Garden, Plant, Cook!

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Cold / Cool Weather and Flu and Colds call for Soups and Broths!

Dear Folks,

Soups are always appealing to me, but particularly when the weather starts changing and I see the leaves falling I want soup!

While soup is good for when you are not feeling well or are chilled from being outside, these soups can actually help you stay well or recover more quickly because of the all the great nutrients in the herbs and greens.

Here are several I encourage you to try, hopefully with bounty from your own gardens, but do find your local farmers markets to get the best ingredients.

Good For You Broth
aka nature's "penicillin"

From my book "Edible Landscaping in the Desert Southwest: Wheelbarrow to Plate"

You can make as just a broth to sip, or add noodles and carrots for simple lovely tasting soup.

http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/2008/12/hot-sip-for-cold-weather.html

Herb Soup
From my book "101+ Recipes From The Herb Lady"
Don't be deterred by the idea of an herb soup.  This delicious soup is just perfect for a cool day or when you are needing a lift.  This is from an old post of mine, do swap out the herbs and greens for your preference.

http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/2013/10/herb-soup.html

Green Harvest Soup
Adapted from a Magazine Recipe, again use herbs and greens of your choice.  This is a lovely too look at and delicious to enjoy soup.  Like the Herb Soup, swap out the herbs and greens for those you prefer - or what you have growing in the garden.  I would use sweet potato leaves along with the sweet potato, maybe sorrell leaves, roselle or Egyptian Spinach leaves.

http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/2009/02/green-harvest-soup.html


Next:  Use this time to make your own dried vegetable bouillon to have on hand with your garden bounty.

Homemade Dried Vegetable Stock/Bouillon

http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/2015/05/homemade-dried-vegetable-stockbouillon.html

 


And another recipe for a "herb soup" I just saw on the internet, like a combination of my herb and harvest soups

http://omnomally.com/2015/10/04/immune-boosting-garden-herb-stock/


One more soup!

Potato Soup with Herbs

Trying to duplicate the potato soup my mother made, I decided to add herbs from the garden -- a lot of herbs!  :-)

I have to say I think I got my mom's basic flavor and added my own touch to this type of comfort food.

You can easily make this vegan by using a choice of best non-dairy "milks".  OR a very good vegetable broth.  I have made a potato soup in broth before and with the right herbs and spices it is also excellent tasting. 

http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/2010/11/potato-soup-with-garden-herbs.html

One last tip.  I usually have a lot of greens and herbs growing year round in the garden. When I make soup or stew I usually shred a lot of any or all of the varieties and either add to the bowl before ladling the hot food over it - or top as a garnish to stir in each bowl.  This fresh burst of flavor adds both texture and goodness (preserving the nutrients etc. because they were not "cooked") to the bowl of food.

You can find my books for sale through links on the side bar.

I hope you make soup - soon!


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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