Home-made leek and potato soup
Today was a day at home, as the infrequent downpours made us stay indoors. But, it was as fulfilling as exploring the outdoors, as we did something which I had never done before.
We spent an afternoon in the kitchen, and made batches of fresh soup.
Two varieties were on the menu: leek and potato, and carrot and coriander (the latter using the home-grown herbs, of course).
It was much easier than I had expected, and after rounding up the necessary ingredients, we cooked them off and whizzed them with the hand-held blender. Potatoes formed part of the base for both types, and proved easy to pulp, and along with the leeks, carrots, and onions, were mushy in no time.
Lovely colours: Nik does the blending
Once they were cool, we scooped the mixtures into bags, which were then clipped in readiness for their new home in the freezer. We tried some before they went into their frozen hibernation, and both sorts did taste much better than anything I’d bought from a supermarket, as the recipes are preservative free.
Bagged and blended batches of soup
I’m looking forward to eating the rest. Once defrosted in the microwave, a little milk needs to be added into the pan, to add a touch of creaminess.
One day, I’ll post up the recipes.
Part of the soup-making process was the harvesting of the herbs, before they go to seed. The coriander was chopped and then blended, before being added to the carrot soup mix. Any which was over was placed into an ice cube tray, before being covered with water and placed in the freezer.
Home-grown cut coriander
I’ve learnt that the basil can be frozen, too, so as much of this was harvested as I could put into a clip and close container, before being popped into the frozen shelves. It’s best to freeze the leaves separately, but I need a few more boxes so that I can trim the rest of the four plants which are back in their rightful place on the kitchen windowsill, after their holiday on the shelf outside.
Home-grown harvested basil
Finally, the chives were trimmed, blended, and put in a plastic beaker, and again went into cold storage. With the peat pots making them resembling beetroot plants, it will be interesting to see if they (and the rest of the chopped crops) regrow.
Home-grown chopped chives
It turns out I almost had enough plants to almost start a cottage industry, which after last week’s rural and scenic break, sounds like a wonderful way to make a living.