Autumn Days

Greenhouse and Compost Tea

Radishes for Soup

Vermont is in its prime right now and is truly showy.  I am not a “Vermonter,” having moved here a couple of years ago, so my observations are still those of a visitor, seeing the uniqueness of this place compared to the other places I have spent time in.  It is autumn, with all that the word conjures up being true.  The days are coolish, the sun floats in and out.  Everywhere, the color variation is astounding.  The clouds sport all of the shades of blue and purple.  Sunlight highlights a patch of changing trees on the hillside and then shifts to another hill.  The garden is still bright green, but is speckled with red and yellow maple leaves.  A bright orange calendula pops out and a late blooming blue hydrangea reaches upward.

Harvest has slowed, leaving more time to get back to the dirt.  We spent the weekend revamping the greenhouse.  We replaced the plastic on the outside and transplanted cold hardy plants from the garden into the greenhouse for winter harvest.  We moved celery, parsley, sorrel, kale, and a thyme plant.  I also gave the greenhouse dwellers a dose of the good stuff, “compost tea,” that collected under our ComposTumbler.  I diluted what you see in the photograph with two watering cans of water.  It felt great to get back to the dirt, cleaning up, feeding and repairing after a hard season of production.

After our work in the fresh air, we gardeners needed a pot of soup to nourish our bodies.  With a bumper crop of radishes and having seen this recipe scattered on the web, I thought I should try it.  It was quite good and unexpectedly the children even ate it.  So I’d like to share it with you.

Cream of Radish Green Soup

1 tablespoon butter
2 large bunches of radish greens, chopped
2 leeks, chopped
2 potatoes, cubed
6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
2 radishes, grated for garnish
Salt and pepper

Saute leeks in butter until soft.  Add vegetable broth and potatoes.  Simmer until the potatoes are soft.  Add radish greens and simmer for a couple of minutes.  Puree and return to heat.  Add cream and salt and pepper to taste.  Sprinkle grated radish on top.

Enjoy these luscious fall days!

Tags: compost tea, greenhouse, radishes