Monday, June 9, 2008

Mmmm... Turnips... and Soup!


I discovered a love of turnips this weekend. There was a pretty pile of them at my local farmers market and I was looking for things to throw in a soup. I nibbled on them raw as I was chopping and they were very good! They made an excellent addition to my Chicken and Noodle soup. I might try and grow some of these tasty veggies this fall. Apparently they are one of the easiest, most nutritious plants a gardener can grow. With both the bulbs and the greens being edible.


Jennie's Chicken and Noodle Soup (version: Spring 2008)
Chicken stock
Chicken leg & thigh
5 stalks of Celery
4 average sized Turnips
3-4 Carrots
Half an Onion
bunch of Green Onions
Thyme
Sage
garlic
shell noodles

Put stock in large pot, boil chicken parts in the covered pot with enough stock to cover them, with the garlic, green onions and half the Thyme and Sage.
When chicken is done 20 minutes or so, lift it out of the stock. Add 2 cups of water and any remaining stock to the stock/spices mix still in the pot. Add diced carrots, turnips and onions, cover and simmer.
While the veggies are cooking, separate the chicken from the bone and chunk it. Add the chunks back to the pot.
Cook, covered at a simmer for at least an hour, more if you like. Add remaining half of Thyme and Sage about 15 minutes before serving.
When you add the Thyme ans Sage, cook the pasta in a separate container, following package directions. Drain pasta and add to soup right before serving.

Salt and Pepper to taste.

This recipe made enough soup for Dave and I to have dinner on it and lunch the next day. Super with some leftover bread. :-)
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Harvests this weekend:
303 grams of mixed greens
131 grams of rhubarb

I'll have PEAS later this week!! I have a boat load of little baby peas on the vines, with lots more blossoms right behind 'em. :-) Mmmm peas.

1 comment:

Brian Johnson said...

Turnips are great- another forgotten peasant food. Consider trying parsnips in place of the carrots. Rutabagas are another good soup veggie- crunchy, slightly squash-like flavor, very similar to a turnip. I've got seeds for turnips from seed savers if you're interested in turnips.