopped (peeled weight)
1 onion, diced
Small knob of ginger 
(I weighed mine and it was 5g)
650ml Vegetable stock

Method

Saute the carrot and onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.

Add the ginger and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for another 5 minutes until the carrot is cooked.

Transfer to a blender and blend until you have a silky smooth soup. Perfect for a dank day.

Earlier today I attended a local food festival where the community were celebrating their growing talents by entering into a grow and show competition. As I wasn't part of the local community I didn't enter anything into the competition, but after speaking to the judges I was told that it was open to anyone, darn it I could have entered one of my mammoth pattypan squashes! 

Once the competition has been judged they auction off all the food entered into the competition. I was outbid on numerous occasions but once again my friend came to the rescue, as she did last year! She was the highest bidder for a beetroot and gave it to me as a present! It beats chocolate any day she said as she handed it over. Now this was no ordinary beetroot, just look at the size of it!

The beetroot was the size of my head! This could feed us for a month, easy. As soon as it was in my hands ideas were flooding through my brain with what I could do with it, cake, risotto, pickled, juice, chutney, jelly, ice-cream (?) the list went on. Another friend put in an order for cake, so I can see me being very busy tomorrow with this beast!

My gratitude didn't finish there, after leaving the local food show Marco and I went off exploring into the woods and guess what we found? I couldn't believe my eyes it was a miracle! I just happened to come across a sloe bush and it was full of sloe berries, I couldn't believe my luck! Thank goodness for doggy poop bags, LOL! I picked about a third of a bag, there were lots left on the bush so I could always go back for more if I can remember where it was. When I got home I weighed my bounty and it was just over 400g, sloe gin here I come!

My day of good fortune didn't end there either! On the way back I found a wild damson tree which was laden with fruits, thankfully I always have lots of doggy poop bags in my pocket! I managed to fill half a bag, which weighed just over 550g, so damson jam here I come!

I was chuffed to bits with my little bounty so on the off chance I tried the community orchard which had been raided a few weeks ago. I was rewarded, as I approached a tree which looked like its branch had been broken off and it was just dangling there, my eyes lit up. The branch wasn't damaged it was just heavy with pears! I think someone was looking down on me today! So, not only do I have a HUGE beetroot, I have sloes, damsons and 6 pears! There were lots more pairs on the branch but I took just what I needed and no more. Hopefully someone else will be rewarded too, before the ninjas of the night come and strip it bare.

So all in all a great day, see you all tomorrow!