Cream of Broccoli Soup

Hello again! Happy 1st day of October! It was 36 degrees when I went to bed last night, and I expected there'd be a killing frost by this morning, but I was wrong. The clouds must have kept the chilliest air at bay.

This morning was cold indeed, yet it was trying to be sunny. But the rain clouds have been moving in since my morning walk, and it has just started sprinkling again. I started the fireplace when I got back home, as it was 58 degrees in the house when I woke up. I had every intention of bringing in firewood today and firing up the wood furnace in the basement, but instead I ended up baking to warm up the end of the house not heated by the fireplace!

I started a pot of Cream of Broccoli soup and a batch of Pecan-Onion Bread to have with it. Then I headed out to the Berry Garden to pick raspberries, and to the vegetable garden to plant garlic. My neighbor Gary had given me a strain of garlic developed and grown for many years by his neighbor further up the road, and I planted this along with some garlic I had picked up at the Co Op in Middlebury, Vermont. I put in over 100 cloves; not a lot according to some folks, but I ran out of garlic, so it'll have to do! And besides, it had just started to rain as I was finishing up, so I headed back into the house for some bread and soup! Here's the recipe if you'd like...

Cream of Broccoli Soup

In a large pot, over medium heat, combine 4 Tablespoons of Olive Oil, a whole bulb of minced garlic and a large chopped onion. Saute til the onion and garlic are softened, then add 1/3 cup of flour. Stir the flour into the onion-garlic mixture til incorporated, then add between 6 and 8 cups of vegetable (or chicken) stock. Reduce temperature to a simmer and add 2 heads of Broccoli that have been chopped into pieces. *Reserve about a quarter of the Broccoli for later if you want a chunky soup. Simmer for about 15 or 20 minutes til the Broccoli is cooked through and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer the cooked mixture to a blender and puree, working in batches if necessary. *If you have reserved some chopped broccoli, dump the pureed soup back into the cooking pot and add the remaining chopped broccoli... cook for another 10 minutes. Either way, add about 1/2 cup of heavy cream to the soup and blend well. If thinner soup is desired, simply add a bit more stock or water. Serve topped with grated cheese if you like.

~Harvest blessings to all from Laura of Wildenblue Farm!~

Here is a rather poor photograph I took a few days ago of a naughty fox that has been snooping around the fields and barnyard. I am sad to say that our cat Luna has been missing for a few days, and with this cold weather bringing wildlife closer to home, perhaps a fox or coyote or owl is to blame...