I don’t like being cold and wet. I’m pretty clear about that. There is one time, however, when I actually go out of my way to lose all feeling in my hands and soak myself to the bone – harvesting in the rain.
There’s nothing quite like the smell of wet soil and ozone mixing together as you tromp through the mud. Sticking your hands into an overgrowth of leaves to pick plump peas is somehow more satisfying than when all is dry. Seeing leaves weighed down with rain, they emit a dark green that only comes to light when clouds fill the sky. Everything is just ripe for the picking.
I did that this morning. After discovering a couple of wayward snails that had mistakenly found their way into my garden (pest patrol: another great thing to do in the rain), my husband and I harvested a handful of fresh sugar snap peas, a bouquet of cilantro and a stack of spinach leaves.
Rainy weather calls for soup, and one of my favorites in both winter and summer is cilantro soup. It’s easy and satisfying with a great big hunk of crusty bread. Try this one and let me know how you like it:
Cilantro Soup
borrowed from a recipe in Veggie Life Magazine
6 cups vegetable stock
6 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
2 cloves garlic, roughly diced
1 tsp. Tabasco or salsa
1 cup of cilantro leaves
Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon
Bring stock to a boil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat
Add potatoes and garlic and simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes
Remove from heat, add Tabasco or salsa, and cilantro
Puree the soup in a food processor or blender in batches
Return the soup to the pot and reheat gently.
Stir in lemon juice to taste, salt and pepper if desired
Serve immediately with toasted bread
My New Year’s gift to you – enjoy!
What are you harvesting these days? Share with us here.
