Sweet Potato Soup (gf,df)

We are trying to use up the food in our fridge,

so I thought I'd whip up a batch of sweet potato soup.
The weather has been cooperating just enough,
so that a bowl of soup really hits the spot.

A handful of ingredients makes this dish 
a snap to put together in less than 30 minutes.
Sauteing the onions really brings out their sweetness.
If you don't care for sweet potatoes,
this method for soup making can be used with
white potatoes, butternut squash, or carrots,
or any combination of your favorite veg.





Sweet Potato Soup

1/2 yellow onion, diced
olive oil
3 sweet potatoes, chopped
salt
cinnamon (optional)
water or bone broth


In a medium pot, sautee onion in olive oil
until translucent (5-7 minutes).
Add sweet potatoes and cook until almost tender
(8 minutes).
Add seasonings and fill pot 3/4 full with water
or a combination of water and bone broth.
Bring to the boil,
then turn down to low heat.
Simmer with lid on about 10 minutes.
Use an immersion blender or food processor
to blend until smooth.
Enjoy! 

Want to grow your own sweet potatoes?

A Good Morning's Work

Our days at Farm School are winding down,

and we are cherishing every moment we get to learn from 

The Master.

This past weekend,

we worked on a couple of projects that needed doing.

The first one involved one of my favorite herbs.

We have a thriving rosemary plant out by our mailbox.

It loves the spot and requires very little care.

The bonus is the scent greets our mail carrier

with every delivery.

Win-win!

At Lynn's request, 

I had taken some cuttings from the Mother plant

and stripped the bottom third of the stem of leaves.

(These discarded leaves can be used for cooking or potpourri.)

I brought the cuttings with me to Faye & Lynn's,

so they could be transplanted for market.

Faye filled a large tub with pots,

then shoveled the magic soil mix into the vessels

and leveled them off with a straight edge (butter knife).

 Here we are all set up with filled pots and rooting hormone.

We worked near the garage,

as the day was too blustery to have much success 

with this endeavor out in the garden.

We simply took the cuttings, dipped them in water,

then coated the entire bare stem with hormone

and placed them in the center of the pots.

A dibber was used to create the perfect-sized holes.

They were watered in well and placed in a shady spot.

They will be watched and when they seem to be taking off,

they may be placed in a more sunny location.

You can read more about this fragrant herb 

in our Seed to Table Series here.

 The other job that Faye & I did together

was to pick pigeon peas.

These yummy morsels are akin to black-eyed peas,

in that they are nitrogen-fixers for the soil

and have a similar waxy taste.

We picked the greenest ones we could find.

They'll be shucked and sold at market this coming weekend.

Faye reminded me to use the sun 

to determine if they were ready.

The shadow of the peas in the pods helps to see their size.

The pods are not eaten in this case,

as they are quite tough.

You can read more about pigeon peas here.

It will be hard to say goodbye to this place.

The memories of all I have learned here

will be treasured in my heart.

My time here has made me a better person.

How do you repay that?

Unconventional Oatmeal Cookies (gf)

This recipe was so unique,

I just had to give it a go.

So many delicious ingredients

that I never thought to put together before.

But Jami Boys, at An Oregon Cottage did.

Many of her recipes have found their way 

into our Family Recipe Notebook.

We like to pass the good stuff along.

 Oat flour was made by simply placing oats in the blender

and whizzing away until the right consistency was obtained.

As no flour is used, these yummies are gluten-free.

With a mix of nut butter, seeds, nuts and chocolate chips,

they were bound to be good.

Chocolate Chip, Nut & Seed Oatmeal Cookies (GF)

Jami Boys

1/4 C butter

1/4 C nut butter (we used Sunbutter)

2/3 C brown sugar (we used coconut sugar)

3 T honey

1 egg

1 t vanilla

1 1/4 C oat flour (we made our own)

3/4 C whole rolled oats

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1/2 C chopped nuts (we used pecans)

1/3 C sunflower seeds

2 T flax seed meal

1/2 C chocolate chips

Beat butter, nut butter, sugar and honey in a large bowl until smooth.  
Add egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated.

To the mixture, add oat flour, oatmeal, soda, powder and salt; 
stir just until mixed well before folding in 
the nuts, seeds, flax meal and chocolate chips.

Heat oven to 350 degrees and line sheet pan with parchment paper.

Drop cookies a tablespoon at a time onto prepared sheets,

flattening slightly.

Bake 8-10 minutes, then let cool on sheet pan 5 minutes

before transferring to cool on cooling rack.

Makes 3 dozen.

Enjoy!

Farm School Update

With the fall garden in full swing,
we thought we'd do an update on Farm School.
About three and a half years ago,
I met my gardening mentors, Faye & Lynn,
who have been teaching me about being a farmer here in Central Florida.
(We have a year-long series on our sessions
posted underneath our header.)

A few weeks ago,

sugar snap peas were sown.

They germinated well,
but took a little while to get going.
They love the cooler temperatures of autumn.

 

This weekend they looked quite happy.
These snap peas are a vibrant green, crisp and crunchy,
and sweet as sugar.
We're looking forward to seeing those blossoms show up
because we know that we'll soon be enjoying these tasty morsels.

In the lettuce patch,
Faye & Lynn have been dealing with pesky squirrels.
They have attacked the delicate leaves of all of the varieties
including Romaine, Buttercrunch, Simpson and Red Salad Bowl.
Staying true to their organic practices,
they found a way to thwart the nasty critters without using pesticides.

 The shade cloth has done a remarkable job
of keeping them out
and keeping the plants safe.

More shade cloth was added to the garden on the west side of the property.

This time, Lynn used the shade cloth as a wall,
because the pots in this garden are much bigger than the containers in the lettuce patch.

 Inside this protective fortress
are kales and Swiss chard.

So far, the crops outside of the protected area seem to be untouched.

peppers

tat soi

tokyo bekana

The eggplant is lookin' good.
I sure hope I get to sample some of these beauties.

Once they reach a certain height, 
Lynn places cages over them for support.

Another crop that we are patiently awaiting
are the Celebrity tomatoes.
Nothing like home-grown maters.
The combination of Lynn's tomatoes and eggplant
is one of my favorite pairings for a peasant stew called ratatouille.

The fall garden is well underway
and we are enjoying spending every minute we can in it.

Thankful as Can Be

So much for which to be thankful.

Family.

Friends.
The Road Back to Health.

Nature.

Real Food.

A Warm Bed.

Dreams Realized.

The Journey.

 

May you be blessed this Thanksgiving
with love, laughter and joy.
~daisy