Today’s easy, healthy recipe was created by my daughter, Danielle. Both my children are really good cooks. I sometimes wonder if it’s because when they were young, we rarely ate out. Our son had anaphylactic allergies and we avoided restaurants and fast food places whenever possible. It was much safer, not to mention healthier and more affordable, to eat at home. Maybe they learned by osmosis?

Danielle lives in Spain and the growing season there is ahead of the western New York region which is where I live. The photo below shows you what she received in her most recent April CSA share.

CSA or community-supported agriculture or crop sharing is a system that connects the producer and consumers within the food system more closely by allowing the consumer to subscribe to the harvest of a certain farm or group of farms.

To find a farm in your area that offers a CSA program, use google and search for community-based agriculture in your area. Another option is to visit www.LocalHarvest.org. This is a website where farmers can list their farm and their CSA. You can also visit your local farmer’s market and ask the farmers if they offer a CSA program.

One summer day, a few years ago, I was at a local farmer’s market and it was there that I met a local farmer, Elizabeth Freck of Thyme’s.Right Farm and Natural Produce, LLC. Her farm offers a CSA program. The program has been curtailed during the pandemic, but her organic produce is still available at our local farmer’s market in Lewiston, New York.

Different farms have different offerings. Some farms offer fruits and vegetables as well as meat, eggs, honey, and flowers.

Last summer, during the pandemic, we weren’t traveling and with my extra time, I wanted to spend more time outside and learn a little more about organic farming. I spent a few hours most weeks at Thyme’s Right Farm and Natural Produce, LLC.. I learned a lot, and above all, I gained a much deeper appreciation and understanding of the hard work involved in farming.

* Elizabeth Freck and I at her farm a couple of years ago.

Danielle decided to create a kitchen sink soup recipe with her CSA vegetables. She promises it tastes better than it looks!

Here’s the list of Ingredients:

• Bunch of spinach washed and roughly chopped
• A bunch of beetroot leaves washed and roughly chopped
• A bunch of carrots washed and roughly chopped
• 5 potatoes, washed & cubed
• 2 onions, chopped
• 6-8 cups of homemade stock, or a bouillon cube.
• Salt (to taste)
• Black pepper (to taste)
• 1 tsp thyme
• 2 tbsp Harissa
• Olive oil (or your 100% organic oil of choice)

👉 *Note: Danielle didn’t peel the carrots or potatoes. The skin has a lot of nutrients that will make your body happy! Just be sure to thoroughly wash them. 👈

Directions:

Danielle didn’t use exact measurements while creating this dish, so adapt this recipe as you see fit.

1. Start by coating a large pot with fresh olive oil. Add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
2. Then, toss in the carrots, potatoes, thyme, salt, pepper, harissa. Coat the veggies in oil and seasoning.
3. Add in the bouillon cube and enough water to cover the vegetables completely. (If you don’t have a bouillon cube, then substitute the bouillon cube + water with vegetable stock.)
4. Cover and let simmer until the carrots and potatoes are soft. You can test this by using a fork.
5. Once the carrots and potatoes are cooked, toss in the spinach and beetroot leaves. Let this all simmer together for about 5 minutes.
6. Taste the broth. Harissa and carrots go together like salt & pepper. So good. The harissa brings out the sweetness of the carrots. If the broth lacks flavor, add some harissa and a pinch of salt.

Let us know how you like the recipe!

It’s not too late to join this program that WILL have you feeling and looking your best for summer.

Get all the details HERE. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the link to register.

Have questions? Reach out to me HERE.