Food Sharing Hands-On Workshop

As a member of Portland Bright Neighbor, I came across this information and thought I'd pass it along for those of you interested in a free "light breakfast and lunch" and hands-on workshop. Find the details here.

Also, cheers to another lovely food group meeting! Margaret shared her sweet abode with us and we swapped vegetable gardening stories and feasted on carrot ginger soup (garnished with fresh, homemade yogurt and cilantro), local apples with scrumptious cheddar cheese, and the oh-so-delicious spinach hummus with its cleverly simple secret ingredient. (Maybe Margaret can post the recipe?)

We chatted about the rhythms of seasonal planning/planting/purchasing/preserving and our various current endeavors (square foot gardens, pear tree planting, local beef pickup, and even last night's project of lactofermenting garlic!)...and decided to continue the discussion of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle next month when more readers can join in. (We missed those of you who were away!)

Please feel free to post and share your own stories...the more the merrier!

For now...I'll leave you with last night's recipe:

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Carrot-Ginger Soup
(modified from Caroline Cummins' recipe ~ Culinate Kitchen Collection)

Proportions needn't be precise; the ingredients tend to balance out in the end...

8 to 12 carrots, depending on size, peeled and chopped
1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter (optional)
4 to 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock, depending on desired soup consistency
salt and pepper to taste

Plain yogurt, sour cream, or creme fraiche as a garnish
Freshly chopped chives and/or cilantro leaves as garnish

1. In large, heavy stockpot, cook carrots, onion, garlic and ginger in the oil and optional butter until the vegetables begin to soften.

2. While vegetables are cooking, heat the stock. Add stock to vegetables and simmer on low until the vegetables are thoroughly softened, about 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup in the stockpot until the soup has a nearly smooth texture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Ladle the soup into bowls. Dollop each serving with a bit of yogurt or cream and sprinkle with the chopped chives and/or cilantro. Serve immediately, preferably with slices of crusty bread.

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Eat well!