Solas na Cruinne

“Better than any argument is to rise at dawn and pick dew-wet red berries in a cup.”
~ Wendell Berry, American author and poet

There is just something to be said for acquiring locally what you could have bought from thousands of miles away. And, when it comes to berries, it’s even better that you get to go and grab it off of the bush yourself.

We went out on a sunny day, what seems a rare occurrence in New England this year, and paid a visit to a local farm called Meadowbrook Orchards. They have such a beautiful orchard there, it looks like a field of olives in Tuscany or something. They also have a little restaurant, ponds and, of course, berry picking!

So, armed with a carrying box and some quart tubs, we set about harvesting the vines and bushes.

Serge ate his way through some sparsely populated raspberry vines while I dodged the mating beetles that were ensconced within.

Next we moved on to the heavily laden blueberry bushes, in all stages of ripeness. Being my favorite berries, I must have eaten as many as I harvested. But that is the best part about picking your own, there is no surcharge for what you nibble in the process. :-)

We discovered that if you kneel down and look up into the bush, you find the sweetest and ripest of the berries. They’re often hidden under big drooping leaves on the uppermost and lowest branches. Delicious!

All-in-all we got 1 quart of raspberries and 4 quarts of blueberries. Two of the blueberry quarts headed into the freezer for sorbet, one for fresh munching and one may head into some pancakes or muffins.

The farm had a plethora of other fruits, we saw blackberries that will be coming ripe soon and some nectarines, peaches and acres of apples.

We had a sweet and joyous time, and were even startled half-to-death by an electronic bird squabbler that plays a recording for frightening off our hungry feathered friends. Ha, ha!

After all of our hard work we relaxed with old-fashioned sodas in the farm restaurant, creatively decorated with old farm and wood-working tools and with a cozy sofa near an old Victorian wood stove, which thankfully was not fired up in July. ;-)

I think it’s safe to say that we will be heading back to Meadowbrook for some pie apples in the autumn!

“Plants are the young of the world, vessels of health and vigor…”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Poet and Essayist

While Serge and I were out strolling through the English hillsides the other day, we came across a clump of young nettle leaves and I suddenly had the crazy idea to be all old-fashioned and throw something fresh and wild in my next soup.

My sweetheart was kind enough to don some suede gloves and pick a bunch for me, which we stored in the fridge once we got home (again using suede gloves.)

Though these prickly little plants get a bad name because of their sharp, stingy nature, they are actually quite useful and healthy. These little plants inspired me to lovingly sing the praises of nettles, in a previous post.

So, the next soup that I made was a simple leek and potato soup with a bit of onion and chives and, of course, nettle! It came out so good I thought that I’d document it here for you.

This soup’s goodness comes not just from flavour, but from it’s combining the antibiotic properties of leeks, the filling starchiness of potatoes and the high vitamin content of the nettles. So, this is a great immune booster for getting over a cold more quickly, and it is yummy too! You can’t ask for more than that.

Goodness Gracious Green Soup
Makes: 6-8 bowls
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1-2 hours

Ingredients:
8 leeks, washed and chopped
4 medium potatoes, cubed
1 large onion, diced
1 sandwich baggie full, or 2 cups, of nettle
1 teaspoon mixed Italian herbs
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 tbsp of chives
pinch of garlic salt
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Wash and chop leeks, using only the white portion and a small bit of the light green part.

2. Peel, wash and cube the potatoes.

3. Using rubber kitchen gloves (or tinfoil over your hands) rinse the nettles.

4. Fill a large saucepan half way with water.

5. Add the leeks and potatoes.

6. Bring to a boil then add the nettles and herbs/spices.

7. Let simmer on low for 1 hour. Salt as needed.

8. Using a blender, puree the soup until smooth. (Be sure to temper the glass by heating it up slowly, so as not to break your blender pitcher.)

9. Serve with a nice hearty bread or some barley/couscous/rice on the side.

It may sound funny, but having done a degree in history and having been a museum geek, in costume, for a good portion of my life, I am very into categorizing things into historical epochs. This blog is named after a Victorian cookbook, but this soup is what I call a “very medieval soup.” So get out your sword, loosen your corsets and dig into this groovy green soup!