February 1

FARM NOTES

Yesterday it was miserably cold and rainy all. dang. day. – though yesterday we had some clear weather and got outside to do a bit more clearing work in the “Back 5”! We finally have all the downed trees cleaned up, and we’ll have the area bush-hogged in the next few weeks.

On Saturday we also pulled back a tarp that we laid down almost a year ago in the Back 5, and it’s amazing to see how effective it was in killing the grass and weeds (see photo below). There is definitely still a “bank” of weed seeds in the soil that will come back, but I’m going to broadcast a native perennial wildflower mix in this area, which will hopefully begin to re-take the space and start re-seeding itself as a vibrant pollinator habitat.

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KITCHEN NOTES

Time for #sundaysoup! I really needed some inspiration this weekend, so I went back through the Flagstone Pantry recipe archives and was reminded of this delish recipe for Pumpkin & Peanut Soup that is literally perfect for cold + rainy winter days. (For background about my time working in the Flagstone Pantry kitchen back when we lived in Santa Barbara, read this post from a few weeks ago). I love this soup because it comes together in less than 30 minutes, and the end result is velvety smooth and chock-full of flavor. And the leftovers are even better!

PUMPKIN & PEANUT SOUP

Serves 6

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INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 2 medium yellow onions, diced

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

  • 1 teaspoon paprika

  • 1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes

  • 2 15-ounce cans solid-pack pumpkin puree

  • 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth (possibly more)

  • 1 16-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained

  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 2/3 cup natural peanut butter

  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

  • salt and pepper to taste

  • Yogurt (optional garnish)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and cook, stirring, until no longer translucent and beginning to brown, 5-6 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes.

  2. Add turmeric, paprika, and chili flakes; stir. Add pumpkin puree, broth, peppers, tomato paste, and peanut butter; whisk to incorporate and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 5 minutes, then add apple cider vinegar along with salt and pepper to taste (start with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper).

  3. Remove the pot from heat. Using a stick/immersion blender, puree soup until smooth (or use a blender to puree in batches). Add additional broth as needed to achieve desired consistency.

  4. Taste again for seasonings, adding vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. This soup is especially nice topped with a dollop of plain yogurt, some fresh green herbs, and chopped peanuts or almonds.

TODAY’S STATS

  • Low temp: 30F

  • High temp: 40F

  • Sunrise: 7:18am

  • Sunset: 5:43pm

  • Moon phase: Waning Gibbous

  • Additional notes: Cold and rainy all. dang. day!